- Culture
- Australian TV
By Thomas Mitchell
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This article contains spoilers for the special 28-minute episode of Bluey, The Sign.
After weeks of nervous anticipation, millions of families around the country, and tens of millions around the world, are asking themselves the same terrifying question: “Is this the end for Bluey?”
On Sunday morning, fans were finally treated to the highly anticipated, one-off 28-minute episode The Sign. Billed as a major event by the ABC, The Sign was one of two new episodes (along with Ghostbasket, which aired on April 7) that focused on the much-loved Blue Heeler family preparing to sell their home in Brisbane suburbia.
Four times as long as the standard Bluey episode, The Sign quickly confirmed what we all suspected: the housing crisis is worse than we thought. Despite owning a sprawling four-bedroom weatherboard with a wraparound terrace and beautiful jacaranda, Bandit is feeling the cost of living crunch and has accepted a better-paid job interstate.
Chilli, Bluey’s mum, is unimpressed (she assures the kids it’ll be an adventure, but you can tell she doesn’t love it), yet the decision is made to sell up and ship out.
It’s good news for Bucky, the real estate agent (voiced by Rove McManus), who is so overjoyed at his next commission that he continually refers to Bandit as “Big B” or “Bandido.” It’s comforting to know that real estate agents are annoying even in animated dog land.
There’s another subplot involving a wedding at the Heeler house. Uncle Rad (voiced by Patrick Brammall) is marrying his long-time love, Frisky (Claudia O’Doherty), but really, The Sign is all about The Big Move and Bluey’s Big Feelings. In typical Bluey fashion, the episode sneaks in several painfully familiar adult conversations, notably a tense discussion between Frisky and Chilli regarding the decision to relocate.
“You’re only doing it because your husband is telling you to,” says Frisky, to which Chilli snaps back: “No, I’m doing it because it could be good for our family.”
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While Bluey and Bingo struggle to accept the idea of moving, Chill explains that in times of uncertainty (and aggressive inflation rates), you must rely on the unknown power of “we’ll see”.
Will things be better in a new place? “We’ll see,” says Chilli.
The episode ends with the buyers of Bluey’s house pulling out at the last minute (they find somewhere with a pool), leading Bandit to renege on his new job and keep the family home. Luckily, Queensland’s unemployment rate is at a historic low, so he should find another gig quickly enough.
Ultimately, Australia’s much-loved cartoon family is staying put, but as for confirmation on another season, the best we’ve had from the show’s creators is: “We’ll see.”
The announcement of a one-off 28-minute episode immediately led to widespread speculation (read: intense parental panic) that after 151 episodes, creator Joe Brumm was preparing to call time on Australia’s most successful recent cultural export.
Since its launch in 2018, Bluey has become a global icon, airing in more than 60 countries and attracting high-profile voice cameos from the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman, and Eva Mendes. The Sign is no exception, featuring the Bluey voice debuts of Joel Edgerton, Deborah Mailman, and Rove McManus.
But despite its enduring popularity, Brumm has yet to confirm if the show will return. In an ABC Radio Brisbane interview on Friday, Bluey executive producer Daley Pearson said the episode’s success would help decide the franchise’s future.
“We would love to do a Bluey movie,” he said. “It’s no secret that this episode is kind of testing how an audience will go.”
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Last year, Bluey was the second-most streamed show in the US, with viewers clocking up a cumulative 43.9 billion viewing minutes, leaving it second only to the drama Suits.
When the latest ten episodes dropped in the US in January this year, it became the most streamed show of the week on Disney+, clocking 1.5 billion minutes of viewing in just seven days.
Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at thomas.mitchell@smh.com.au or follow him on Instagram at @thomasalexandermitchell and on Twitter @_thmitchell.
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