Now that October’s rolling around, all the spooks and scares are coming out to play as this month gets filled with horror icons new and old. However, don’t count out another killer out yet cause Chucky’s back once again for more blood, screams, and guts galore.
Last season, Chucky (Brad Dourif) had his fun chasing Jake (Zachary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson) and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) in his old foster home-turned-Catholic school for juveniles while Tiffany Valentine’s (Jennifer Tilly) reunion with her twin children Glen and Glenda went awry after Nica Pierce’s (Fiona Dourif) vigilante interference with Andy Barkley (Alex Vincent) and Kyle (Christine Elise).
Now, Jake, Devon, and Lexy find themselves in safer hands, hoping that the threat of Chucky has finally passed. Unfortunately, it seems like things have gone a different direction as Chucky has ended up at the one place they’ll never reach him: the White House. While this episode may toss itself back and forth between its cast, it never loses the thrilling tone of what made Chucky surprising as it is now.
Chucky Season 3 Episode 1 Recap Review
Unlike wrapping on loose ends about everyone’s status from last season, this episode begins with the youngest child in the First Family, Henry Collins (Callum Vinson), afraid and trying to hide away from something coming after him. Hiding in a closet, all things seem tense until it’s revealed that it was just his mom and First Lady Charlotte (Lara Jean Chorostecki) hoping to get him in bed.
It’s a nice break and setup from all the Chucky action in this show, but it also serves as a chilling reminder of the unsuspecting scares the show throws ahead. However, it doesn’t stray away for long as the episode reveals that Chucky has somehow made his way into the White House under another alias: Joseph. And yes, this Chucky is still living and breathing, but not out to kill Henry just yet.
Meanwhile, a sudden blackout hits the White House, alerting President James (Devon Sawa) who searches for Henry and his eldest son Grant (Jackson Kelly). This sequence almost emanates that dark slasher-thriller tone of Curse of Chucky and the isolated claustrophobia of it adds to that terror as several hints, like the guard dog’s barking at the Chucky doll, point to things not being as they seem. Luckily enough, the power turns back on, but the ball has already started rolling.
This event has left a residual impact as seen within Press Secretary Melanie’s (Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves) conference on the matter as she continually gets pestered about future concerns by a journalist who knows about the fact due to Grant’s posts. While it does feel intense at moments, it primarily continues building the dynamic foundation around the First Family and the strained, almost distant relationship between James and Grant as seen when the family has dinner later that day.
At the table, Grant believes that his father isn’t being transparent as his campaign claims to be as James rather dismisses this out of his busy work life that Charlotte wants to help support. Meanwhile, Henry’s adolescent imagination gives him the curiosity to learn about ghosts and wants “Joseph” to accompany James in the Oval Office. This scene offers to set up multiple personality arcs for the First Family to go through and overcome even if there’s little to build off of right now.
James goes to work to try and address this pressing issue with the help of Melanie and his VP (Michael Therriault) even as he remains paranoid of Henry’s plastic plaything. Though winding down poll numbers and security issues might be more presently concerning, James seems to lose himself at the presence of this Good Guy doll, which might be able to serve as a driving force in his character throughout this season. Even though he plays it off as a joke to his secretary, it might continue to drive him mad in its own surprising way.
After school, Henry gets picked up by one of his guards, Teddy, who helps reveal that Henry’s too attached to them instead of making real friends, perhaps caused by his imaginative oddness with “Joseph” and social displacement from the rest of his classmates. On their way back to the White House, Grant urges Henry to act normal cause it may cause even more distress for their mom and dad. This scene helps to show how opposite and distant Henry and Grant are as siblings: while Grant wants to fit in with everyone else, Henry can’t seem to grow up and let go of his childlike tendencies, creating another bridge for these characters to cross.
However, the action jumps in a flash when everyone comes back home. When Teddy goes searching for “Joseph”, Chucky’s able to get the jump on him, killing him with his own gun in a scene that’s perfectly built up with Chucky’s reveal to him. The show continues to prove that it’s not going to lose its touch with all the blood and guts and this scene amazingly grasps that by taking the shot. The impact is felt all around, especially for James and Charlotte, who try to reason their way about it.
Segmented throughout the episode are these little layering tidbits of catch-up with Jake, Devon, and Lexy. Jake’s been doing impressive avant-garde artwork with doll parts, Devon’s begun doing his supernatural podcast again, and Lexy’s resorted to continue being a TikTok influencer while still trying to find her sister Caroline, last seen with Tiffany in season 2’s finale.
While the episode doesn’t concern itself with the trio as much as it did previously, it’s interesting to see how they’ve come a long way from just being acquaintances to actually being friends (all thanks to Chucky no doubt.) Plus, with Jake and Devon together together, there still might be some things the show has in store for these two.
Unfortunately, their calm solitude is put on hold by Chucky, who calls and taunts the trio in his classic foul-mouthed, if fool-hardy attitude. Though their foster life may occupy their time, they eventually figure out where Chucky’s been hiding: in the White House alongside the First Family. With the last Chucky now found, Jake, Devon, and Lexy may only hope that they’ll be able to stop and kill Chucky once and for all.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the first episode of Chucky‘s third season is a worthy and suspenseful start for Chucky’s bloody spree despite its need to focus around its new cynical, yet caring cast of characters. While this episode’s pacing re-adjusts itself to build the personalities of the Presidential family, it still does a great job with solidifying the show’s lore and gore.
Though this season may have been split into two, with its second part heading for 2024, Child’s Play series aficionados can be certain that this first part will have so much in store for what Chucky and company have in store for the show’s main trio as well as the First Family.
Rating – 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Chucky Season 3 is now on SYFY and Peacock with a new episode releasing every Wednesday.
This review was written during the 2023 WGA (now resolved) and SAG-AFTRA (ongoing) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series/movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
