‘Ash Vs. the Evil Dead’s Finale Is a the Perfect Send-off for Its Begrudging Hero

There’s a reason why Ash Williams is one of the most recognizable names in the history of horror. Ever since Sam Raimi first introduced us to Bruce Campbell‘s Ash in 1981’s The Evil Dead, he’s been a complete mess. Between his drinking, his insulting jokes in the face of danger, and his overwhelming selfishness, Ash has always made a terrible hero, thrust against his will into this world of Evil versus normal. So it’s only fitting that in the final episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead‘s final season, Ash would finally become a true hero.

When The Evil Dead first premiered, it was unlike any horror movie of its time, gleefully willing to dart between abject terror and slapstick comedy at a moment’s notice. That genre-changing innovation wouldn’t exist without the character of Ash Williams. Both Ash and the character he was based on, Within the Woods’ Bruce, were never meant to be anything other than stereotypical college-aged guys. They were sarcastic, a bit dumb, vulgar, and more interested in hooking up with their dates than believing that something creepy was happening in an abandoned cabin in the woods. STARZ’s Ash vs. Evil Dead took these traits and pushed them to their absolute limits. The original Ash may have been a bit crass, but our Ash is a walking train-wreck.

That’s why Season 3’s finale of Ash vs. Evil Dead works so well. It allows Ash to finally become a traditional hero on his own terms. “The Mettle of Man” opens with the most stressful stakes Ash has ever encountered. The Dark Ones, a branch of darkness connected to Evil, has possession of the bane of Ash’s existence, the Necronomicon. They use the book to summon Kandar, a giant evil monster capable of destroying the Earth. In the first few minutes of the episode, the Deadites are running free, one of Ash’s closest friends is dead, a giant monster is on the loose, his other friend and his daughter have died and come back to life, and there’s no Ruby (Lucy Lawless) to help him. It’s hopeless, so he sits down and cracks open a six-pack, muttering “Savior, my ass.”

It’s a pity party that doesn’t last for long, but it’s an important one. From the first time he appeared on screen, Ash has been clear that he never wanted to be part of this war against the Deadites. These living nightmares have been plaguing him for 30 years, and during that time he’s only become less heroic and more resentful about his role in this universe. In these final moments when the world needs him the most, it’s not the fate of humanity that stirs Ash into action or even the dead Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo). It’s a speech from his daughter Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill).

The remainder of the episode finally sees Ash fully invested in fighting for something other than his own survival. He may not understand his destiny, but he has a purpose. Right before the final fight, Ash shoves Kelly, Brandy, and Pablo (Ray Santiago) into an escape van and locks the door. This is a man who has consciously procrastinated fighting Deadites, been dragged across space and time against his will, and has on more than one occasion ran away from people when they need him most. Seeing him finally embrace his role as a hero and enter this final fight alone was something both Ash and the audience deserved.

But even in his final fight, Ash is far from perfect. He can’t figure out how to drive a tank. At one point he runs over a taco stand and says, “Sorry Pablo.” He even calls the Kandar over by screaming curse words at it and flipping it off. Even when facing his biggest foe, Ash is still Ash, but there was always something magnetic about putting such a deeply flawed everyman through the ringer and letting him walk away.

And somehow Ash has always managed to walk away. The very last scene of The Evil Dead involves Ash screaming as Evil attacks him, implying that the last man alive never really made it out. And yet Ash and this franchise have escaped death again and again, reappearing as Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, the 2013 version of Evil Dead, and now Ash vs. Evil Dead. Ash Williams, no matter what happens to him, never really dies, and that sentiment is echoed in Ash’s finale.

After his final fight, Ash wakes up in a sort of cryostasis pod, complete with a new hand. A cyborg woman shows him a desolate and ruined city before ripping a sheet off of Ash’s old car, saying she’ll explain on the way. It’s Mad Max: Slashy Ashy Road, baby. Though we know this is an adventure we will likely never see, it feels oddly cathartic to know that Ash is still fighting and still kicking Evil’s butt even without us watching. And just because Campbell has confirmed that he won’t return to any screen as Ash Williams, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for Brandy to take over the reigns.

The last episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead answers very few of the questions it set out to answer. We still don’t know exactly why Ash was chosen or what this means for his daughter or his future. But in a way, that’s OK. Ash’s charms as a hero have always stemmed from knowing half of what he was supposed to do and making up the rest. He started as and remains the antithesis of Luke Skywalker, Ellen Ripley, Harry Potter, and every brave well-adjusted hero out there. In his last moments, he was just as crude, clumsy, and inebriated as he’s always been, but this time he was truly a hero.

Ash, we’re going to miss you, you beautiful buffoon.

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