Spoilers

 ‘Previously on f**king Chucky…’ 

As mentioned in my review of the first episode of Chucky, I’m a massive fan of the Child’s Play universe. So when it was announced that he’d be making the transition to TV, I was more than a little worried as to whether it would be the right medium for this franchise. I needn’t have been, thanks in no small part to its creator, Don Mancini. All the elements that have made the movies such a success are present, and more besides. As we’ve found with the Marvel and Star Wars television series, a weekly format gives creatives the chance to go into more depth and round out characters in a way that can’t really be crammed into an hour and a half. As I write this, series 2 has been commissioned, but before we get into where it might go next, let’s take a look at the first season as a whole.

I won’t repeat what I said about the first ep, ‘Death by Misadventure’, suffice to say it introduces our main players skilfully and perfectly, including the central trio of teens Jake Wheeler (The 5th Wave’s Zackary Arthur), Lexy (The Young and the Restless’ Alyvia Alyn Lind) and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson from The Seventh Day). The town of Hackensack also plays its part, becoming a character in its own right very early on – not only because of the introduction of people like Lexy’s mum, bimbo-ish Mayor Michelle Cross (Barbara Alyn Woods, previously of One Tree Hill) and Devon’s cop mother Detective Evans (Rachelle Casseus from Running with Violet), but also through flashbacks where we discover what happened to the young Charles Lee Ray. We even get to see how he ended up with the nickname Chucky.

So, by episode 2 ‘Give Me Something Good to Eat’, Chucky (voiced once again by the wonderful Brad Dourif, after Mark Hamill took over for the remake film) is well and truly back in action. And what better time for him to make his presence felt than at Halloween. We start to see more of how Chucky is manipulating Jake, trying to get him to kill – channelling some traits from that other famous character Dourif played in The Lord of the Rings, Grima Wormtongue: ‘Take the knife, man the fuck up!’ There’s a death by dishwasher, which sounds ludicrous but is actually genius, and a Halloween party to end them all. But by the finale the appetite is well and truly whetted for more mayhem.

‘I Like To Be Hugged’ continues Chucky’s mentorship of Jake (‘Are you more of a stabbing sort of guy, or strangling? Because I can see the appeal of both.’), pitting him against Lexy who dressed up as Jake’s murdered father for Halloween. There are more flashbacks, which mirror this – Charles himself learning to kill, after seeing his own dad offed by a serial killer – and yet another party, which ends in flaming disaster. All of which leads neatly into…

A hospital-focused episode in ‘Just Let Go’, where Lexy – who knows about Chucky now – forms an unlikely alliance with Jake, who’s having serious second thoughts about his life choices. The flashbacks here show Charles ramping up his shenanigans in an all-boys orphanage, which ties in nicely to Peter Pan: the boy who never grew up. Well, you definitely won’t grow up if you’re stuck in a – now horrifically burned – doll’s body! As Chucky says, ‘It’s not coincidence, it’s a crossroads,’ but thankfully Jake decides not to ‘let go’ and kill Lexy after all.

The flashbacks in ‘Little Little Lies’ move things on to the 80s, showing Charles in full flow (played to perfection by Dourif’s daughter, Fiona, in make-up). This brings him into contact with a certain character fans will recognise (played in her younger form here by Blaise Crocker). It parallels the ‘original’ coming back… and of course who else can it be but the ‘Bride of Chucky’ herself, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly having a whale of a time once more, hamming things up). Last seen heading off with a Chucky-possessed Nica Pierce (also Fiona Dourif), the pair are up to their old murderous tricks, although the sight of blood seems to break the spell and signal Nica’s periodic return. Meanwhile Jake and Devon are getting closer, we discover the secret Jake’s aunty (Lexa Doig from Andromeda) is hiding, and the doll version of Chucky pulls off one of his most shocking and surprising murders yet.

Also paying long-time fan service, ‘Cape Queer’ sees the welcome return not only of Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), but also Kyle (Christine Elise from Child’s Play 2) who was teased in the after credits scene of Cult of Chucky. The pair are doing their best to track down all the Chucky Good Guys, after he split his soul into bits – à la Lord Voldemort – and Pulp Fiction-ing it up by blasting them into oblivion with handguns. As far as they know, the final Good Guy is with Jake, so they head off to help him out. Sadly, Devon has had the bright idea, inspired by Cape Fear (hence the title) of trying to trap Chucky in Lexy’s burnt-out home. But are the the hunters about to become the hunted? This episode also features a terrific kill in the form of a high dive ‘suicide’, which sets things up nicely for Chucky to start working on Jake’s cousin Junior (Ratched’s Teo Briones) to be his next protégé.

The adults are dropping like flies by ‘Twice the Grieving, Double the Loss’ and with Tiffany buying Charles’ old house and the Mayor announcing a movie night to help the town, the scene is set for a grand finale. In flashback we find out that things aren’t going well for our serial killer couple (Tiff to Charles: ‘When was the last time you took me out for a nice dinner and a murder?’) and in the present day Chucky finally turns Junior to the dark side, via the death of his father (Devon Sawa, Alex from the original Final Destination) which activates a whole army of Good Guy dolls!

Then in the wonderfully titled ‘An Affair to Dismember’, the totally bonkers last episode, we have multiple storylines drawing to a close. Andy has tried to ditch Kyle to protect her, and comes after Chucky alone. Devon has been taken captive while he tried to save Nica from Tiff, as Kyle races to the rescue. And the charity screening of Frankenstein is the perfect backdrop – literally – for confrontations between Lexy, Junior and Chucky, plus Jake and… er another Chucky, out in the theatre itself. An explosive, eye-popping and stabby end to the first season, which definitely leaves the way open for more.

What’s impressive about series 1 of Chucky is the way it balances out the totally crazy stuff with more sensitive issues like being accepted for who you are, or thinking people are friends when they’re actually far from it. Everyone gets their own arc here, but the younger cast in particular shine – their characters learning painful lessons as they go along. It’s a show with a moral core, but also one that can make you laugh out loud (armchair epilogue, I’m looking at you!). It’s also totally accessible for the first-time viewer, whilst at the same time rewarding those who’ve been watching this franchise from the very beginning… like me. With our heroes looking for revenge, a truck-load of Chuckys and the Tiffany doll heading off into the sunset, and certain gaps in the history of Charles Lee Ray left for us to explore, there are lots of ways this could go in season 2 – and I for one will be glued to the TV, enjoying every single moment!

Verdict: ‘I’m Chucky and I’m everywhere!’ 10/10

Paul Kane