I admit that. My wife and I panicked when a very long “Bluey” episode titled “The Sign” popped up on our Disney+ feed. The “For Sale” signs placed in the front yards of comic book heroes felt like an existential threat.
Is this the end for Bluey? The series finale isn’t what we wanted and deserved, and shouldn’t there be enough tissues at home to cry on? For a children’s show that typically has a brisk seven-minute running time, the half-hour felt extravagant and foreboding.
April 14th seemed to go down as the day Joy died on Disney+.
I know my family isn’t the only one who loves this cartoon about an Australian dog family. The show, created by writer Joe Blum, is deceptively simple. Each episode tells a story about the antics of a family of anthropomorphic blue dogs, the aptly named Healers. Our main character is Bluey, he is 6 years old. She, along with her four-year-old sister Bingo, her parents, Bandit and Chili, and many supporting characters, draw viewers into a variety of adventures that depict imaginative, heartwarming, and hilarious adventures. The ups and downs of family life.
But what makes “Bluey” so unique is that it works on multiple levels. Each episode is fun not only for children but also for parents, and is not something that can be easily achieved. If you’re an adult who’s ever watched a few episodes of Pinkalicious, Paw Patrol, or Wishenpoof, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
So none of us, myself, my wife, or our kids, were excited about the prospect that the show might end. Like most of the internet, we desperately turned to Google for some peace of mind.
It was my wife who stumbled across Sophie Gilbert’s aptly named article in The Atlantic, “Is this the end of ‘Bluey’?” The answer is no, at least one more episode of hers will be aired under the title “The Surprise.” . ”
But more importantly to me, Gilbert’s article introduced the spiritual stakes of the ending of the third season of “Blueies.” “Is Bandit Healer depressed?” she wondered. Gilbert admits it’s an odd question to pose about a comic book character, but as she points out, “The vibe of the matriarch on ‘Bluey’ just didn’t sit right with me.”
Gilbert’s judgment was correct. Previous episodes have shown a distracted, downtrodden Bandit without his usual grace. I was especially reminded of the exchange in the episode titled “Stickbird.” We found a Healer family and their children frolicking on the beach. However, Bandit is distant and troubled by her, and is unable to pay enough attention to her family.
“Leave me alone, baby,” Chili says. “You’re missing out on all of this.”
We never know what “it” is. But “everything” is clear. When we allow ourselves to get caught up in a past that is beyond us and a future that is still in motion, we miss out on people, places, and moments ripe with joy and possibility. The present is where we are called to live.
Why is this important? Why did it shock me?
The plot of “The Sign” is based on Bandit’s decision to take a new job in a faraway city. It’s clear he’s chasing something, and he claims it’s the opportunities a higher-paying job will bring to his family, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s something deeper to the job. I can’t go in. Eventually, Bandit realizes that his family is living happily where they are, and after a moment of great effort, pulls his sign out of the ground and throws it into the trash heap.
But that harmful voice whispering in his ear… What if you had a better job? What would you do if you had more money? What if I left this life behind and started anew? — I think everyone hears this voice from time to time. That’s why Gilbert’s essay struck me and why her framework is so important. I don’t know if Bandit was clinically depressed, but I do think he was in a state of devastation, to use the basic terminology of the Ignatian tradition.
As Ignatian spiritual director and author Margaret Silf points out, desolation is a spiritual state in which we turn on ourselves, wallow in negative emotions, and find ourselves disconnected from our community. We lose energy (Bandit spends an entire episode of “TV Shop” looking for vitamins to boost his energy), lose sight of what’s important to us, and lose interest.
As parents, colleagues, students, and human beings, we all find ourselves in desperate situations from time to time. Even when we are surrounded by family and friends, we find ourselves distracted and alone. As a result, we struggle to shake off feelings of lethargy.
What St. Ignatius of Loyola asserted, and Bandit Healer shows, is that in such conditions, making hasty decisions is never the answer. Of course, selling your home and moving to a new city may be the right choice, but it’s not an option in a state of disrepair.
why? Because it probably wasn’t made by the community. Remember: Desolation often makes us turn inward in a bad way. Through “The Sign,” we learn that even Chile is not in favor of this move. It turns out that both Bluey and Bingo are satisfied with their lives so far. And it turns out Bandit himself wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect either. Has she discussed the decision as her family?
“I think the question of whether healers leave their cities and communities is a very influential one, because it is inseparable from the existential question of raising children,” Gilbert wrote. There is. “What does a better life look like for a family? What is the value of money compared to things it cannot buy, such as connections, security, and a sense of home? When do parents’ needs outweigh their children’s needs? Is it? There are no answers in this episode.”
Ultimately, we make a choice and move forward, confused. But to make the best choices for our families and communities, we must first understand ourselves. The antidote to moments of devastation is community. We look to those we love and love us, and allow that love to reconnect us with God who loves us even more.
I think this speaks to the fact that the true finale of the season, “The Surprise,” focuses on Bandit again. He now has to make another choice: which girls to play and which games to play. (The choice is all the more difficult since he would rather be watching TV.) But in the end, for both Bandit and us, it’s not about what he chooses; It is important to establish yourself in the presence of people around you. He appears. He allows others to reach out and grab him and pull him out of his devastation.
“That’s what the kids are about,” Bandit says. “They’ll always surprise you.”
Bandit didn’t have to leave his life for that surprise to appear. It was already there, waiting for him. He just had to allow himself to see it.
I think that applies to our lives as well. I wonder if our God of wonder is already at work in the mundane moments of our daily lives, prompting us through both signs and surprises. But first we have to look back.
