Series on Disney | ‘Bluey’, never leave

«Sometimes special people come into our lives, they stay for a while and they have to go. But the part where they were here was happy, right? Maybe that’s why it’s worth it.” This is the answer that Bluey’s mother gives her daughter when she asks her about the absence of a Canadian friend she met at camp. That happened in one of the last episodes of the first season (there have been three). By then it had already hooked an audience that recognized that this was not a mere children’s production, but rather intended to entertain the little ones, but also try to portray how parenting is carried out by a generation that is supposedly more prepared, emotionally aware, and more fragile. and insecure about some dilemmas that arise with children.

In the last chapter of ‘Bluey’ there is a little of all that. It raises a conflict – a possible move – which children and parents face in a different way. The older ones assume that the change, which is motivated by a job offer from their father, is good for them because it will improve their way of life. The smallest ones regret the sacrifices they have to make to achieve these supposed benefits and they will insist on preventing it. Neither Bluey nor Bingo want to leave their home, their friends, or their routines behind, because it is difficult for them to understand what could be better than all that. And, deep down, parents are not too convinced of the need to embark on a new stage either.

We take it for granted that a job with greater responsibility and better pay will bring us greater happiness, but this is not always the case, if it entails some sacrifices. The equation does not have to give an identical result every time. That is what we have ended up reflecting after this special that the popular cartoon series has served us.

But ‘The Poster’ – as it has been titled in Spain – draws attention for more reasons than the plot. The most striking, its duration. It is the longest installment broadcast so far, going from the usual 8 or 10 minutes to 30. This footage allows for greater development of the plots. We are going to see the characters enter into contradictions in the same chapter and change their behavior depending on the circumstances. For example, the father tries to convince himself of the opportunity that is presented to him with the new job, but we viewers are aware at all times of his hesitations. The mother doesn’t have it all with her either and she doesn’t mind admitting it to those closest to her. But she gets carried away by aspirational thinking.

Is all this caused by a children’s series? Yes. ‘Bluey’ has always been distinguished by its creative ambition, by its intention to please adults and children, and by its willingness to break away from the classic scheme of children’s productions in which all the chapters are cut from the same pattern, leaving no room for surprise. In this Australian series there are always some, due to the variety of topics it deals with (from the simplest ones like childhood fears to more complex ones like infertility), and because of the original way in which they are usually resolved. Joe Brumm, its creator, is the father of two daughters and always had the intention of creating a show that viewers of all ages could identify with. And above all, that it adjusted to current codes, to new family aspirations, to the importance of play in education. To the recognition that perfect fathers and mothers do not exist, nor is there a need for that.

Social networks have been filled with reactions to this latest episode of ‘Bluey’. There are those who have not been able to hold back their tears at everything that happens in the chapter. The scriptwriters wanted to put all the meat on the grill. That’s why they organized a wedding that would serve as an excuse to reunite the main characters and bring back others who appeared at specific times (like Aunt Brandy or Flappy the butterfly). With all of them in action and with the threat that the Heelers were going to leave their home, an installment has been developed that will undoubtedly open a new stage in the series.

By the way, the original title of the installment is ‘The sign’, which we could translate as the signal, which allows double readings of everything that happens in this plot. Because sometimes there are signs that tell you that you are not doing the right thing. And some of that happens at the end of this episode…

The producers have already announced that this is not a full stop, far from it. The story of the blue family will continue, but they have not advanced in any way, whether with new seasons or otherwise. Rumors point to the launch of a film, once it has been shown that the plots of ‘Bluey’ can withstand longer footage than we are used to. But that doesn’t mean that conventional chapters are going to end. Or so we parishioners of the blue family hope.