Bait (Ash vs Evil Dead)

In its original American broadcast, "Bait" was seen by an estimated 0.276 million household viewers and gained a 0.12 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.12 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.^[3] This was a 37% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.437 million viewers with a 0.13 in the 18-49 demographics.^[4]

"Bait" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.4 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "'Bait' was pretty much the grand experiment as far as the Evil Dead-verse goes. As the first-ever Ash adventure not directed by Sam Raimi, the show proved that the blockhead character and over-the-top tone could endure a changing of the guard. The next test ahead will be an episode not written by Raimi. 'Bait' also gave us one of the most defined Deadites to date in Mimi Rogers' Suzy, making me wonder if a 'boss' type demon might do well on a show like this. Army of Darkness dabbled with it by using the 'Deadite Captain' - aka Bad Ash back from the grave - so perhaps this element should return."^[5]

Michael Roffman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "'That, my friends, is how we do it', Ashley 'Ash' Williams declares at the start of this week's episode, 'Bait'. Standing over the ragged, headless corpse of last week's Top Deadite, Vivian Johnson, our hero couldn't appear more determined, more pleased, more assured. Yet it's almost as if he's speaking on behalf of Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, or anyone else involved in the production of Ash Vs. Evil Dead. Because after that bloody spectacular pilot episode, they've earned the right to be so bold. And let's be real, it's not like fans weren't thinking or saying the exact same thing."^[6]

Gina McIntyre of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "In tonight’s installment of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, it's Bruce Campbell's Ash who's come to dinner with Kelly's parents, including Mom, newly back from the dead. And you'd better believe there are some unappetizing items on the menu (fork in the eye anyone?)."^[7] Stephen Harber of Den of Geek wrote, "While 'Bait' is a fun and satisfying follow-up to what is arguably the best series premiere of any revival seen thus far, it loses most of the deliciously frantic momentum its predecessor indulged in."^[8]

Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "These episodes sure do feel short, don't they? Then again, like a good meal, they satisfy the appetite without stuffing you full. That's more than can be said for a lot of other shows clogging up the telly these days."^[9] Jasef Wisener of TV Overmind wrote, "'Bait' was absolutely spectacular, and it was the perfect follow-up to this show's series premiere. I can't believe how great this show already is, and I know that the best is yet to come. We're in for a great ride with Ash vs. Evil Dead, and I hope that this one manages to live on for years to come."^[10]

Bree Ogden of Bloody Disgusting wrote, "Overall, it was a really badass episode, especially for what I like to call a 'building block' episode, which can tend to lose a bit of steam in all the development. And I have to say, I absolutely cannot wait to see where the police investigation aspect of the show will take us. Ash has never had to answer to the cops for all the carnage he has undertaken, so the prospect of him butting heads with the law is electrifying."^[11] Blair Marnell of Nerdist wrote, "Aside from some minor missteps in Fisher's subplot, Ash vs. Evil Dead continued to be amazingly well produced. So far, I am loving this show."^[12]

• "Bait" at IMDb