The Host (Ash vs Evil Dead)

The episode was written by Zoë Green, and directed by David Frazee. It was Green's first writing credit, and Frazee's second directorial credit.[1]

In its original American broadcast, "The Host" was seen by an estimated 0.430 million household viewers and gained a 0.15 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.15 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.448 million viewers with a 0.20 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"The Host" received positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "'The Host' ended the Elegos arc in awesomely violent fashion, though perhaps at the expense of some of the franchise's zaniness. I like the idea of Ash maturing into a regretful, responsible hero, but I'd be lying if I said it'd be easy to get used to. Despite the acid spit and the leech-filled vomit and some of the other crazy, out-there elements in this episode, this Ash felt like a far cry from the Ash in the premiere who - say - dropped all those lightbulbs. Or even the Ash who got stoned and read from the Necronomicon."[4]

Michael Roffman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "It's a good sign when the show's titular lead can spend the first quarter of an episode gagged and not one minute suffers. That's the unlikely power this series has midway through its first season, and it's an enviable position the franchise hasn't experienced in a long, long time. At least, not since the beginning of 1981's The Evil Dead, when audiences could follow any face without wondering, Well, where's Ash? 'The Host' hearkens back to those 'salad days' by widening the story to accommodate its supporting cast — in this case, Pablo, who finally has enough."[5]

Gina McIntyre of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "It's a rare thing in the Evil Dead universe to truly recover from a demonic possession — Ash is one of the few who's played host to a malevolent spirit and lived to tell the tale, and to be fair, that was a couple of movies ago. Meaning that, at the outset of tonight’s installment of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, Kelly's future wasn't looking too bright, what with Eligos still inhabiting her body."[6] Stephen Harber of Den of Geek wrote, "This tacks on a triumphant end to an uneven half hour that reminds us that above all else, Ash vs Evil Dead is a stoner horror sitcom."[7]

Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "While that might not be the very best of phrases for those of you sporting guns in the real world, it sure worked for our hero on 'The Host'."[8] Jasef Wisener of TV Overmind wrote, "As I had hoped, 'The Host' got back to the greatness that this series showed in its first few episodes before taking an unfortunate pause last week."[9] Blair Marnell of Nerdist wrote, "Half way through the first season, Ash vs. Evil Dead has been everything that I could have hoped for: fun, hilarious, and entertaining."[10]