Let’s get straight to the point on this one: episode six of Ash vs Evil Dead was a return to form and easily the strongest episode and my favourite of the season thus far.

“Trapped Inside” got many things right, but most of all, it built up the plot from the show, it took the time to dig into the story we were left with from the original trilogy. But more on that in a bit.

The opening of the episode shows the team trying to get Pablo to Brock’s house before he, I dunno, dies. He’s quiet worse for wear since the Necronomicon is “converging” with Pablo’s body. Ruby tells the gang that it will be likely that when the book is finished “converging” with Pablo, Pablo will probably be kaput.

Ash’s idea to save the Pabs is by feeding a pet tracker to Baal then shoving his chainsaw up Baal’s ass. Ruby’s idea is a bit more realistic (in the demon sense). She wants to speed up the process going on in Pablo’s body in order to find the spell that will banish Baal back to wherever the hell he came from.

While everyone in the Williams house is trying to regroup, Sheriff Emery and a crowd of angry townsfolk appear outside ready to end Ash. The sheriff is under Baal’s control, who is trying to sway him with memories of prostitutes and the glory of a dead nemesis. Though the sheriff tries to tall Baal that he “just wants his family back,” but the demon does his best to confuse the poor man’s mind.

Baal is clearly the winner as the sheriff leads the angry mob. Kelly takes things into her own hands the way any mere mortal can: by open firing at a crowd of civilians (and not killing any, just to be clear). With Kelly and Linda on crowd control down stairs, things get really freaky upstairs.

Ruby, Pablo and Lacey get to work on accelerating the converging. Since last season, the pendant the Pablo’s brujo uncle gave him has been protecting the boy’s soul, and it’s the one thing that is slowing down the process. Once Ruby unchains the necklace, Pablo’s skin becomes tattooed with the symbol for the spell that the group need.

Granted, Pablo definitely looks worse for wear after this. But with a pep-talk from fellow Ghostbeater Kelly, the young man seems reassured to continue on. Just please, please, please please please please don’t kill Pablo. Like Ash, I don’t think I could carry on without him.

Things do look a bit bleak for poor Ruby. When the spell hits Pablo, the ladies in the room are shot back and Ruby is injured. Kelly demands that Ruby heal herself, but the woman replies that she can’t – her children stole her immortality.

But the greatest storyline of this episode all has to do with Cheryl, Ash’s younger sister who he had to kill after becoming a deadite decades ago. While Pablo is getting worked on by Ruby, the evil finds Ash in his house. But first Ash finds Chet.

After hearing a window smash upstairs, Ash finds Chet in Cheryl’s room, standing in front of a outfit of hers he has laid out on the bed. If Chet wasn’t played by Ted Raimi, I’d be certain this man’s suspicious behaviour would make him a good candidate for a baddie.

Unbeknownst to Ash, while he pulls his friend out of the room and lectures him, Cheryl’s photograph begins to bleed. As pictures do. While the two friends talk, Cheryl (excitingly still played by Ellen Sandweiss – bonus points for getting the original actress) emerges from her room. You’d be a fool to think this spells a happy ending for the brother and sister.

Cheryl shows her deadite form and grabs onto Chet, pulling him back into her bedroom. And more bonus points, Cheryl begins to attack him to Romeo Void, which really, this scene couldn’t have been done better.

Ash rescues his friend and tells Cheryl to piss off. To which his sister replies, “I’ll make like a tree and fuck you.” And really? That line alone is self-explanatory for how great it is. A line that works for both film fans in on the joke, and a line to use in your every day life!

Brother and sister face off in a game of chase throughout their childhood home. Cheryl gets the upper hand when she *spoiler alert* literally rips Chet’s heart out from his chest.

Officially pissed off, Ash shoots his sister out of the house and he faces the angry mob outside. This, though, the perfect opportunity to get everyone on his side. Every time his deadite sister gets up, he shoots her back down again. Ash expertly takes down his sister yet again using some clever tricks involving the trunk of a car, but Ash doesn’t come out on top at the end of the episode.

Baal is here to get Ash, and things are looking plenty bleak.

I’ll say it again, “Trapped Inside” worked. While the cast of characters still remained quiet large for a 30-minute episode, the different plotlines were focused very well and every story had its payoff. Having Sandweiss back was just extra excellent.

More of this, please.