‘Chucky’ Recap: ‘Dressed to Kill’

10/26/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

CHUCKY -- "Dressed to Kill" Episode 304 -- Pictured in this screengrab: Chucky (Voiced by Brad Dourif) -- (Photo by: SYFY)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘Chucky’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

It is definitely safe to say, that season three of Chucky, on SYFY and USA Network, deserves our awe and a round of applause. Simply because… over the course of four episodes, this show has managed to captivate us, engage us and outright build tension in a minimalist manner. Which is no small feat, but this show accomplished it, and it answered all of the questions we had hanging over heads post season two and well… its wonder and majesty has continued beyond that. Simply because, last night’s story was nothing short of a midseason finale masterpiece. For it was the kind of tale that could have served as an outright season finale courtesy of its grandiose nature and scope and well, ‘Dressed to Kill’, accomplished such a feat… by getting the band back together.

For this was it, the big White House Halloween Bash and all comers were invited. Mostly because this was a trap to catch the serial killer haunting the halls of this hallowed place, but also because… appearances needed to be kept up and that meant… our heroes and Chucky were set for a showdown at last. For the trio did arrive and Chucky was eager to see them and kill them, and well, sadly, the plan our heroes put into play… didn’t pan out the way they hoped. For while they were able to get into the residence using Lexy’s connections to Grant, Jake and Devon were unable to locate Chucky and Lexy had to get out of there to maintain some moral standards. For Grant saw this night as nothing short of a chance to get physically close to a pretty girl. Which meant the hunt was back on for the doll that made their lives hell.

Which was a sequence that did a wonderful job of building tension and worry on our part since Chucky made it clear he was out for blood, and that tension was so thick, that this story needed to break it up so we could have the trademark fun this show is known for. The twisted kind of course and that was handled by Jennifer/Tiffany. Who settled into jail and got her voodoo kit back and in doing so… was able to settle a score. Because she was treated quite rudely by her cooking hero and made her pay in blood and Bolognese and once, she got that out of her system, Tiffany turned her attention to getting the guards under her control, so she could make plans to escape and well… this sequence was just off the wall fun and filled with demented madness. Courtesy of some culinary themed gore and dark humor and the wonder of this tale didn’t end there.

Because we did in fact, get the showdown we desired. For eventually Devon, Jake, and Lexy came face to face with their tormentor and he of course… was so far ahead of them that they were unable to stop one of the most epic kills scenes to ever hit the small screen. For Chucky knew there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to isolate this trio of heroes, so he instead planned to kill as many people as possible, by squishing them with a grand chandelier. Which worked, and got the kids out of his hair, so he could finally, pray to Damballa and regain his life eternal. And therein lie quite the stunning twist. For Damballa cared not for this sacrifice and abandoned Chucky completely. To the point where he aged rapidly and faced the real possibility, that his death was at hand and well, it doesn’t get much more epic than that for a midseason finale. For that reveal regarding Chucky’s fate, is indeed a season ending cliffhanger. Not to mention that kind of carnage and that type of showdown, is the stuff you save for the end of a season as well.

But instead, this series opted to wow us with such surprises in the middle of the year, and it even wrapped up a bevy of plotlines in doing so. Making this a brilliant story for certain, one that had it all. Guts galore, dark humor and Jennifer Tilly just letting loose as an actor, and the same goes for Brad Dourif, who just tore it up as Chucky in every sense of the phrase and well… this was so good and so amazing, that the wait for the back half of season three will be nothing short of excruciating. Because season three of this show is hitting on all cylinders and we’re getting a top-tier Chucky story along the way and well… we need more. For we need to know what will become of Tiffany now that she’s immersed in the wonders of voodoo again, and we must know if Chucky can find the evil redemption he seeks, or if this is it… the end of the line for a horror icon that has haunted us and enthralled us for over thirty years. Until next time.

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