Picking up immediately on last week’s cliffhanger, Detective Fisher must contend with the deadite bookstore owner while cuffed to a bookshelf. When things are looking very dire for her, Lucy Lawless’ Ruby waltzes in to save the day.  Looks like these two ladies may become besties with a common goal; find Ash.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Beaters are in route to Pablo’s uncle. The giant dust storm that followed Kelly and Pablo at the Value Stop has reappeared and closing in on the trio fast.  Leave it to Ash to come up with brilliant plans, though.  He’s installed NOS on his Delta 88.  True Ash style, it’s a plan that doesn’t quite execute, but his lucky streak continues with a hard right onto Brujo property.  Pablo’s brujo uncle has warded his property and the pure cloud of evil is unable to follow.

Back at the bookstore we finally learn more about Ruby and her family.  It turns out Ruby is a Knowby, as in the Knowby family who owned the very cabin that started it all for Ashley J. Williams some thirty years ago.  But perhaps Ruby is a bit confused on the details, as she blames Ash for the deaths of her parents and sister, Annie.  She’s looking for revenge.  It’s evident she’s not speaking in whole truths though, as she destroys the deadite before he can reveal any further details about her.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Ruby still has something Ash lost decades ago; his hand.  It’s recently begun twitching and Ruby believes it’s the compass that will point her to its owner.

Pablo’s uncle is not so happy to see his nephew, but Pablo pleads with him to help Ash.  Pablo still believes Ash is the El Jefe that will save them all.  The Brujo feels they have a long way to go if Ash is going to be any kind of hero.  They’re all too busy to notice Kelly isn’t doing so well; smashing the Necronomicon into “nerd” demon Elagos has given her a major migraine that’s evolving into hallucinations.  Uh Oh.

Pablo and Kelly retreat to the airstream while the Brujo gives Ash a hallucinogenic to search deep inside himself for answers. Thus begins the very psychedelic portion of the episode as Ash trips out and we journey inside the depths of his mind with him.  Just as Ash reaches his happy place, in Jacksonville, Florida, Kelly’s condition reaches critical mass and Elagos reappears to take her over.  Possessed Kelly tampers with a plug and electrocutes Pablo when he’s not looking.

She uses it as a distraction to get the Brujo away from Ash then turns Ash’s mental journey into a hellish nightmare. Elagos is nearly successful in trapping Ash in his own personal nightmare until Ash’s pet lizard reminds him that Ash has control of his own mind. He turns the tables on Elagos.  Except in reality he’s choking possessed Kelly. Pablo and his uncle return in time to save Kelly, knocking Ash unconscious.  Clever Elagos.  Not only do the gang not realize Kelly is possessed, but now they think Ash is corrupted by evil.

The psychedelic effects of Ash’s mind journey feels so far outside of the Evil Dead universe that this episode feels a little tonally out of place. Gore is replaced with trippy visuals.  Ruby’s connection to Evil Dead II and Ash’s wise-cracking humor keeps the episode anchored.  The reveal of Ash’s severed hand, still alive and well preserved, foreshadows an epic reunion in the near future.  This episode marks the forming of a partnership between the most mysterious character, Ruby, and the least interesting, Detective Fisher.  Fisher continues to prove she’s powerless and easily manipulated. With Elagos ending the episode in control, we can rest assured Ash will prevail.  The only real question is how will the Brujo or Kelly fare?  Ash has a history of outliving anyone who offers him aid.

Best line of the ep? Ash, “Shoot now, think never.”