Leading up to this year’s premiere of “Ash vs. Evil Dead,“ Bruce Campbell had been hyping Season 3 as a “game-changer,” even noting that the season was essentially made as if a fourth season was not going to be ordered by Starz. In other words, the season is operating as if it’s the show’s final one… in case it actually ends up being.
(Sadly, there’s a good chance the Season 3 finale will indeed be the series finale.)
This past Sunday’s episode, titled “Tales from the Rift,” primarily centered on two main storylines, both of which sure seemed to echo the “this is the end” approach to the season. In one storyline, Ash met up with members of the Knights of Sumeria, who are looking to close the rift between Earth and the Deadite-infested Netherworld for good. In the other main storyline, the always badass Kelly took matters into her own hands in a similar attempt to put a stop to evil once and for all. Her target? Ruby, who she planned on stabbing with the Kandarian Dagger – it’s the only way to truly kill her, after all.
Kelly put up a valiant fight, blasting Ruby away with a shotgun (once directly to the face!) and even exploding off her limbs with a hand grenade. But in the end, the immortal Ruby got the upper hand against her all-too-human adversary, turning the tables on Kelly and stabbing her with the Dagger. Kelly appeared to die, her body subsequently used as a vessel to bring the evil sorceress Kaya into this plane of existence.
Yes, “Ash vs. Evil Dead” killed off Kelly, giving her a fitting sendoff by letting her go out in an ass-kicking blaze of glory that personified the character we’ve gotten to know (and love) these last few years. Evil killed her family and is threatening the lives of her friends, and she literally gave hers for the sake of the fight she bravely devoted it to.
But is this really it for Kelly? Is she *really* dead?
Actress Dana DeLorenzo’s tweets this week will have you believing that we have indeed seen the last of Kelly – at least, a version of Kelly that’s actually, ya know, the real Kelly – but “Ash vs. Evil Dead” has certainly trained us to believe that nothing is really permanent in this universe; a bad trend for a show to set, as it ensures the impact of big happenings isn’t truly felt. After all, the time travel aspect has changed events in the past; the gruesome death of Pablo back in Season 2, despite Ray Santiago’s statements at the time, was soon thereafter wiped clean off the slate. So much for actual stakes, huh?
Literally ANYTHING is possible on “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” so it’s not hard to imagine the show finding a way to bring Kelly back to life in this final batch of episodes.
We’re thinking Kelly still has some fight left in her…
