- This article is about the episode, for Ash's hometown see Elk Grove or the Williams Family Home for his childhood home.
"Home" is the first episode of the second season of Ash vs Evil Dead and the eleventh episode overall in the series. It was written by Craig DiGregorio and directed by Rick Jacobson. Like its Season 1 counterpart did before, it premiered as a sneak preview for free on the official STARZ website on September 27, 2016.
Plot[]
The party in Jacksonville is over when Ash, Pablo, and Kelly are summoned by Ruby back to Ash's hometown to form an unlikely alliance. Ash's dad Brock, and the local pub rats give a chilly welcome to the man who's come to save them from evil.
Summary[]
At a morgue, Ruby runs for her life, clutching the Necronomicon. Her demonic children--now fully grown--chase after her and she manages to fight one of them off. It knocks the book out of her hands and one of them grabs it and starts casting a spell while the other demon grabs Ruby and vomits black bile all over her. It burns but she shrugs it off, kicks the demon off, and grabs the book. Ruby then uses the book to cast a spell, blasting the second demon. She walks into a nearby morgue room and thumbs through the book, finds the page showing Ash, and realizes that he's the only hope(much to Ruby's annoyance and dismay). As the demons close in her, Ruby starts chanting another spell.
Meanwhile, at a bar in Jacksonville... Ash uses his chainsaw to cut open a kegger for the partygoers. Pablo and Kelly are tending bar, and Kelly reminds Pablo that now Ash is just water trash like everyone else in Jacksonville. Pablo insists that Ash did what he had to do to save them, but Kelly doesn't believe it.
A woman, Cindy, comes over with her daughter Hannah and reminds Ash that they slept together the night before. Hannah asks to touch the chainsaw, just as a wind starts blowing and a hole opens up in the sky above. It starts raining and everyone takes shelter. Lighting slams down and then the rain abruptly stops, and now-Deadites Cindy and Hannah attack Ash. The deadite in Cindy says that Ruby sent them, while the Hannah Deadite attacks Pablo.
The Cindy Deadite calls Ash "Ashy Slashy," and he recognizes the nickname. She keeps taunting him with a childhood song and knocks the chainsaw off his stump. Meanwhile, the bartender attempts to open fire on Hannah, but it attacks him before he can shoot it. Kelly unsuccessfully tries to help the bartender but the Deadite tears him apart and rips off his arms.
Ash knocks Cindy off of him, and Pablo tosses him his chainsaw. However, Cindy grabs his leg and the chainsaw slams into Ash's head. While Hannah attacks Pablo, Ash removes his belt and pulls his chainsaw to his stump. Kelly grabs a fire axe and chops Hannah's head off, and keeps hacking even after it goes down. Meanwhile, Ash cuts off Cindy's arms and then her head. The headless body slips on the blood and finally goes down, but the head says that Ash will die like the others. He blasts the head apart with his shotgun, saying "Ladies first".
Once everyone has recovered, Kelly says she never trusted Ruby and she's been waiting to kick Ruby's ass. Pablo wonders where Ruby is, and Ash says that Ruby is in Elk Grove, Michigan: his hometown. He figures that they'll take care of her and be back by Friday, and they head out.
The trio drives to Elk Grove and Kelly notes that sinkholes are still appearing and murder rates are up. Pablo makes a sketch of Ruby, and Kelly asks Ash why he hasn't been home in so long. Ash ignores the question and reaches for a beer, while Pablo finds himself losing control over his hand, which starts sketching the face from the cover of the Necronomicon. He quickly grabs his hand and stops it as they arrive in Elk Grove.
Ash pulls into town as it starts raining, and two boys run across the street yelling that Ash will get the other. They park in front of an old house and Ash tells his friends that it was his house. He says that his parents died a long time ago and tells them to wait in the car while he goes inside. Meanwhile, Kelly sees one of the boys watching them, but by the time she points him out to Pablo, he's disappeared.
Inside the house, Ash looks around and hears a scream from further inside. He checks it out and finds a woman on the TV screaming. There are photos of a young Ash with his father on the mantle... and a shot rings out. A man steps out with a gun and figures that Ash is a robber. When he turns on the lights, he realizes that it's his son. Ash greets his father Brock and claims that he just came to visit. Brock notices his metal hand and Ash says that it makes him stronger, but his father isn't impressed.
Kelly and Pablo run in and Ash introduces them to his father. Brock starts hitting on Kelly, who isn't impressed. Ash explains that he and his father are dead to each other, and has Pablo show Brock the picture of Ruby. Brock doesn't recognize her and figures that Ash is still paying the victim. He claims that he knows what happened at the cabin, and blames Ash for running away rather than convincing the townspeople of what happened. Ash insists that he did what he had to, and Brock says that Ash should leave before he ruins the life he's built for himself.
That night, Ash and the others drive up to the town bar. Ash says that they'll split up and ask around. A man comes up and says that Ash ruined his life, but Ash doesn't recognize him. Pablo sees the man's sign briefly change into the cover of the book, but then the vision fades. The man walks off and Ash goes into the bar. Everyone stares at him, but the waitress, Linda, comes over and greets Ash. Sheriff Thomas Emery comes over and kisses Linda, and Ash realizes that they're married. It's clear that Thomas isn't willing to let the past rest quietly.
When Linda walks off, Ash watches her go until Emery interrupts him. Ash says that he's looking for a woman and Emery speaks up, telling everyone that Ashy Slashy is back. Ash insists that he didn't chop up his friends, and asks if they will help him or kick him out of town. The customers all start yelling at Ash, who starts to go. However, he refuses to run and turns back, smashing a glass. He tells the customers that he's there to save the town whether they like it or not, and takes out Ruby's picture. Emery tells Ash that it's time to leave, and Ash says that after he saves them they won't see him for another 30 years.
Pablo walks down the street and hears something in an alleyway. A shadowy figure appears briefly and then drops back into the darkness, and Pablo goes to investigate. He goes around the corner and finds himself facing a spectral Ruby holding the Necronomicon, standing in front of a building with two smoke stacks. The cover flies off and sticks to Pablo's face, and he pulls it off... along with his own face. Kelly finds him and Pablo realizes that he hallucinated the whole thing. Ash arrives and Pablo says that he just saw Ruby and the location where Ruby was. Ash recognizes the building as the town crematorium.
The trio drives to the crematorium and Pablo confirms that it's the building from his vision. Pablo admits that he's been having nightmares ever since Ruby put the book cover on his face, and he was afraid to tell the others. They go inside and Ash tells his friends to use their weapons to knock down Ruby long enough so that he can cut her apart with the Dagger. The trio splits up and Ash goes off on his own. The crematorium furnaces turn on and flames burst out, and Ash hears something behind him. He turns but there's nothing except his shadow. When he turns, the shadow hits him in the head and Ash figures that Ruby is responsible. A demon emerges from the shadow and throws Ash across the room. Ash shoots at it but it dodges.
Kelly and Pablo hear the shot, and a shadow demon grabs Kelly and drags her through a grate into the waters below. Another demon advances on Pablo.
Ash starts up his chainsaw and tries to fight the demon, but it turns into a shadow and runs off.
The demon continues its advances on Pablo, who grabs the Brujo's amulet around his neck fearfully. Surprised, the creature is unable to see him. It hears a scream and runs off, and Pablo realizes that his uncle's necklace saved him.
Kelly searches the waters for her gun, but a demon wearing her body grabs her. It says that she's stronger than Ash and should lead rather than follow, and they both punch each other. The demon tells Kelly to join them and chokes her, and Kelly snaps out of the vision and realizes that she's choking herself. When the demons taunt her, Kelly grabs her gun and opens fire. The walls start bleeding and blood sprays out.
Ash looks for his friends and hears voices in the shadows. He goes over to investigate... and Ruby pops out. He inquires Ruby why she broke their truce, and Ruby says that she had no choice. She has lost control of her children and they want the book. Ash isn't impressed, but Ruby says that she needs his help. She offers him whatever he wants once he helps her. A demon suddenly grabs her and drags her off into the shadows, and Ash goes after them.
The mixed water and blood rises, and Kelly screams for help. A skeleton grabs Kelly and drags her under... but Pablo grabs her and pulls her up. Relieved, she hugs him.
The demon smashes Ruby to the floor and it and two demons move in on her. Ash arrives and ducks back, figuring that Ruby can handle herself. Meanwhile, one of the demons grabs the book Ruby is holding, but realizes that she switched books. It demands to know where the Necronomicon is, stabbing her in the leg. Ruby sees Ash in the shadows and silently pleads with him to help her. After a moment, Ash steps out and they start to charge. Ash shoots two demons, and then disembowels the third one with his chainsaw. It merely smiles and throws Ash back, knocking the shotgun and the Dagger away. The other two get up, their wounds healing, and say that Ash's story is ending. However, Ruby grabs the Dagger and mortally wounds the lead demon. The other two run off, and Ruby tearfully tells the first one that she's sorry. Ash grabs his shotgun and blows its head off, and reluctantly Ruby hands Ash the Dagger.
Pablo and Kelly arrive, ready to shoot Ruby. Ash says that he's got it and Ruby admits that she's made a huge mess. She says that she hid the book from her children, who are too powerful for her to fight on her own. Ruby needs their help to get the Necronomicon and send the demons back to Hell, and Ash agrees. He tells his friends that it's time to go save the world.
Cast[]
Starring |
Special guest star Guest starring
|
Trivia[]
- References to other Ash vs Evil Dead episodes:
- When the Deadites attack the party in Jacksonville, Ash leaps through the air to catch his Chainsaw on his hand, just like in the first episode, El Jefe, which itself was a reference to the pit scene in the Army of Darkness film.
- References to The Evil Dead:
- The line "One by one we will take you" is spoken by the Deadite Mom in Jacksonville. This line was said by Cheryl in The Evil Dead.
- When Pablo first attempts to make a sketch of Ruby, he has no control of his hand and draws the face of the Necronomicon, like what happens to Cheryl in the original Evil Dead.
- References to Evil Dead II:
- When Ash cuts up the Deadite Mom in Jacksonville, her limbs go flying past the camera one by one in a over the top fashion. This is a reference to the end of Evil Dead II when Ash chops up Henrietta Knowby and her limbs fly past the camera in the same way on clearly visible strings.
- A copy of the novel A Farewell To Arms is seen in the trunk of the Oldsmobile when the trio arrive at the crematorium. In Evil Dead II, the book was one of the many objects placed on the bucket containing Ash's Evil Hand.
- The sketch of Ash in front of Castle Kandar in the Necronomicon shown again. The sketch was first seen in Evil Dead II but was seen again in the Ash vs Evil Dead episode: The Dark One.
- Kelly fights an evil version of herself in the crematorium, but as Evil Kelly begins to strangle the original Kelly, it is revealed that the evil Kelly was never there, that the original was strangling herself. This is a reference to the scene in Evil Dead II where Evil Ash lunges out of the mirror and begins to strangle Ash, but Ash realizes that he was strangling himself.
- When Kelly shoots the walls in the crematorium, the walls slowly begin to drip blood, but soon turns into a "blood flood". This happens to Ash in Evil Dead II while hunting for his Evil Hand.
- References to Army of Darkness:
- Ash calls the people in the bar "Inbred, degenerate screwheads", similar to his "primitive screwheads" line in Army of Darkness.
- Ash hits his head on a pipe in the crematorium and black ash hits Ash's face. While in the windmill in Army of Darkness, Ash hits his head on a pipe and black ash sprays on his face in the exact same way.
- The photos of Ash as a child are actual photographs of Bruce Campbell when he was a child. Some of these photos can be found on Bruce's official Twitter and his 2002 autobiography: If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of A B-Movie Actor.
- The dialog between Ash and his father: "I'm better, stronger..." "Faster?" is a reference to the opening of The Six Million Dollar Man, where Lee Majors (Brock Williams) played the title role.
- The record store in Elk Grove is called Groovy Sounds, a reference to Ash's catchphrase spoken in Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, Evil Dead 2013, and Ash vs Evil Dead.
- When Ash shows his father Pablo's sketch of Ruby, Brock replies with "You're looking for Bigfoot?". Another Lee Majors character, Steve Austin, met Bigfoot on five different episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man.
External Links[]
- Watch Home free on the official STARZ website.