DUI (Ash vs Evil Dead)

Lore & Background

The episode picks up immediately after the events of 'Home Again,' with Ash, Pablo, and Kelly reeling from the death of Ash's father, Brock Williams. Ruby Knowby, now fully revealed as a manipulative force, has unleashed the Dark Ones, and the trio must find a way to reverse the apocalypse. Ash uses the Necronomicon to summon a portal back to the cabin in the woods, where the book's power can be undone. The climax involves a brutal confrontation with Ruby, who is ultimately defeated by being dragged into the portal by her own demonic creations.

Reader's Guide

At the derby, Ash is attacked by the Delta, who still keeps Pablo and Lacey inside. Using his chainsaw, Ash damages the car, which prompts it to release Lacey and Pablo, although the Necronomicon attacks Pablo. The Delta then aggressively attacks Ash, managing to pull it over the hood of the car. Pablo stabs the Necronomicon with a glass, but the book tells Pablo that he can let him live and stop the possessions if he is allowed to return to his dimension through a passage. Pablo reads it, causing the Delta to go back to normal. Ash and Pablo notice that the trunk of the car is now a portal to hell. They throw the Necronomicon into the portal. Ruby and Kelly arrive at the crematorium, where they are attacked by Ruby's children. Ruby kills all of the children using her dagger. However, Ruby feels that the Necronomicon is gone and leaves with Kelly. Ash and Pablo leave the derby, with Ash intending to fix the Delta. After they leave, a demon jumps out of the trunk. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.274 million household viewers and gained a 0.13 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, pacing, performances and ending.

Did You Know?

• The episode ends with the trunk of Ash's car popping open, implying a demonic presence, but no demon is shown jumping out.
• This episode marks the final appearance of Ruby Knowby as a primary antagonist in the series, though she returns in a different form in season 3.
• The title 'DUI' is a play on 'Driving Under the Influence,' referencing Ash's reckless driving and the demonic influence still lingering.
• The scene where Ash uses the Necronomicon to open a portal required extensive practical effects, including a rotating set piece to simulate the vortex.

Production & Broadcast History

Ash vs Evil Dead is an American comedy-horror television series created by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy for the premium cable network Starz. Serving as a direct sequel to Raimi's original Evil Dead film trilogy, the show brought Bruce Campbell back to the role of Ash Williams, joined by Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, and Lucy Lawless in the principal cast. The series debuted on October 31, 2015, and Starz moved quickly to commit to a second season just three days before that premiere aired. Season two followed on October 2, 2016, and a third season premiered on February 25, 2018. Despite the network's early confidence, the show was ultimately canceled on April 29, 2018, after its three-season run concluded. The brief but concentrated lifespan of the series allowed its creators to tell a complete multi-arc story while maintaining the irreverent tone that defined the original films.

Ash Williams: A Hero Haunted by Time

Set roughly thirty years after the events of Army of Darkness (1992), the series finds Ash Williams in a state of quiet decay. He has drifted from town to town for three decades, sleeping in a mobile home trailer, keeping a pet lizard named Eli, and cycling through dead-end stock-boy positions at various Value Stop locations. In a bar, he drinks alone; in his apartment, he stares at the Necronomicon he has tried and failed multiple times to destroy, eventually settling into the role of its reluctant caretaker. Bruce Campbell has described the character as a war veteran carrying survivor's guilt and PTSD who refuses to discuss his past and even fabricates a story about his missing hand to impress women. In season two, Ash returns to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan, only to be met with hostility: the townspeople never believed his Deadite stories, accused him of killing his friends and sister, and branded him 'Ashy Slashy.'

The Ghostbeaters: An Unlikely Family

The central trio of Ash vs Evil Dead is bound together not by blood but by circumstance and shared trauma. Pablo Simon Bolivar, played by Ray Santiago, is Ash's co-worker at Value Stop and his most devoted ally, addressing him as 'El Jefe' out of deep respect. Raised by his shaman uncle, el Brujo, Pablo grew up hearing legends of a great hero who would defeat an ancient evil, and he sees Ash as that figure. Kelly Maxwell, portrayed by Dana DeLorenzo, begins as a moody, reluctant co-worker who is swept into the fight after being orphaned in a car accident that killed her mother. Impulsive and fiercely capable in combat, she becomes a spiritual daughter to Ash and a vital member of the group fans call the Ghostbeaters. Together, the three form a found family whose loyalty and improvisational skill drive the series' emotional core across all three seasons.

Expanding the Evil Dead Mythology

Ash vs Evil Dead wove new threads into the tapestry established by the original trilogy while honoring its legacy. Ted Raimi, who had appeared in various cameo and stand-in roles across the earlier films, stepped into a recurring part as Chet Kaminski, Ash's hard-partying childhood friend with a dark secret tied to Cheryl's death. Lee Majors joined the cast as Brock Williams, Ash's long-absent father and a hardware-store owner whose relationship with his son is fraught with blame over Cheryl's fate, until a final redemptive realization before his death. The show also introduced entirely new mythological elements: the Knights of Sumeria, an ancient order dedicated to battling evil; the Kandarian Demon and its associated entities like Eligos; and the diabolical Baal, whose powers include time manipulation and possession. Pablo's evolution into a 'brujo especial' through a season-three ritual further deepened the supernatural lore, while Ash's long-lost daughter Brandy Barr Williams in season three added a personal stake connecting past and future.