"Rifting Apart" is the eighth episode of the third season of Ash vs Evil Dead and the twenty eighth episode overall in the series. It was written by Bryan Hill and directed by Mark Beesley. It premiered on April 15, 2018.
Plot Synopsis[]
Inside Kenward County High School, the victims of Evil Ash's onslaught are hauled out by emergency crews. As police examine the gory scene, the sheriff demands that the search for Ash Williams be spread to the Michigan state lines, swearing that he'll pay for what he did. Unbeknownst to law enforcement, Williams is closer than they think, as he and Pablo Simon Bolivar are taking refuge inside a classroom. Pablo begins to cry for the children who lost their lives during the doppelganger's attack, while Ash stoically stews about the death of his daughter and the fact that "Kelly" is not who she appears to be. As Williams remarks "You know it's bad when you don't know who's alive or dead or somewhere in-between", he recalls seeing the spirit of Professor Raymond Knowby trapped in a rift between time and space, and theorizes that perhaps that's where the souls of Kelly and Brandy are. Before discussing their plan to go into this rift and save the two, Pablo notices that Brandy's body is being taken by the coroner.
Within the misty green-tinted world of the Deadlands, Brandy runs through the school halls only to find that a doorway leads her directly into the heart of Elk Grove. She watches as frightened classmates run through the streets and take cover behind dust-covered vehicles, only to realize she's right next to her father's hardware store. Finding that the front door is locked, Brandy bangs on the door, calling for her father's attention. Inside, a dark smokey, shadowy shape rises from the floor, only to quickly disappear and reappear behind a girl down the street. The scared girl tries to run, only for dozens of leathery black demonic hands to reach out of the sidewalk and grab her ankles. She frantically tries to crawl away from the arms pulling her into the ground. As Brandy races over to try to help her fellow student, a human arm reaches out from the alley beside her and pulls her away. Covering Brandy's mouth and speaking with a soft voice, Dalton whispers to her that "If it finds you, it will take you, too."
Back in the real world, Ash and Pablo watch as Brandy's body is loaded into the back of the medical examiner's van. As the medics step away, the two run over and climb into the front seat as Ash hot-wires the car and speeds away. Letting Pablo take the wheel, Ash climbs into the back and unzips his daughter's body bag, apologizing to her for letting her down, and promises to bring her home. Ash shuffles back to the cab, unaware that something inside the other body bag is starting to move.
Inside the Deadlands, Brandy asks Dalton if this place is Hell, though he says feels like Hell might be the "next stop", and that they need to move before the shadowy creature returns. As they run for the movie theater, the shapeless monster materializes outside the door, prompting the two to quick duck into an alley. As they silently wait for something to happen, Kelly suddenly rounds the corner, seemingly angry that Ruby had killed her, too. Though the demon is gone for the moment, Kelly motions for them to follow her back into the theater, though the doorway leads them into the Elk Lounge Bar instead. Kelly explains that stuff doesn't work here like it does in the real world, and as of right now, their only plan is to duck and cover.
Beneath the hardware store, Ash and Pablo carefully bring the body bag down the steps and towards the strange incantations written on the cellar wall. Ash tells Pablo to go ahead and open the rift with his "Cuervo Especial" powers, though Pablo informs him he thinks the only true way to get there is to die. Reluctant at first, Ash realizes that he's got to save Brandy and Kelly, and opts to stab himself in the heart with the Kandarian Dagger. As Ash awakens, he now finds himself in a strange dimension blanketed by an ominous green haze, where doorways lead to completely different locations...
Back in the world of the living, Pablo stands guard over Ash's body in the cellar, until the sound of something moving around in the store upstairs catches his attention. He looks up to find the contents of the body bag has been removed, and heads upstairs to investigate.
At the Deadlands Elk Lounge, Kelly, Brandy, and Dalton take cover as a doorknob begins to rattle, only for Ash to barge into the room. Delighted to see everyone still "alive" in this place, Ash tells the trio that he's got a plan to get them out of there.
Inside the hardware store, Pablo discovers a Deadite high school student roaming through the aisles, and attempts to fight her off with a variety of tools around him.
Back in the Deadlands, Ash and the others attempt to make their way back to the cellar, though Williams soon learns just how complicated the "door logic" of this strange world is. Finding themselves back on the main street through Elk Grove, Dalton volunteers to create a distraction for Ash and the others to drive to the hardware store in the Deadlands version of the Oldsmobile. Before Ash can start the car's engine, demonic hands reach up from the pavement and drag the Delta into the ground, only for the car to pop back up and roar to life as it makes a beeline for the shadowy creature. Plowing through the monster as if it were nothing, the car comes to a screeching halt as they race into the hardware store and into the cellar. Ash is initially angered at the lack of "open rift" waiting for them, unaware of his friend's struggle in the real world.
Meanwhile, Pablo manages to lure the Deadite girl over to the corner of the store, and sticks her head in a paint shaking machine after nailing her to a table. With the Deadite defeated, Pablo races back to the cellar and opens the rift. Though Ash and Brandy are able to easily walk into the rift, Kelly seems to be held back by an invisible barrier. Ash awakens in his body, and runs back outside to release Brandy from the body bag in the back of the van. Williams tells Pablo that Kelly couldn't return, but that "Ghost Beaters never leave a man behind."
At the Prevett Mansion, Kaya (inside Kelly's body) presents Ruby with the captured Zoë, whom she had found sneaking around the house. After examining their new prisoner for a moment, Zoë is held down by Kaya as Ruby grabs a small knife and steps closer, telling the Knight of Sumeria that she's going to help them rewrite their destiny...
Cast[]
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Starring |
Guest Starring
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Gallery[]
Behind The Scenes[]
Soundtrack[]
- Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters (1960) (Heard during Ash and Pablo's drive to the hardware store)
- Kick Out The Jams - MC5 (Kick Out The Jams; 1969) (Heard when the Oldsmobile charges the shadow monster)
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; 1976) (Heard during the end credits)
Trivia[]
- References to other Ash vs Evil Dead episodes:
- After reuniting with Brandy in the Deadlands, Ash alludes to the last time he regained a real flesh-and-blood hand and "kinda weird how often that happens", a reference to the Season Two episode Home Again.
- References to Evil Dead II:
- Footage of John Peakes as Professor Raymond Knowby from Evil Dead II is used when Ash remarks "You know it's bad when you don't know who's alive or dead or somewhere in-between."