Chucky Offered A Bound Reunion, And It Was A Meta Nightmare (In A Good Way)
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Chucky."
The "Child's Play" franchise has always been meta, but the latest episode of "Chucky" took things to a new extreme.
Last night's episode of "Chucky" was a "Very Special Episode," with our favorite foul-mouthed, pint-sized, serial killer-possessed doll taking a back seat to let Jennifer Tilly ...err Tiffany Valentine ...err Tiffany Valentine-possessed Jennifer Tilly take the center stage. Tiff and Chucky's non-binary child Glen/Glenda was put into the bodies of a set of twins the last time we saw them in "Seed of Chucky," but the non-binary duo are teens now, played simultaneously by Lachlan Watson ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina "). The kiddos haven't seen their mother (who they believe is just Jennifer Tilly) in over a year, showing up to celebrate their birthday and bringing some extraordinary guests to help celebrate.
Tilly's real-life sister, Academy Award-nominee Meg Tilly ("Agnes of God," "Psycho II") shows up to play a fictionalized version of herself, as does Tilly's bestie Sutton Stracke of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" fame. The real treat, however, was the addition of Gina Gershon and Joe "Uncle Pants" Pantoliano, who most will recognize as Tilly's co-stars in the Wachowski sisters' classic neo-noir film, "Bound." We've been eagerly awaiting the "Bound" reunion since behind-the-scenes set photos became available last summer, but in a franchise known for its unbelievably meta moments, "Chucky" creator Don Mancini has truly outdone himself.
Tiff/Tilly has been keeping Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) captive for over a year, having amputated all of her limbs like something out of "Boxing Helena" and turning their relationship into a non-consensual Mommy/Little fetish. Nica is still possessed by Charles Lee Ray, and Tiff/Tilly certainly wasn't anticipating a house full of guests she now must keep away from her hostage and Mommy den.
Glen and Glenda all grown up
Glen and Glenda arrive to celebrate their mommy dearest, telling her about increasingly violent dreams they've been having of a man's voice that calls them "s***face," and urges them to kill. Tiff/Tilly brushes it off, laughing "You and Glen always had vibrant imaginations." She's obviously trying to hide the truth of their parentage because explaining the whole "possessed killer doll sex" thing is a hell of a lot harder than explaining the birds and the bees. Glen eventually finds Nica, learning that Tiff/Tilly has hired a "butler" specifically to guard the room. He's also a butthead that doesn't "get" the whole non-binary thing, so it's pretty clear that this jackwagon won't last long.
And he doesn't! He dies! And while this is a normal, everyday occurrence for Tiff/Tilly, she's got a house full of people that don't know the truth about what's going on in her life. Her sister Meg even exclaims that everything changed with Tilly ever since she starred in "that stupid 'Chucky' movie." Meta Mancini strikes again! Thinking quickly, Tiff/Tilly spins the clearly dead man in her hallway as a hired actor. Surprise! It's a murder mystery party! Yes, the party she didn't know was happening until just moments previously has now been an elaborate plan developed by Tiff/Tilly to celebrate with her favorite people. Now it's up to the group to figure out who killed "Jeeves," which is really a distraction so Tiff/Tilly can figure out where Nica went.
'Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to seduce you'
Tiff/Tilly excuses herself for a moment to check on the motion detected in Nica's bedroom from her security app, only for Gina Gershon in a power suit and skinny tie to follow. It's not long after that Gershon and Tiff/Tilly are recreating scenes from "Bound," complete with the isolated camera shot of their lips just barely not touching. Gershon slides her hand up Tiff/Tilly's dress a callback to both "Bound" and the "Seed of Chucky" reference to the film when Tiff gives the memorable line, "Gina Gershon is fingering me." Gershon alludes to her and Tilly (she doesn't know about the possession, remember?) having been in a secret relationship all this time, a true gift from Don Mancini to sapphics everywhere.
After Gerson leaves, Pantoliano enters, also trying to seduce Tilly. His attempts are ... less than sexy, but he also implies that he's been sleeping with Tilly for years and wants to come clean. If the Wachowskis had presented "Bound" as a mistaken identity farce, it would probably have looked a lot like this scene.
It's evident that Gershon, Pantoliano, and Tilly (the actor, not the character) are having the time of their lives falling back into a familiar love triangle, and each of them are hamming it up. Now, before anyone tries to cry "queerbaiting" about the straight Gershon seducing Jennifer Tilly, there's a suspension of disbelief required for the show about a talking murder doll. Mancini is not queerbaiting the audience. He knows we know that this is all in good fun, and is giving us the Tumblr-shipping fan service of our dreams.
Sheer, queer brilliance
There's a flashback scene (because of course there is) that shows the twins know the truth about Nica, and part of their return is to set her free. Glen wheels Nica toward freedom, but after seeing the butler's blood on the floor, Charles Lee Ray takes over Nica's body (remember, she's also possessed) and Glenda knocks out their sibling before taking Nica/Chucky to Tiff/Tilly. Fitted with a robotic arm, Nica/Chucky tries to shoot Tiff/Tilly, but the gun is empty. Nica eventually takes back control of her body, rolling out of the house. A handicap-accessible vehicle pulls up to help cart Nica out of there, Glenda joining as Tiff/Tilly wails in agony. The driver of the car? IT'S KYLE! ANDY FOSTER SISTER FROM "CHILD'S PLAY II" THAT WE THOUGHT DIED LAST SEASON! Tiff/Tilly genuinely fears for her life, but Stracke and Gershon believe they're just watching the best performance of Tilly's career.
Discussing the episode may read as confusing, but when you're watching everything in action, there's no confusion to be found. In a strange way, "Chucky" does a better job of explaining how much of a non-issue understanding non-binary identities is than most political pundits. If you can understand how Tiff/Tilly, Nica/Chucky, and fictionalized versions of real-life actors exist in this world, Glen and Glenda using they/them pronouns is one of the most "normal" things in the whole series. "Death on Denial," is not just one of the best moments of the entire "Child's Play/Chucky" franchise, it's one of the wildest hours of television in years.
Unpacking how this episode made me feel with my therapist is gonna be really fun.