Recap of Ash vs. Evil Dead
Season 2, Episode 5:
Confinement
- Ruby: There's a demon in here, and I'm gonna kill him before he kills all of us. His name is Baal, and right now he's hidden among us.
Two police officers arrive at the empty bar after everyone has run out due to Ash killing a Deadite, and Officer Marge hears a strange voice calling her. She enters the bathroom and sees Amber's headless body, calling her partner Polly. A naked man appears in the stall behind her, and she draws her gun at him, telling him to stand down. The man says she doesn't need the gun, and she drops the weapon, obeying his words and starts undressing. While they're kissing, the man starts peeling the skin off Marge's back with his claw, and a few moments after her skinless body falls to the ground, with the man taking the flayed skin for himself.
Ash is in a festive mood, planning to take the Delta back from a car shop and head back to Jacksonville. Just as he's about to go hit on Linda Emery, her husband shows up and arrests him for Amber's murder. He's put into a cell opposite of Chet's, who's been arrested for drunk driving and soliciting a transgender prostitute named Joanie. Sheriff Emery praises "Marge" for getting Ash, while Linda and Lacey come to the station and tell him about what happened. Linda hears Ash's voice and asks Thomas about it, but he brushes it off and tells "Marge" to handle it. "She" goes into the cell block and fixes a bit of loose skin on "her" chin before letting Ash get his phone call. The phone rings just as she leaves, and the same man who killed the real Marge talks to Ash, wanting to see what he's made of.
Pablo, Kelly and Ruby come to the police station, and Kelly mocks Emery for his "potty failure" a few days ago. Ash emerges from the corridor and talks about "bad juju going on", and Emery draws his gun and calls Marge. The lights act erratically, and Ash gets Marge's skin thrown at him. Emery tries to shoot Ash, but Ruby disarms him and explains it wasn't Ash. Kelly takes the keys and locks down the station, while Ruby tells Polly to take every prisoner to the foyer so that everyone would be in sight.
Ruby explains the demon Baal is on the loose, hidden among the people in the station, and that he'll make everyone fight like rats in a cage, playing on their fears and paranoia, and then come for the last survivor. She asks for the dagger, which was among things put into the evidence locker, and shoots Emery in the leg before going there. While in the evidence room, Ruby finds a scared Polly and makes her open the code lock, but as she takes the dagger, the door behind them closes and locks itself.
Pablo shows Ash and Kelly sore growths on his body and becomes worried that it's Baal trying to leave his flesh. Chet attempts to leave, but Kelly stops him, and then Emery starts berating Ash, with Lacey defending him. Emery tells her about Amber, and Kelly stops any attempt at attacking Ash. Chet once again tries to bolt, and Pablo becomes hurt by the entity trying to emerge from him.
Ruby tries to break the door with a crowbar, and "Polly" starts flirting with her, kissing the woman passionately. Ruby feels the loose skin on her neck and realizes it's Baal, who takes off Polly's flesh and attacks her, taking the dagger. He confronts her about killing their children and realizes she's become mortal. He knocks her out and leaves the locker.
Above in the station, Pablo feels the sores spreading all over his body, and Emery grabs his gun back from Kelly's hand, trying to shoot Pablo. Linda tries to stop him, but Baal's voice tells him to go through with it. He points the gun at his wife, but quickly snaps out of it, giving Ash a chance to tackle him. They see blood coming from the lights, and a skinless Deadite drops down from the ceiling, knocking them back and tearing off Joanie's arm before killing her. Baal shows up in the room and kidnaps Linda, making Ash go look for her. He finds her in a cell, but the "meat puppet" attacks him again. Emery is unable to help him, but Ruby shows up and tosses him the chainsaw, blowing the Deadite's head off with the boomstick. She still continues to move, and Ash cuts her in half. Emery tries to comfort his wife, but Linda rejects him and goes to Ash.
Back in the foyer, Pablo starts retching green fluid and Sumerian script appears on his body. He believes that he's Baal, but Ruby tells him he's become the only hope to stop the demon.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Ash calls Baal "Bill" several times, clearl underestimating the level of a threat the demon presents, with Ruby and Kelly correcting him.
- Ambigiously Bi: Chet had solicited a transgender prostitute, but it's not revealed if he's into her or if he was mistaken about her identity.
- An Arm and a Leg: Poor Joanie gets her arm torn off by Baal's "meat puppet" and then impaled on glass shards.
- Compelling Voice: Baal is able to make people submit to him with his voice, killing poor Marjorie while she was being entranced.
- Flaying Alive: Baal flays Margie while she's seduced by him, getting to use it later to impersonate her.
- Genuine Human Hide: Baal flays his victims and uses their skin to impersonate them, like he did to Marge.
- Gorgeous Garment Generation: Baal conjures a black suit for himself after taking off Polly's skin.
- Hey, Catch!: As Ash attempts to saw through Linda's cell's bar, Ruby just tosses him the keys, but they hit him in the face.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Emery is able to do nothing but let out a high-pitched scream when confronted by a "meat puppet".
- Shout-Out: Baal's skin-wearing tricks and his "Come to Daddy" quote reference Hellraiser.
