Warning: SPOILERS for Chucky season 1, episode 5.
The Chucky TV show saw the titular monster form multiple friendships to the end but there are signs he might actually care about one of them: Caroline Cross. Since Chucky arrived in Hackensack, New Jersey, the bulk of his interactions were centered around Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur). After the struggling, gay teen bought the killer doll at a yard sale, Chucky made it his mission to mold Jake in his image. Though he briefly gave in to his pain, becoming an accomplice to one of Chucky’s murders, Jake ultimately turned back to the light. After he actively refused to kill Lexy Cross (Alyvia Alyn Lind), Chucky episode 5, “Little Little Lies” solidified them as enemies — with Jake determined to end Chucky’s rampage for good.
Another bond Chucky has formed across the episodes was one with Lexy’s younger sister, Caroline. After the young girl first saw Chucky at a talent show, she was fascinated by what may be one of the multiple killer dolls hiding in Hackensack, as teased in Chucky episode 4. The duo subsequently became a fan favorite double act, offering up some of the Chucky TV show’s most popular scenes. Chucky and Caroline played video games together and engaged in several hilarious conversations. Given Chucky’s established history, it could easily be construed that, like with Jake, Caroline was but a means to an end – a pawn through which he could fulfill his own twisted, murderous endgames. Arguably, however, Chucky episode 5, “Little Little Lies” hinted that Chucky may actually have a genuine soft spot for Caroline.
For starters, Chucky waited at the hospital in doll form to be reunited with the recovering Caroline. Despite the Peter Pan-inspired Chucky episode 4 setting up Jake, Lexy, and Devon’s goal to destroy him, the killer doll willingly remained a sitting duck in the cupboard at her bedside all night. Furthermore, even after he was rejected by Caroline due to his newly burned state, the first thing he seemed to do was spend countless hours working his way back to her. It was then that the biggest indicator emerged. As he approached Caroline’s window in the pouring rain and discovered her playing with Tommy, the replacement Good Guy doll purchased online by her father, Chucky looked surprisingly, genuinely forlorn.
Chucky has undoubtedly been proven to be a pure psychopath. That was never more evident than when the Chucky show confirmed that his first kill was his mother. Regardless, it’s been shown, even in the Chucky episode 5 flashbacks, that the murderer formerly known as Charles Lee Ray is capable of forming genuine (if twisted) relationships, and that the bond between Chucky and Caroline was potentially real. As such, it’s conceivable that he has formed a father-like care for the seemingly autistic Caroline. Ordinarily, Chucky has never been one to take rejection well, able to swiftly turn violently on those who turn their backs on him — as once again proven with Jake. And yet, he clearly seemed to give Caroline a pass for her earlier reactions and even rapidly replacing him. He simply transferred his soul into Tommy (even somewhat whispering so as not to wake her) and moved on, all but verbally expressing that he was missing the love and affection that she bestowed upon him.
As evidenced by Chucky episode 5’s answer for Cult of Chucky’s Nica cliffhanger, the killer doll has a considerable amount of power at his disposal. As such, Chucky would have had near endless options after being dumped into hospital garbage. He could have transferred himself into a different kind of doll temporarily or even into another human. Hell, he could have even transferred his soul into the sleeping Caroline. But he didn’t. He simply traipsed through a storm to return to her. Of course, this doesn’t make Chucky any less of a villain. Were Caroline to turn on him more definitively, like teaming up with Jake, his vengeful side would likely win out, as it did against even Seed of Chucky’s Glen/Glenda. For now, however, Chucky episode 5 arguably indicated that he has something of a heart beating beneath his plastic exterior.
