The finale of ‘Chucky’ season 1 left Nica Pierce trapped in horrific circumstances, which ultimately failed the character and diminished the franchise’s heroes. ‘Chucky season 1’, episode 8 saw the beloved characters, new and veteran alike, experience a range of different fates. Some like Junior (Teo Briones) and seemingly, Kyle (Christine Elise McCarthy) met their ends. Others like Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) survived with a tinge of solace during the ending of ‘Chucky’ season 1, despite their colossal grief. Meanwhile, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) and Nica (Fiona Dourif) both ended up hostages of Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly). The nature of Nica’s captivity, however, was much more harrowing and, even for a horror show, was arguably a step too far.
The character of Nica debuted in ‘Curse of Chucky’ movie. After the majority of her family was killed, Nica emerged as the Child’s Play franchise’s newest final girl. As if that was not enough, she was a thoroughly modern one, since Nica had been paraplegic since birth and was thus a wheelchair-using hero. Nica later returned via Cult of Chucky, where she was incarcerated for her family’s murder and nonetheless targeted once more by the killer doll. Again, Nica came out of the experience alive. In a shocking twist, though, her body ended up playing host to the soul of Charles Lee Ray — which Fiona Dourif played to perfection. As a result, viewers were excited to see where things would go next in Chucky.
For the most part, Chucky season 1 did not disappoint. Nica-Chucky was a brilliantly chaotic presence, with Fiona Dourif flawlessly delivering the familiar mannerisms through a new vessel. Equally, the tug-of-war between the two personalities—as well as the moments where one posed as the other—elevated both the performance and tension. Unfortunately, the ‘Chucky’ season 1 finale did not quite stick the landing. After Tiffany has twisted romantic feelings evolved, she sought to keep Nica around but without the threat posed if Chucky once again reclaimed control. To that end, Tiffany had Nica’s arms and legs surgically removed, adding to Chucky episode 8’s Easter eggs and references with a Boxing Helena nod. While it was a haunting image befitting a true horror, the fact that Nica, in particular, was the subject of such an awful fate left a bad taste in many Chucky viewers’ mouths. -CBR
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