Chucky Season 2 Review: The Series Makes Surprising Changes For A Fresh And Dangerous Season

The second season of "Chucky" begins with a little challenge. We start with Andy driving the truck full of killer toys and using a distraction to disrupt the Chucky Army's nefarious plans. We then quickly pivot to our young Season 1 protagonists. Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) moves away with his new foster family, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Devon (Björgvin Arnarson). Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) deals with a lot of trauma in her own (moody) way, and the trio of teens do what all smart teens do in horror movies: they break up... or at least that's the plan before you get a surprising set of doll-based threats. The end of the first episode sees our brave young protagonists reunited at Incarnate Lord (formerly the Burlington County Home for Wayward Boys), a place from Charles Lee Ray's past.

Zackary Arthur has grown well into the role of Jake throughout Season 1, and here he begins Season 2 with confidence. Right off the bat, he emphasizes his strong romantic relationship with the ever-charismatic young performer Arnarson (whose Devon still seems like a natural on-screen). The two performers excel against each other, and the show is smart about bringing them together quickly as Alyvia Lind's Lexy. While all three performers work well in their respective roles, their interactions (and collective antagonism to Chucky's shenanigans) are at the heart of the show, and it's where their performances land best. As always, Brad Dourif voices the treacherous doll with as much cheerful sociopathy as ever. No matter how many Chucky dolls are present in a scene, Dourif brings to them an admirable distinction and sense of fun that drives the machinations of the evil toy.

The Season 2 performance here builds from a strong position, but isn't without minor issues when it gets there. Part of the problem is the decision to separate the central trio as a plot device to reunite them with Incarnate Lord, yes, but that gives the second season a slightly rocky start. The bigger issue here is that the young but talented actors are the most compelling together – they play each other's performances well and, as such, are more compelling together than apart. It's a shaky start that gets patched up quickly, but it certainly impacts the initial momentum of the series early on.