The finale of 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 wasn’t 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 didn’t quite stick the landing. After Tiffany’s 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.
Even in the behind-the-scenes footage, it was conveyed that some cast and crew struggled with the moment. Nica’s journey has been one of constant suffering. While that’s nothing new in a horror franchise, even Andy Barclay’s experiences seemed like a walk in the park compared to hers. On top of everything else, she learned that her only other surviving family member had been possessed and then killed. Nica was also repeatedly raped by a psychotic doctor and violated in countless other ways as Chucky used her unwitting body for his own pleasure - sexual and otherwise.
Following all that, her already disabled body was then dismembered. With Nica’s paralysis not even remaining healed when she was in control, there was not even the briefest moments of catharsis amid her hell on earth. While other characters had less victimized moments, none were found in Nica’s case. It’s understandable that franchise creator Don Mancini wanted to give Fiona Dourif more dramatic scenarios to work with and portray with impeccable acting ability. Still, all in all, it crossed the line into inadvertently sadistic storytelling.
Furthermore, it undermined the heroes of the Chucky TV show by having them care little about saving her—both body and soul. This somewhat worked regarding Andy, emphasizing how broken he’s become. That being said, the Chucky season 1 finale could have benefitted from having others learn about and/or be more determined to help her. That neglect was made even more egregious when, despite everything, Nica’s primary goal upon reclaiming her body was to save fellow hostages. Hopefully, Chucky season 2's story can fix or retcon the latest development—maybe even through making her a doll—restoring hers and others' former progressive and heroic glory, and giving Nica a modicum of respite.