This review contains spoilers for Chucky. "Chucky Actually" delivers a twisted Christmas-themed episode that could set the killer doll series up for a third season. Chucky's season 2 finale proves that this season is at its strongest when it steps away from the Catholic School setting, spotlighting the characters and the relationships amongst them that formed in season 1. "Chucky Actually" calls upon the roots of the Child's Play franchise while dutifully proposing a way in which the killer doll series may redeem itself with a potential third season.
Narratively, Chucky's season 2 finale is one of the season's most concise episodes. With many of the season's mysteries already being answered, it allows the Chucky finale to form its own significance for the franchise. "Chucky Actually" begins by dismissing last week's suggestion that the group had successfully rid the world of Chucky once and for all. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for fans of the killer doll, there continues to be a plethora of ways Chucky continues to come back.
There are three plotlines "Chucky Actually" chronicles in its season 2 finale. The first is Chucky's fate, which is very quickly revealed to not be as definite as Andy (Alex Vincent), Kyle (Christine Elise), and Nina (Fiona Dourif) hoped to believe in last week's mock ending. This allows Chucky to continue to explore the relationship between Chucky and Dr. Mixter (Rosemary Dunsmore), which has only been cryptically alluded to throughout the series. The second storyline "Chucky Actually" delves into is that of Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), Glen, and Glenda (Lachlan Watson). It explores the aftermath of Glen's shooting and the inevitable decision now laid at Glenda and Tiffany's feet. Finally, Chucky delves into the current state of Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), who are now free from the clutches of the Catholic School.
Despite the task of having to tie three storylines together again, Chucky manages to accomplish this in its season 2 finale quite well. Given the groundwork laid in Chucky's previous episode, "Chucky Actually" is well-paced and filled with enough foreshadowing to keep viewers guessing without giving away too much. It's a quality that a majority of season 2 was missing. Plotlines were either drug out for far too long or expedited with no true payoff. Instead, "Chucky Actually" rids itself of the season's struggles and begins to move the series toward a hopeful future with a number of twists that could prompt a third season.
Amongst the twists the Chucky season 2 finale provides, they are not equally effective. The most dumbfounding surprise "Chucky Actually" provides involves Caroline (Carina London Battrick). After her mother (Barbara Alyn Woods) is brutally murdered by Chucky, Lexy repays the favor by using the same chainsaw against the killer doll. Instead of mourning her mother, Caroline grows stoic and admits that Chucky told her that one day, her real mother would arrive. Rather than siding with Jake, Devon, and Lexy, who have tried to protect her from Chucky, Caroline aligns herself with Tiffany and leaves the residence with her. This shift in Caroline's character isn't surprising, as her stoicism and blind adoration of Chucky is arguably no different than Sister Ruth's (Lara Jean Chorostecki), though the limited manner in which Caroline was featured in Chucky's second season, does make it feel sudden.
As the finale's title suggests, it is filled with references to various films, including the Child's Play franchise. Glenda and Tiffany's attempts to place Glen back into the doll brings the Voodoo for Dummies book back into action, though last week subtly referenced the ritualistic Bride of Chucky scene as well. The Voodoo book reappears at the end of "Chucky Actually," as Tiffany makes a last-ditch attempt to place herself in the doll Caroline was gifted by Dr. Mixter in the season 2 premiere. Instead of a successful transfer of her soul, Tiffany is forced to stare down her other half once again, as Chucky emerges from the doll. How Chucky has managed to pull off another switch that's unbeknownst to every other character remains unknown, but its mystery is enough to keep viewers interested in where the series may be headed.
Chucky also continues to expand his list of enemies. In addition to the teens that keep escaping his clutches and Tiffany who has betrayed him time and time again, Chucky also names Glen and Glenda to his list of future victims. Chucky, seemingly unaware that Glen and Glenda have now been placed back into their doll and are now going by the name Gigi, will have a difficult time locating them. The knowledge that Chucky isn't dead will also force Andy and Kyle to return to the series, and "Chucky Actually" has already provided an interesting shift for Nica, who has turned her and Tiffany's twisted game around.
While "Chucky Actually" is a promising ending to an underwhelming season, the benefits of the season 2 finale cannot be ignored. Should Chucky receive a season 3 renewal, the series may have learned that it's at its strongest when it doesn't back itself into a corner by forcing its narrative to rely on its setting. Part of what made Chucky's first season so successful was the issuing of a new generation of stars into the franchise and watching the series corrupt them in a way only Chucky can. Its second season abandoned that, opting to try and twist the series on its head and play with the religious undertones brought upon by the Catholic School's setting. Aside from Dr. Mixter, its significance to Charles Lee Ray was ultimately insignificant for Jake, Devon, and Lexy, whose true horror came from confronting their own troubles and continuing to hunt down Chucky.
Season 1 of Chucky is now streaming on Peacock.