If you have seen our Evil Dead episode, then you know that it’s my all-time favorite horror franchise. I will always remember when I first watched Evil Dead 2 as a kid.

Back in the nineties, there was a horror movie block on TNT called Monster Vision with Joe Bob Briggs. I would often watch it with my Dad, however, that particular night was different. My parents had fallen asleep, so I snuck into the living room and turned on the T.V. They were having an Evil Dead marathon, and Evil Dead 2 was just starting. I was instantly immersed in the film, despite the things in it that scared me at the time. I fell in love with the world it was creating, one where it seemed like anything was possible. An unstoppable evil force that can possess and control everyone and everything around it.

In the middle of all of it was Ash Williams. I realized that this wasn’t a horror movie about the villain, it was about the hero. A hero who was just an average guy fighting against the ultimate odds.  That’s why the character had such an impact on me. He wasn’t some superhero with powers or someone who had experience dealing with supernatural threats. He was just some guy with a shotgun and chainsaw, and yet he prevails.

Well, almost.

After that, I was hooked, and went to my local video store to rent the other movies.

For many years, I had hoped for another installment in the franchise. Every time chatter would start about a potential sequel, I would get excited. When the remake was announced, I thought that was it. There’s no way we will ever see Bruce Campbell play Ash again. Fast forward a year or so and Bruce Campbell mentioned in an interview that he had interest in doing an Evil Dead television series. At first, I didn’t think much of it. Bruce was probably just teasing the fans, and nothing would come of it. Then, more and more information started surfacing online about the show and eventually there were pictures of the script, sets and finally a trailer. I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. Every part of me was beaming with excitement. I was finally going to see my childhood hero again after all these years.

The first season was a great ride from start to finish. The humor of Army of Darkness was there, along with the over the top gore from the first two films. There was a bunch of fan service, as well as plenty of expansion on the Evil Dead mythos. The first season ended exactly where I thought it should, back at the cabin. The show couldn’t have made me happier, and with the announcement of season 2, it seemed like there was going to be plenty more.

When season 2 started, we got to see where Ash came from, his hometown Elk Grove, Michigan, along with meeting his father Brock Williams, played by Lee Majors. Again, it was a fun expansion on the universe, but fell a little short towards the end. Again, we ended up back at the cabin, which was okay, but I wanted to see where else this world could take us. That said, Ted Raimi returned as Deadite Henrietta, and that was some great fan service. I often re-watch the last three episodes of season 2 for that reason alone. Shortly after the season’s conclusion, we get confirmation for a third. It was said that season 3 was going to be pushed back though and that’s where I started getting worried.

Bruce Campbell started voicing concern for the well being of the show. Too many people were pirating it and not enough were subscribing to Starz. I knew the show was in jeopardy at that point.

We finally got season 3, and it was excellent. I feel it was the best season of the show. We had even more Evil Dead lore, along with real character development with Ash once his daughter Brandy was introduced. Instead of him just making dirty jokes while cutting Deadites up, he’s fighting to protect his daughter. Not only that, but he’s trying to convince her that he isn’t psychotic and everything he’s telling her is true. We got to see a side of him we never have before. That alone made this season stand out. Then, just last week before the last episode of the season aired, we got confirmation that it was cancelled. It was going to be the series finale. Shortly after that, Bruce Campbell announced on social media that he would be officially retiring the character of Ash. Even if the fans managed to get another network, or Netflix to produce one more season, he didn’t want any part of it. The showrunners also said that they wrote the ending of season 3 as a potential series finale. If they had gotten a season 4, it would have taken place in a post-apocalyptic future. I would have loved for this to happen, incorporating the storyline that Sam Raimi originally wanted for Evil Dead 4. While watching the series finale, I had a very emotional experience. It was like saying a final goodbye to an old friend. The ending was bittersweet, and I was left wondering what could have been if they got a season 4. I’m happy we got as much as we did though. Instead of just one more movie, we had three full seasons and that should be enough, but I still hope we get some type of closure for Ash. Even if it’s in comic book form, I would be happy. So now, all I can say is thank you to Bruce Campbell for giving us our hero back one last time.

Hopefully we get to see Ash at least once more, but if not, we will always remember you, El Jefe.