The thing I’ve loved the most about Chucky since its series premiere is its ability to raise the stakes and deliver unpredictable twists that shake up the narrative.
Chucky Season 3 Episode 2 lost sight of that, possibly for good, delivering an infuriating hour rather than entertaining.
Miss. Fairchild was wrongly framed for murders on Chucky Season 1, forever tarnishing her reputation.
Despite her apprehension about joining this mission to take down Chucky, she understood the risks of the doll being back on the loose.
Devon, Jake, and Lexy were under her care, so the last thing she wanted was for either of them to get hurt by going to the White House.
It’s maddening that she agreed to go to the White House and even more so that she was interested in immersing the kids in life there.
The best-case scenario would have been to alert the authorities. As unlikely as it would have been to get a good outcome, it would have been better than what transpired.
It was apparent Chucky would take this chance to kill her because, as he put it, he wanted to make the teenagers orphans again.
The teenagers were already focused on taking Chucky down, so there was no need from a storytelling standpoint to kill off Miss. Fairchild so soon.
Now that Chucky Season 3 has traveled in this direction, there’s no way we can form an attachment to anyone who takes in the teenagers because it’s impossible to care when they are dead in a matter of episodes.
As far as controversial deaths go, this is one of them and one that was both undeserved and unnecessary.
I know the series wanted to reiterate that no one is safe, but we’ve watched the first two seasons, so we already know that’s the case with the show.
Where can the trio seriously go from here, and more importantly, how can they bounce back following her loss?
Sure, it heightened their need to go into the White House, but it will also cause problems for them back in Hackensack.
If Chucky has this pull behind the scenes by killing undetected, who’s to say he won’t use that influence to blame the teenagers for what happened to Miss. Fairchild?
There’s no easy way out of this, but it’s infuriating when the show puts shock value ahead of actual progression for the characters.
I’ve learned to suspend my disbelief with the Chucky franchise because it was ludicrous that Lexy managed to get through to Grant to arrange the “playdate,” or whatever we’re supposed to call it.
Lexy wants vengeance for her family’s destruction and to find Caroline before she turns to the dark side for good.
For Devon and Jake, this is more about vengeance for the torment and the people they’ve lost at the hands of the killer doll.
Adding Miss. Fairchild into the mix of the lost people will only make the mission deadlier because they know that Chucky can kill people in the White House.
That’s a harrowing thought.
The addition of Price as a person from the U.S. government who is covering up the crimes on behalf of the U.S. government came out of the left field, but it did add an absorbing layer to Charlotte and James’s relationship.
For Charlotte, it must be tough because she’s aiding in hiding these murders from her husband, and there’s a good chance Chucky will use that to his advantage at some point.
Charlotte was buckling under the pressure of the assistant’s death, so adding Miss. Fairchild into the mix set the tone for the horror to come behind closed doors.
The kids won’t do digging into Miss. Fairchild’s murder, but the assistant’s family will be interested in answers because, when you think about it, people can’t just disappear in one of the most secure buildings in the world.
Charlotte cannot lie to her husband for long because you can tell she’s wrestling with whether she’s doing the right thing by keeping him out of the loop.
A lot is riding on James’ reign as President of the United States, and the last thing she wants is for a series of murders to mar his chances of being re-elected.
Price put it perfectly when he said the people who oppose them can use this to their advantage to get him out of office.
Then again, it’s hard to imagine any president bouncing back from murders of this caliber under their nose.
Charlotte became a much more interesting character from one episode to the next because her children and husband must live in the White House, so she’ll constantly look over her shoulder to keep them safe.
It wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to keep them all in the same room so she knows no one can harm them.
We’ve witnessed the extent of Chucky’s manipulation before, so I wouldn’t put it past him trying to manipulate Grant into carrying out killings.
Then again, I also bet there’ll be a scene of Grant believing he’s imagined the doll talking to him after smoking more marijuana.
“Let the Right One In” undid all of the good of Chucky Season 3 Episode 1, with the characters we know and love making stupid decisions for the sake of drama.
The only positive was Charlotte’s storyline gathering some steam.
What are your thoughts on Miss. Fairchild’s death?
Do you think it was necessary?
What will the teenagers do now?
Hit the comments.
Catch new episodes of Chucky on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Syfy.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
