Following a really strong series premier, SyFy/USA’s Chucky gave us an episode had less going on plotwise, but did a lot with its characters and relished in its setting.

This is Halloween
Opening with a flashback to Halloween 1965, we see a very young Charles Lee Ray biting in a razor filled apple, but giving a bloody smile in response (definitely a precursor to his murderous behavior later).  Don Mancini admitted that this scene was very much an homage to the original Halloween with young Michael Myers, which is made more interesting by the fact that both take place in Illinois and were only set two years apart.

Back in the present, Jake is trying to get settled living with his Uncle Logan and resentful cousin Junior.  But at least he has Halloween to look forward to.  His talent show stunt with Chucky may have gotten the doll banned from school, but it warranted Jake an invite at the local Halloween party for all of his classmates.

The episode itself is brimming with Halloween imagery, which is a treat for any horror fan.  In a lot of Halloween episodes of TV shows, we see high schoolers wearing incredibly elaborate costumes that were clearly put together by professional costume designers.

To its credit, this episode featured very ordinary looking costumes, some homemade, some looking like they’re cheaply made from a Halloween store.  But the best of all is getting to see Chucky himself going out trick or treating on Halloween night incognito with a Hello Kitty mask.

They Had it Coming
However, strange things continue to happen as Jake’s uncle’s housekeeper Annie is killed by Chucky, despite him vehemently denying it.  Which seems strange considering how open he was about admitting his many other kills.

As the police get more suspicious of Jake, he attends the Halloween party and learns just how cruel other kids can be.  Following her completely inappropriate roasting of Jake at the talent show, Lexy’s next feat of complete poor taste is a costume mocking Jake’s dad and his death by electrocution.

In a series featuring a killer doll, Lexy is definitely the most despicable character, and it’s honestly kind of surprising no one else called her out on it at the party, considering his death had only just occurred a week earlier.

But in a series that’s extremely well-written, we get a glimpse at Lexy’s home life and it’s no surprise that she constantly puts other people down.  Her parents are incredibly critical of her and do nothing but praise her younger sister for being better than her at everything.  It doesn’t excuse what she’s done, but it does make her a three dimensional character and help us understand why she is the way she is.

Friend to the End
Between dealing with the death of his father (whom he had a complicated relationship with), being looked down on by his cousin, and dealing with homophobic and classist bullying, Jake has certainly had a rough time. And surprisingly, his sole ally seems to be Chucky himself.

Chucky seems to have grown a lot in the past 30 years.  When we first met him back in 1988, completely traumatized Andy.  It’s interesting to see him now genuinely bond with Jake, especially in the face of bullying.

He even references his own queer child Glen/Glenda, whom we haven’t seen since Seed of Chucky.  It’s really cool to see them acknowledged, as many fans feared that the franchise forgot about Chucky’s child, or children as was evidenced by the twins at the end of the movie.

While he’s definitely still killing people and definitely has some sort of scheme, but his friendship with Jake is both an interesting addition and a sign of character growth on Chucky himself.  It’s also exciting (in a twisted sort of way) to think about what Chucky might do to those who are bullying and hurting Jake.

Once again, Chucky gave us another great episode with well-developed characters, sharp writing, and a dark sense of humor.  And for fans of typical horror gore, it doesn’t disappoint there either!

What did you think of this episode?  What do you hope to see next week?  Let us know in the comments!

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