ERIN NEGLEY | Staff Writer
The other week, I couldn’t believe I was seeing Sally Timms playing punk rock kazoo along with her Mekons bandmate Jon Langford at a house concert.
Last week, I was excited to see Ilyon Woo come to Lancaster to talk about her fascinating book “Master Slave Husband Wife.”
This band and book both deserve your attention. However, I have to focus this column on another performance, the one that keeps bringing me to tears: the latest surprise episode of “Bluey.”
Yes, this cartoon is aimed at preschoolers but it has plenty of jokes for the grown-ups in the room. This show’s captured my attention with its relatable parents (even if they are dogs who live in Australia), things that sound better in an Aussie accent (“it’s called a tactical wee”) and most importantly, its heart.
“Bluey” exists in a kids TV landscape wildly different from what I remember. “Sesame Street,” “Square One Television,” “USA Cartoon Express” and sporadic reruns of “The Muppet Show” were bright spots in the vast wasteland of basic cable ’80s TV. There are so many options today but most of them come with a warning to never hit play on The Most Annoying Show Ever.
On a family vacation last year, with time to relax and a house with cable, we were introduced to “Bluey,” a show based in Australia and picked up by Disney. After breakfast, my 4-year-old loved watching 4-year-old Bingo and her 6-year-old sister Bluey come up with games and play pretend. I found myself letting the dishes wait to see if the next seven-minute episode was a new one.
The Australian cattle dogs and their puppy friends figure out plenty of problems.
Pom Pom might be a tiny cotton ball but she’s big enough to tilt the seesaw in the kids versus adult game while squeaking, “Pomeranians are a small but hardy breed.” They ask important questions, like can grannies floss? And they deal with little cousin Muffin, who always has to get her own way.
Their parents, Bandit and Chili, aren’t perfect like the Cleavers or dysfunctional like the Bundys. They want breaks. They fail. But they keep trying. And they play along: taking a dance mode pass in public, acting in a horsey wedding and becoming dog-sized claw machines.
The show’s creator, Joe Brumm, created these lovable characters and dug into the idea of imaginative play, which isn’t just fun but formative.
“If Bluey does have a point outside of making kids laugh, it’s to show us parents what kids learn while they play in this way,” he says.
You’ll find much more about the writing and philosophy online, where there’s a vocal audience of adults with opinions. This is a kids show but on Reddit, TikTok and blogs, people debate parenting styles, discuss banned episodes and come up with theories like: Chili and Bandit are antique smugglers (how else can they manage that huge house?)
I have zero interest in becoming a Disney adult, so I tread lightly in the fan theories.
When we returned from vacation, “Bluey” made the short “OK to watch” list. Every time I sit down to watch, the most delightful things pop up. Take “Flat Pack,” an episode about assembling a swing from a big box store. Bluey and Bingo play with the massive amount of packing material. They start out pretending to be fish in a bubble wrap ocean. Then they’re dinosaurs among cardboard volcanoes. Eventually, they’ve built a city of the future. Evolution in seven minutes. There are more arcs in this episode and more cues to a bigger story. There’s a long pause when Chili grabs Bluey’s hand and their paws are bathed in glowing light. Did they manage to add a reference to Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” as well?
This image released by Disney+ shows a scene from the television series "Bluey." (Disney+ via AP)
It’s also been fun recognizing lines from “Crocodile Dundee” and “The Simpsons” to “Predator” and “Friday.”
As someone who resists the urge to dig into those online discussions, I had no idea when a few new episodes dropped in April. (No spoilers here).
The biggest departure for the new clips is “The Sign,” four times the length of a normal episode. It has silly parts, dramatic parts and a few pop culture references for the grown-ups. Also new: a song added in a key moment to crank up the emotion. Meg Washington, the voice of calm, cool teacher Calypso, sings an excerpt of her haunting song, “Lazarus Drug,” as the story ends and the fruit bats fly over the credits.
That could be a sad but appropriate finale for a show with such heart. Luckily, show executives say this isn’t the end.
Want more entertainment news sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for our free Entertainment Lancaster newsletter here.
