After an episode that left us with an amusingly frustrating cliffhanger, this latest episode of Chucky not only delivered on paying off a subplot we haven’t seen since 2004, it also expanded on the franchise’s own mythology in a fascinating way.

Switching Sides
Following the capture of the scout Chucky that was sent to gather information on the three teenage protagonists, Jake, Devon, and Lexy attempt to get information out of the prisoner, but to no avail.  Intimidation doesn’t really work on someone who’s a complete psychopath, nor do they have the hearts (or stomachs) to commit torture.

They devise a plan to “reboot” this Chucky’s brain via brainwashing Clockwork Orange style.  By overloading him with violent images, followed by children’s content, they psychologically wear him down and the result is far creepier than anything we’ve seen before.  After years of seeing Chucky murder people with such joy, it’s honestly pretty unsetting to see him being so nice.

In a strange way, Lexy’s new roommate Nadine is the only one who isn’t suspicious, because she’s the only one who hasn’t been traumatized by Chucky’s horrific deeds.  However things get interesting when another, not brainwashed Chucky shows up to complete the mission.

The Real Bully
Ever since they first arrived, Lexy had been concerned about Trevor, an old bully she knew who had been sent to that school years earlier.  And while at first he seems reformed and overtaken with religion and faith, it’s those very things that have only reinforced his worst qualities.

While we see Father Bryce use some nonsense religious principle about how our guilt makes others suffer as an excuse to punish Devon for Jake’s actions, we see that very same toxic rhetoric used by Trevor.

He stalks Lexy, finds out that she’s been using drugs to cope and seems to relish in his self-righteous attempted manipulation of her.  It’s a reminder of how villains like Chucky are fictional, but people using religion as an excuse to abuse power is very much a real life threat.

Overall, this latest episode had some fun moments with Chucky being brainwashed and vomiting at the sight of unicorns.  It was also a very character driven one, as we halted on plot and took a moment to breathe and reflect on where everyone is.  Overcome with guilt, Jake is still trying to atone for his own sins, Devon just wants to finish Chucky and be done with him, and Lexy is just trying to get by.

Unfortunately, it does look like we’re going to have to wait another week to finally get our Glen and Glenda reveal.  We’ve waited since 2004 for that storyline to continue, so waiting one more week shouldn’t be too difficult.

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

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