A Review of “The
Sign,” Season 3 Finale of Bluey by Olszyk
Distribution Service: Disney +
MPAA Rating, TV-Y
USCCB Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Three Reels
Disclaimer: The following contains spoilers.
It’s hard
to tell this early, but Bluey is currently poised to be the most
important children’s program of the 2020s. What started as a small Assie kids
show about a family of anthropomorphic Heelers has
turned into a major worldwide phenomenon.
This amazing show, which broke out in 2018, survived the lockdowns, never
pulled its punches, and won the hearts of millions came to a soft ending with
finale “The Sign” last weekend. It was a bittersweet but fitting goodbye though
with the vague promise of good things to come.
For the
uninitiated, Bluey is a children’s program starring a six-year-old dog
and her various adventures in Queensland. Most prominent in her life is Bandit
(David McDormick), her archeologist dad, Chili (Melanie Zanetti), her mom who
occasionally works airport security, and Bingo, her younger but more mature
sister. Episodes range from typical (expressing healthy emotions, letting
things go, handling teasing) to profound (the creative work of God through the
natural world, the trauma of infertility). If you want my picks for the best of
series, go
here.
All this
came to an end on April 14th with the series finale “The Sign,” a
special four times the length of a normal episode. The title refers to an
ominous advertisement outside Bluey’s house labeled “For Sale” as the Heelers
prepare to move to another city. In addition to this change, the family is setting
up for the wedding of Bluey’s uncle Radley (Patrick Brammall) when his fiancée
Frisky (Claudia O’Doherty) suddenly disappears. It’s a lot for a little puppy,
but child’s play compared to the emotional roller coaster of the audience.
The key to Bluey’s
success was quality and timing. The show features a classic nuclear family that
sincerely loves and cares for one another while admitting and forgiving their
flaws. It’s a show that’s honest about life difficulties without being preachy
or topical. This would make fine after school fair in any era but in the late
2010s, it stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Progressive virtual
signaling in children’s programming began ramping up in a big way during this
time. Peppa Pig introduced a lesbian couple, The Proud Family
embraced CRT, and even Blue’s Clues featured a drag performer. In
contrast, Bluey seemed to march squarely in the opposite direction. Creator
Joe Brumm made fun of entitlement, encouraged children to follow rules, and
continued to portray mums and dads as loving but strong authority figures. It
was an oasis in a desert.
While
religion is never explicitly mentioned in Bluey, the series is firmly
grounded in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Like the works of the Rev. Fred
Rogers, it avoids overt references to Jesus or the Bible to allow the program
to organically embrace the tenants of Christianity while appealing to as broad
an audience as possible. This shows up in “The Sign” through the intervention
of Providence. Bandit and Chili believe they are doing what is best for the
family by moving but have some doubts. Through a series of synchronicities that
are brought on by various family members, the buyers of their home back out at
the last minute, which Bandit takes as a sign they are meant to stay. Frisky
and Radly are also able to reconcile through these same events. While the
characters are unaware of the happenings that led up to this finale, the
audience can see how God used His light hand to guide everyone through their
freedom to discern the right decision.
Despite
these highlights, the ending is a bit squishy. Usually, Bluey is
fearless in its ability to face big issues squarely and deal with the suffering
of life. Throughout the episode, Bluey is frightened and upset with the
prospect of moving – as any child would – but ultimately it was all for naught.
She gets exactly what she wants; thus, the stakes feel contrived. It also could
lead children in similar situations to believe they won’t move away or their
grandma won’t die or they will get a home run in the big game. Better to practice
disappointment in a children’s show than face it in reality unprepared.
Brumm has indicated
that while this might not be the end for Bluey, he and his team are
going to take a much-needed break after 154 episodes over six years. Yet even
if this is the end, its legacy has been cemented. Bluey is an important
witness that great art and great values are not mutually exclusive.
Post-Script: Some unscrupulous social media vloggers
have claimed that in “The Sign,” Bluey finally
embraces LGBT inclusion by a kid referencing his “two moms.” This prompted
other conservative commentators to prematurely
disavow Bluey as “woke.” The whole controversary is nonsense based
on a misreading of Australian accents and slang, but it is another sad reminder
that wholesome family entertainment is not free from the envious eyes of cultural acquisition.
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