The debut of Ash vs Evil Dead felt like the return of something you didn’t know you missed, until you saw it returned. The first episode, which debuted last week, quickly dove back into the formula fans of the Evil Dead trilogy have come to love, a mix of horror, comedy, in a style that’s unique and all its own.

The second episode of the series has Ash and his trusty sidekick Pablo set upon their journey, and quickly get attacked and sidetracked.

This episode sums up a lot of the vibe that I know I love about the series, a solid mix of humor, action, and horror. There’s a few scenes of Ash kicking ass that are so over the top, they can’t help be funny, and humor is clearly what’s being gone for.

The show rests on the shoulders of Bruce Campbell, who has slid back into the skin of Ash as if no time has been missed. In just these two episodes he shows off that the smart-ass sexist action hero can still work, and still entertain. The show rises because of the way Campbell delivers his lines and character, in a way that’s hard not to be entertained.

But, Campbell is helped by Ray Santiago who plays Pablo, a pseudo straight-man who thinks Ash is a hero and wants to learn how to kick some but as well. Ash works best when playing off of someone and Santiago has great chemistry with Campbell.

It helps the series has kept the visuals that are so unique and a signature of the original trilogy. The way Deadites move, to camera angles, and tone of how everything looks, it’s a seamless return that’s been enhanced a bit with modern CGI.

The first episode got me excited, and the second has me wanting more right now.

You can sum up the series in one word…. Groovy.

Overall Rating: 9

Starz provided a FREE screener prior to airing