Buckle up because we’re in for a blood-soaked and expletive-filled trip with the killer doll everyone loves to hate.
Chucky Season 1 Episode 1 introduced us to a new crop of characters and conflicts, setting the stage for Chucky to manipulate every one of them.
It was a decent effort at revitalizing the franchise, but this was a rough around the edges premiere that left me wanting more bloodshed and one-liners from Chucky.
As our lead character, Jake was well-rounded and developed enough to join in for this journey with him, but the other kids were awful.
Maybe the intent was to make us hate them to get on board with them dying, but the promotional material, including Lexy, Devon, and Junior, leads me to believe they will have a big part in the narrative.
Devon had a semblance of likeability out of the three, but the show seemed more concerned with the teens making sweeping statements instead of developing them.
A true-crime podcast run by a 13-year-old is a bit out there, but maybe it’s supposed to add to the slapstick humor employed by the show.
Jake has had a rough time and is looking for a companion, something that Chucky will manipulate to his full advantage if he wants to take this town by storm.
Hi, I’m Chucky.
Chucky
Jake losing his mother and his father treating him like crap, coupled with the intense bullying in the school, is too much for him to handle, making him more prone to the manipulation of Chucky.
If Chucky can make him believe these people deserve to die, it creates a dynamic between the killer and the teenager that will not be broken easily.
We started the hour with two iterations of Devon Sawa. And we ended it with one. I had no idea he would be playing two roles, so I went from being excited to sighing when one of the characters died.
Lucas was a piece of work. The death of his wife undoubtedly changed his life, and with all eyes on him to bring money into the household, he allowed his resentment to get in the way of his relationship with his son.
Woman: Hi, Jake! 20 bucks for that, sound fair?
Jake: 20 bucks?
Woman: It’s got to be worth 20 bucks, right?
Jake: Yeah, where did you get this?
Woman: I have no idea. It must have been my daughters, I guess. Honestly, I don’t remember. You into vintage?
Jake: No, I’m into retro.
Woman: Oh, what’s the difference?
Jake: About ten bucks.
Woman: Fair enough.
He was unpredictable, but his brother, Logan, will probably be just as flawed when we delve deeper into Chucky Season 1.
Logan wanted everyone to believe he was successful and had a great family, but after witnessing how Bree reacted to her supposed secret, it highlighted that these perfect families are not so perfect behind closed doors.
Lexa Doig is one of my favorite actresses, and I hope this blossoms into a more significant role for her because she rarely sticks around on any show for too long.
Bree is naturally curious because everything she saw inside Jake’s house shocked her, and I expected her to be dispatched during the dinner scene.
Fortunately, Chucky knows that killing people and making it obvious is too much too soon, so making things look like accidents is the best foot forward for the time being.
Junior needs to be knocked down a peg or two. He’s a little brat who thinks that he’s better than his cousin every step of the way.
Would it hurt him to show a little compassion? He cared more that Jake was living under the same roof as him than the fact that his cousin had just lost his father shortly after losing his mother.
Junior is thriving at his extracurricular activities because he has parents who advocate for him every step of the way.
I really need to stop smoking weed before class.
Lexy
Jake could have had that if his father didn’t fall apart after the death of his mother, but Jake didn’t conform to what his father’s view of a teenage boy was, and it ultimately cost them their relationship.
With Lucas out of the picture, we’re left with a group of teenagers away from Jake that is challenging to watch.
If you want a comparison, the teenagers are very reminiscent of the teens from the Gossip Girl reboot. They do terrible things. And somehow manage to get away with it.
Lexy making the Go Fund Me proved that she was not the kind of character we could ever like, and her days are probably numbered if Chucky has anything to do with it.
Chucky going in on Lexy at the talent show was perfect because it showed that the doll doesn’t care who’s watching and will react to what is happening without a second thought.
He’s as unhinged as ever, and bringing Lexy down a few pegs made me like him even more.
Tonally, the series picks up the black comedy from its predecessors, and that’s not a bad thing. The glaring issue was in some of the dialogue, however.
Lexy is a 13-year-old girl who was boasting to teachers about taking weed before class. Even though she’s the mayor’s daughter, that would not fly in the real world.
That was just one example, but there are others peppered throughout the premiere.
It’s hard to judge a show from a series premiere because, in many cases, they find their footing in the episodes that follow.
There truly is a lot of potential with this series, and it might be the most faithful slasher movie to TV adaptation to date.
Scream: The TV Series was essentially Pretty Little Liars with a knife, but Chucky is reminiscent of the movies.
What did you think of the premiere?
Do you think there was enough bloodshed, or are you more interested in the coming events?
Were you surprised we got Devon Sawa in two roles?
Hit the comments.
Chucky continues on USA Network and Syfy Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.