Bluey: The Sign review
Let’s be honest, this blog is mainly me ranting musing about parenting dilemmas that hit mums of little ones, with the occasional bit of advice thrown in. I don’t really do TV reviews. But both my toddler and I have a great love of Bluey and it’s been giving me the feels this evening as I watched the show’s first 30 minute episode for the first time. You know when a show just gets it? What it feels like, to be a parent – the struggle, the decisions you have to make. It doesn’t matter if it’s aimed at pre-schoolers: Bluey The Sign got me.
The episode picks up where the previous one left off – from a cliffhanger of sorts as The Heelers had a ‘For Sale’ sign outside their house. The estate agent is that typical smarmy jackass, so it’s very easy to sympathise with Bluey’s sadness at two sheepdogs buying her home.
When probed by Bluey about moving for Dad’s work, Chilli (Mum) admits she’s sad too because it’s the house her daughters took their first steps in. As parents, we can all relate to that. I mean, I know women who still have their kid’s umbilical cords in a drawer upstairs. But as Bandit (Dad) reminds us later in the episode, ‘I just want to give my family a better life.’ We can also relate to that. I wrangle with that daily when trying to work out how much I need to go to work to afford bikes and swimming lessons, while also being around for first words, playtime and the school run. What is best for kids? Their same old, same old life or newer, scarier opportunities? We try to negotiate that with them every day.
Plus it’s tough for kids when they often don’t get a choice in the changes they face. That’s why, as we see the Heeler family get ready for Rad and Frisky’s wedding party in their back garden, Frisky suddenly does a runner as she realises Rad is making all the big decisions for her – including where she lives. If we were struggling to understand Bluey before, we definitely get it now. What follows is Mum, Bluey, Bingo and cousins in tow hot on the tail of Frisky, getting a mix of good luck and bad luck, each one reliant on the other. Is it bad if something good follows it? It’s a big question for pre-schoolers. I can’t answer it. But as Mum says to Bluey, we just have to see.
The wedding goes ahead as Mum finds Frisky first – before Rad promises her that he’ll move instead. What follows is a nostalgia-fest of a wedding for any Bluey fan. Grandpa Bob has returned and is flossing with Nanna. Aunty Brandy is pregnant. Even the green balloon floats past. This all might sound like random information if you’re a casual Bluey fan, but for others, this already made us feel weepy – even before the last five minutes. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you but it certainly got me thinking – why do we focus so much on ‘progress’ when maybe what we’ve got is actually best for us.
The good news is there’s more Bluey to come as parents’ fears that this would be the last are unfounded. And maybe it’s silly to cry at a show aimed at 3 year olds but Bluey The Sign proves how much family means. For real life.
(Although Sleepytime is still my favourite.)
