Fans of Bluey barely had time to catch their breath from the 28-minute episode of “The Sign” when, a few days later, Disney decided to shake everyone to their core with “Surprise.” And, not such a surprise, it was a total tear-jerker.
The first surprise: No one knew “Surprise” was coming. After all, The Sign (at a whopping 28 minutes long) saw the Heeler family undergoing some big changes as Bandit accepted a job in another city. It was, as most Bluey episodes are, emotional as it showcased how change can sometimes be a scary thing, and saw how the Heeler family was about to enter a new phase — in this case, selling a childhood home for potentially better prospects. It seemed a fitting end to Season 3.
So imagine everyone’s surprise when “Surprise” aired a week later. The episode starts out with Bluey asking mom Chilli what being a parent is like. Viewers won’t know it yet, but it’s foreshadowing for the goosebump-inducing ending. Meanwhile, Bluey and Bingo are both vying for their dad’s attention, as they want to play two separate games — Bluey wants to chase Bandit around the house with a tennis ball gun that her friend lent her, while Bingo has Bandit babysitting several of her “babies.”
Fast forward to the ending, where we get a glimpse into the future. Chilli, now older, answers the doorbell and there, standing on the porch is…Bluey who is now an adult. She looks the same, and yet, different. The bell rings again and hiding next to the door is a little Blue Heeler, lying in wait with a tennis ball gun. It’s then that you realize that the child outside the door is Bluey’s, and Chilli and Bandit are now grandparents.
While the Internet went wild with speculation over who the father of Bluey’s child (the kid having black and white ears caused many to claim that Bluey’s good friend, Mackenzie, is the dad), that really doesn’t matter. What does is that the show gave us a very real glimpse into what parenting is like. It’s being in the throes of day-to-day life (when your kids want to constantly play with you) and then, in a blink of an eye, they’re standing at your doorstep with a child of their own.
It begs the question: why would the creators of Bluey decide to end Season 3 with “Surprise”? Although it’s a bittersweet part of life, it’s also practical, too. After all, the voice actors for Bingo and Bluey are getting older, and it’s only a matter of time before they, too, grow up. Maybe it’s a way for Bluey to gently introduce the idea that nothing lasts forever, whether it’s childhood or the show itself.
And for parents, who know that one day our children will grow up and have lives of their own, that will still come as the biggest surprise of all.