Chucky at The White House? We have lived to see the day. “Murder at 1600” saw our favorite redheaded toy killer make his new home in one of the most powerful places in the world. Chucky’s Season 3 premiere again raised the stakes for how dangerous the killer could be as he amasses more power and how difficult it will be to stop him. How will Jake, Devon, and Lexy get into The White House to kill Chucky?! It’s the Oval Office!
“Murder at 1600” took a different approach for its story structure, which pleasantly paid off as a good tease for the coming season. Instead of sticking with our main trio throughout the premiere, the story introduced us to the new presidential family and the characters living (and working) at The White House. Chucky’s first two seasons on USA Network and Syfy were a murder-filled killing spree of bodies and victims filling each episode, so we need a fresh new fodder cast for a new season. We lost Henry’s bodyguard in the premiere, but it’ll undoubtedly be the first of many. My money is on characters like the investigative reporter, security service, and the Vice-President as possible targets on Chucky’s list next.
Speaking of Henry, he was giving off major Andy vibes from the movies. He fits around the same age as Andy during the first Child’s Play movie. I loved the comparisons between the premiere and the first few films because they captured the magic of what drew us to the franchise — the innocence of no one believing a child’s fear of the Boogeyman, and the child standing up to it. This theme has been carried throughout the films and even during the Chucky series when Jake initially got the Good Guy doll. No one believes Henry will lead to plenty of pain and death; he’s given them plenty of warnings that something is a miss.
Also, the Good Guy doll is so creepy as a toy by itself. Why would anyone keep it? I would’ve thrown the toy right out if Henry mentioned that he could hear Chucky’s heartbeat or when the doll mysteriously appeared at the President’s desk. There are too many red flags in those moments alone. However, the biggest inconsistency is why would The White House allow a Good Guy doll in the building in the first place. Sure, it’s a child’s toy, but in a highly-publicized building and political field that requires votes, many people most likely had heard the urban legends of the killer Good Guy doll and the countless murder sprees. There is no way a campaign manager or an army of consultants would allow a toy like that to be with the First Family.
With the cast of characters, it’s great to have Devon Sawa back for another season. Chucky has a fun running gag of him playing a different character each season that will eventually get murdered. He played twins during Chucky’s first season and was more prominently the priest during the second season. As the president, “James Collins” will undoubtedly be in many scenes and involved throughout most of the plot. However, we shouldn’t get attached too deeply. Chucky has his days numbered!
And President Collins’ goal of being a “transparent White House” will be an interesting topic to explore as the narrative goes on. We’ve already lost one Secret Service bodyguard in a mysterious death, but people will get suspicious as more deaths start racking up. The investigative journalist alone is already sniffing into why the bodyguard died, so she’ll no doubt get closer when another victim pops up. I feel that the press secretary and the Vice-President will play an active part in trying to keep the murders a secret; they seemed the most hesitant about the president’s mission. So, if Devon Sawa’s character dies earlier or too many bodies emerge, I could see them trying to take over the place to contain the story.
Regarding the original trio, the snippets we saw of them served more as an exposition dump. All three are well-known influencers now using their platforms to hunt down Chucky and locate Lexy’s missing sister, Caroline. We’ll have the rest of Chucky’s third season to follow their adventures, so it was nice to have a little calm before the storm. Though having them all together still as best friends and Devon and Jake’s relationship progressing even further, it was a positive step in the right direction after the hurdles they faced at the boarding school.
“Murder at 1600” served as a good start to what will be an action-packed bloody season. We got a good balance of our favorite group and a nice introduction to our new cast of characters. Chucky has raised the stakes for his big battle against Jake, Devon, and Lexy, so we’ll have to wait and see if they can finish off the doll once and for all. I’m excited to see who wins the war and how big the kill count will get this time around! (Hey, it’s Chucky. He’s our best friend to the end.)
Chucky airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA & SYFY.
Feature images courtesy of Shane Mahood/SYFY
REVIEW RATING
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'Chucky' Season 3 Premiere - 8/10
8/10
