This engaging second episode of the series finds Ash, Pablo, and Kelly going to her house, where her long unseen Mom (guest star Mimi Rogers) has just made an appearance. Ash has to counsel Kelly: looks can be deceiving, and in the current climate, Mom just might be a Deadite. After all, us fans of the film series know that a Deadite can reappear as normal at will.
Pablo commits his first badass act, as he quickly adapts to the horrific state of things, and he and Kelly get fully on board with helping Ash vanquish Evil. This will start with taking the Necronomicon Ex Mortis to a local bookstore to be translated. And Trooper Fisher is seen briefly as she picks up Ash's trail.
Fortunately, 'Bait' keeps the momentum going after a rollicking debut episode. Following Sam Raimis' example, writer Dominic Dierkes and director Michael J. Bassett provide us with the expected amount of both peaks and valleys. We always know that there's going to be one jolt around the corner, and won't have to wait for very long. To that end, it's a good thing that this is a half-hour series. The energy doesn't get a chance to wane.
Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, and Dana DeLorenzo are all in fine form, while Rogers does what she can with such a brief role. The character Ruby Knowby doesn't turn up in this episode.
Among the guffaw-inducing lines:
A witness, responding to a sketch of Ash: "He looks way dumber in real life, but that's REAL close."
Eight out of 10.