The series is set 30 years after the events of the Evil Dead trilogy, and follows Ash Williams, who now works at the "Value Stop" as a simple stock boy.
Having spent his life not doing anything remarkable since the events of the trilogy, Ash will have to renounce his routine existence and become a hero once more by taking up arms and facing the titular Evil Dead.
As Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) tries to take the mask off Pablo (Ray Santiago), Ash (Bruce Campbell) confronts Ruby (Lucy Lawless).
Back in the cabin, Kelly attempts to open the cellar with an axe, while Heather suffers hallucinations of bugs invading her body.
At the cellar, Ash watches as Ruby forces a possessed Pablo to cough up a fetus, which quickly transforms into a child.
[1] In its original American broadcast, "The Dark One" was seen by an estimated 0.508 million household viewers and gained a 0.21 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "'The Dark One' delivered the Lucy Lawless/Bruce Campbell showdown we were waiting for while also giving us a great grab-bag of gore and guffaws.
Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "Show runner Craig DiGregorio penned 'The Dark One' and it's further evidence that the veteran producer and writer knows what he's doing with Ash Vs.
In just under 34 minutes, he collates the series' respective threads in a succinct and efficient manner, tagging back on a few nostalgic beats while also exorcising some of the most terrifying moments since Sam Raimi's 1981 original.
From beginning to end, the episode thrives from an intimidating blend of horror, action, and comedy that's relentless and frantic for its midnight mayhem.
"[7] Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Ash is such an oblivious bastard it's hard to feel sorry for him, after all, by the end of 'The Dark One' he thinks he's about to achieve his life's goal of living in Jacksonville, he's rockin' out to AC/DC, and he has two new besties along for the ride.
"[8] Jasef Wisener of TV Overmind wrote, "'The Dark One' managed to cap off a fantastic season of one of the best comedies of the year, and it did so in style and with one of its best episodes to date.