Brujo

As Pablo said, Brujo means shaman, so you can imagine the acid trip this one's going to be. A lot of this episode is is just creepy, but Ash's trip offers just the flavor of absurdity we can all expect from this show. One minute he's getting some sort of weird Ludovico treatment with '70s and '80s TV, the ext he's being buried alive in the woods. Then it's off to picturesque Jacksonville(!) for beer sunsets. This isn't self-contained so much as a stop on the quest, so it ends with an ellipsis; but we do get more background on lawless' character (a name, for example, plus Ash's severed hand from way back). She wears badass well.

Overall, well paced and entertaining.

7/10

I was a little bit underwhelmed by the last episode, maybe because I didn't find the summoning and the breaking of the circle too funny or original, even if the rest of the episode was really good.

Here I find myself again on shaky ground. I am enjoying the series, that's for sure, I think it has top notch quality and the effects are really good. But again, I felt something was missing, and it may be with my high expectations after the first two episodes.

Let's get with the basics: the team goes to meet the Brujo, where they hope to find some answers. What we discover is that Kelly got something a little bit scarier than a head trauma after last week's fight with the demon. The Brujo gives some... nice drink to Ash, which of course is all in for a "trip". Here we get to see what's inside Ash's mind (which is not much it seems) as he searches for answers. On the other side, we have Amanda, the trooper, teaming up with Ruby, who tells Amanda that she is the sister of Annie Knowby and daughter of Professor Knowby and his wife Henrietta (Evil Dead 2)... But of course, this may well be a lie.

The pace of the episode is good, even if the "trip" feels a tad bit too long. The show is playing well with all the horror clichés, as it should be, being an extension of the Evil Dead movies. But the direction seemed a little bit bland and there was less humor than in previous episodes. I wonder if the series is going to be like a video game: 1 episode 1 destination, as it has been till now. It may not become boring, but maybe a little bit repetitive.

A good overall effort. But Ash deserves better: two beers and a new hand. (Speaking of which...)

Ash pays a visit to Pablo's Uncle Brujo (Hemky Madera), who uses a special hallucinogenic potion to try and help Ash understand his purpose in life. Meanwhile, Amanda teams up with Ruby (Lucy Lawless), who wants vengeance for the death of her parents and sister (or so she says).

After three great episodes, there's a substantial slip in quality with Brujo, the supposed highlight being the unimpressive acid trip for Ash. It's not that funny and visually it's rather weak, and with none of the outrageous gore and witty one-liners that have made the series so much fun thus far, this episode proves very disappointing indeed.

5/10

'Brujo' is a most enjoyable episode in this engaging series. It picks up where the last one left off, and Amanda is rescued by Ruby, who explains who she is and what her motivation is for searching for Ash. Meanwhile, Ash, Pablo & Kelly visit the title character (Hemky Madera), Pablo's wise and mystical uncle, who has Ash "look inside himself" for the answer to vanquishing the Evil. And Kelly develops a problem that's going to prove to be interesting in future episodes.

Written by James Eagan, and directed with flair by David Frazee, 'Brujo' shows its viewers a high old time (in more ways than one). There are good action scenes, typically flamboyant digital effects, and some nice atmosphere when we arrive at the Brujo's remote homestead. The combination of the eerie vocalizations on the soundtrack, and the imagery of this place, works well. Eagans' story races forward, with plenty of the standard witticisms we come to expect from an "Evil Dead" tale. Much humour continues to be mined from painting Ash as a not-too-bright character. But the unqualified highlight is Ash's hilarious "trip", complete with "Here I Go Again" on the soundtrack and quick flashes of TV themes. Ash is so content during this experience that it's a rude awakening when a certain demon is still busy trying to spoil things.

Bruce Campbell is great fun once again, but there are also good moments for Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo, not to mention guest star Madera, who has definite presence. Lucy Lawless and Jill Marie Jones only appear briefly.

'Brujo' does have you wondering where the story is going to go next, never a bad thing for any series.

Eight out of 10.

Episode 4 is probably the weakest so far, but definably worth a watch. In this installment Ash and the gang travel to see Pablo's uncle, a witch doctor who may be able to help as with defeating the dead. Before they get there, the trademark Evil Dead POV tracking shot is put to use. We've never actually seen the monster when this happens as the filmmakers choose wisely to leave it to our imagination, but in this episode it is shown to be…a CGI dust cloud? Hmm, disappointing.

Upon arriving at Brujo Ash is sent on a mildly amusing but overlong acid trip throughout the rest of the episode. Kelly is shown to be having some after-effects of the fight with Eligos in the previous episode – she look like she is possessed by the demon. Ash, in his mind, attempts to take down Eligos but in reality he is attaching Kelly. Pablo and his Uncle restrain Ash my knocking him out cold, and the episode ends abruptly on what could be considered something of a cliff-hanger.

Meanwhile the rather dull pairing of Amanda Fisher and Ruby Knowby decide to team up to track Ash. We are also treated to Ash's severed hand.

A bit of a forgettable filler episode in truth, but it has its moments, and it's cool to see a demon as a recurring character, especially if it's as awesome as Eligos.