Things We Want To See In ‘Chucky’ Season 2

With the first three Child’s Play movies getting a, by all accounts, stellar 4K re-release, it got me all abuzz for the new season of Chucky this fall. I cannot wait. But, because I can’t move time forward, I am stuck waiting like all the other horror fans. In the meantime, I figured I would write all the things I really want to see in this new season.

Andy’s Mom

I think the biggest mystery of the entire franchise is, what ever happened to Andy Barclay’s mother, Karen Barclay? Before any hardcore fans come for me, yes, we do know a little about her life post-Child’s Play. In part two, it is mentioned in passing that she stuck to defending her son’s story about the Good Guy doll being alive. This, of course, didn’t end well for her, and she was put into a mental health facility. Later on in the series, she is mentioned briefly in Curse of Chucky when Andy calls her on the phone. In that same very short scene, he also asks, “How’s Mike?” which is most likely referring to Mike Norris the detective from part one. This is interesting in a lot of ways. One, we know that canonically Karen is not only very much still alive, she is also dating or at the very least still in touch with Norris from part one.

The first Child’s Play film will always hold a special place for Karen’s actor Catherine Hicks, who met and later married SFX legend Kevin Yagher. In later interviews, she would always seem to speak very kindly about the role. Sadly, Hicks is not mentioned as appearing in season two of Chucky according to IMDb. Indeed, it seems as if she mostly is retired from acting. Still, maybe we could get some more mentions of her and exactly what her life has been like after the events of part one. In my eyes there has always been something of a mystique surrounding Karen Barclay. She never appeared in any of the sequels and we only get a very vague idea of what happened to her after the events of Child’s Play. In a real sense, she is a final girl, or rather woman, that never really got the same level of respect as Laurie or Nancy. This is despite being a strong single mother working to provide for her son and still defeating a possessed killer doll. Chucky didn’t stand a chance with Karen, a real bad mother!

Other Past Survivors?

It seems that everyone’s favorite Good Guy Chucky is really good at racking up a body count. Therefore, there are not a ton of survivors to bring back for future seasons. Andy and Kyle were of course two major ones. Andy was the main character in all three original films (being re-cast as an adult in part three) and among the most consistent characters in the film series. The other big one being Nica Pierce from the soft reboot Curse of Chucky and its sequel Cult of Chucky. But besides Karen Barclay, I was thinking of other interesting survivors who might be able to be worked into the storyline.

If I am making a wish list for appearances, it would be Karen for sure, but also, why not Mike Norris? That would be incredible. Like Karen, Norris has never re-appeared despite bring very important in the events of the first film. Hell, he technically sets up the events of the entire film and now television series. Seeing Chucky and Norris squaring off would be epic! Getting more of his backstory would be great as well seeing how we know even less about him post-Child’s Play than Karen.

Kent Military Academy from part three has been referenced a bunch in both Curse and Cult. With that in mind, why not bring back Ronald Tyler? As someone who was nearly a host for Chucky, it feels right that Ronald would want some payback for what I can only assume is a lot of childhood trauma. Out of all my theories on anyone else coming back from the film series, Tyler would actually make the most sense. I say this because with an army of Good Guys possibly being at play, you would want your own little unit to combat that. Jade from Bride of Chucky would be another interesting one as well. It seems highly unlikely that Katherine Heigl would return to the role. While doing some research, Jade’s character does have another post-Bride of Chucky run in, per the comic Chucky: Devils Due. Though, this is probably not official canon. Jesse from Bride of Chucky might also make for an interesting return, but again, this isn’t likely either.

More Easter Eggs/ Film References

This entry is all but a given for what we will see in the new season. But this is my list, and I think it’s well worth a mention. I love how the showrunners took devilish delight in sprinkling easter eggs for diehard fans to obsess over. However, it never was taken far enough to feel like new fans would feel alienated from the show. This is a really excellent balance that I hope we see this season, Damballa willing. I also really love how the show is peppered with some subtle and not so subtle nods to other classic horror movies. Seeing how this is made by NBC/Universal, we for sure should see some classic IPs from the studio making a cameo in one form or another. Last season it was fun that the film Frankenstein (by James Whale, an openly gay director) was featured as it tied into the show’s Queer themes. I also enjoyed the nod to Bride of Chucky which is obviously a nod to the famous Frankenstein sequel.

More Character Backstory: Charles Learning Voodoo

I really loved how the series went into the childhood of Charles Lee Ray and the meeting between him and Tiffany Valentine. I would love the show to explore more of Charles Lee Ray’s life pre-Child’s Play but only if they can do it in a way that feels fresh and interesting whilst still working it into the overall narrative of the show. It struck me while re-watching the series that we never really get into much backstory on Ray learning voodoo from his mentor John Bishop. I would love to see more of this explored and worked into season two. Chucky’s powerset has always played a little fast and loose for what the script demands, so getting some clear-cut lines would be a welcomed addition to the lore.

What would you like to see in the upcoming season of Chucky? Season 2 premieres on USA and Syfy on October 5. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQtq43ovSP4]