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appleflavoredkitkats · 1 year

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why bluey’s “sleepytime” is the only episode Ever

no guys u don't understand. bluey's sleepytime episode is the bluey episode. THE episode. it's such a wonderful and profound showcase of the tight-knit and unconditional love this family has for each other and it will always bring tears to my eyes whenever i watch it. so anyways here’s a 2k word analysis of the entire episode and its meanings and symbolisms

the episode starts off with chilli reading bingo a story about a chick hatching from its egg. after hatching, the chick immediately sees its mother and snuggles up to her so she can fall asleep. that already sets the perfect precedent for what to expect. bluey and bandit come in, but i will talk about them later. chilli finishes reading bingo her story. bingo suddenly gets worried about floppy being missing, but chilli finds floppy and returns it to bingo. after, chilli bids bingo good night, and bingo tells her she wants to do a "big girl sleep".

one small detail i enjoyed is that, in response, chilli tells bingo to do her best, saying she's always there if bingo needs assistance. this entire scene is very heartwarming because chilli does not set up high expectations for bingo to solve her predicament. sometimes, getting the hang of something is difficult, and some parents would pressure their children into finding the solution instead of consoling them and assuring them that they'll be there throughout the journey. here, chilli does not set high expectations for bingo, nor does she leave bingo alone— she tells bingo that, okay, i am here with you no matter what, whether you solve your problem or not. i will be here for you, because i believe in you and love you conditionally—THIS introduces the theme of the episode.

an important detail i want to highlight is that, floppy was given to bingo by chilli right before chilli says this. i'll expound more later, but i believe that floppy is meant to represent chilli's unconditional love for bingo. even if chilli isn't there, her love still persists, and in this episode, we see it through floppy being bingo's guardian in her dream.

then, the dream itself occurs— one of the most beautifully animated and well-composed sequences in any piece of animation, really. what i like about it is that bingo hatches from the earth just like a chick. at the same time, floppy hatches from the moon, and they both hug. in astrology, the moon represents one’s emotions and desires. again, i’m going to expound on floppy later, but understand that i believe floppy represents the love the family shares for one another. if the moon represents inner desires, then bingo’s inner desire is to showcase her love for her family as much as they do with her.

then, they see the sun, who we all know represents chilli. it's the same story— a baby chick, bingo, hatches and the first thing they see is their mom, chilli, the sun. the story of the chick ends with it sleeping with their mom, and here, we know that bingo wants to overcome their sleepwalking issues. so, bingo's inclination towards the sun is meant to represent how she feels like she can overcome her problems with the warmth of the sun, her mom.

i want to say that, because chilli is represented by the sun, it would suggest that all of the heeler family is represented by something as well. here, bingo is earth. in astronomy, earth symbolizes honesty, groundedness, and reliability. these are definitely pretty profound descriptions for bingo, but it checks out— in bluey, bingo is seen as less rambunctious than her sister. she's pretty emotionally intelligent and compassionate to others, and a lot of episodes focus on her honesty about boundaries, and what makes her feel hurt.

eventually, bingo and floppy pass a hatched planet that seems to be mercury. right after, we see bluey ask her mom to fetch her a glass of water. this heavily implies that bluey, in this situation, is mercury. in astrology, mercury is meant to resemble outward expression at its finest, curious about the wonders of life. mercury tends to be connected to wit and rationalization. again, big words to describe someone like bluey, but bluey definitely is the more outgoing, curious, and smart person between her and her sister. she's always the one asking questions, knowing how to rationalize her decisions to ensure what she's doing is what she thinks is right. she's also very intricate about the inner workings of her games, and tends to be a little rebellious when it comes to following rules outside of games. in this way, both her and her sister somewhat contrast, but we know they're a perfect balance with each other.

anyway, chilli brings bluey the water that she doesn't even drink. chilli then retreats to bluey's bed instead of disturbing her from her sleep. i think the untouched glass of water is another discreet symbol of the love chilli provides for her children. her love is there, even if you don't see it. even bluey snugs up into chilli’s spot on the bed, sleeping soundly.

after chilli sneaks into bluey’s bed, we see bingo sleepwalk into her parents’ bedroom and sleep in between bluey and bandit. at the same time, we see bingo approach what seems to be like neptune in her dream. in neptune, she plays around, rolling across is lands as bingo rolls around the blanket in real life. what’s interesting is that, in astrology, neptune is meant to represent inspiration, ideals, and creativity, ignoring every sense of limitation life throws at you. i think this is a perfect way to encapsulate bluey, bingo, and bandit’s dynamic, as these three are the ones who thoroughly commit to the bit of their games. together, these three aren’t limited by anything, and it makes them happy.

afterwards, we see bingo approach jupiter, which is supposed to represent bandit. in astrology, jupiter is described as expansive, ensuring growth at whatever adventure you pursue. in a way, jupiter is like a guardian angel, which embodies bandit extremely well. bandit’s entire schtick is ensuring that his daughters’ childhood whimsy never dies while also keeping track of how they develop as their own persons. i think this is also emphasized by how both bluey and bingo, in the dream, are seen playing and having fun on jupiter, to bandit’s expense. it heavily mirrors these three’s playing style with each other in general.

i think the most beautiful part of it all, though, is bingo and floppy descending into the core of jupiter. it’s such an overlooked scene. jupiter’s core is described to be filled with pressure and heat. the weight of the pressure within jupiter’s core is said to be equal to 160,000 cars. and yet, bingo finds comfort in it, hugging it dearly. if bandit is meant to be jupiter, then bingo hugging the core is meant to represent bingo’s adoration of bandit as her father and as a good person. bandit never withholds anything from the girls, showcasing his love for them through complex games and lighthearted roughhousing. i also think that’s what the storms surrounding the core represent. bingo recognizes the love that her father gives her through EVERYTHING that he is, just like how chilli shows that she loves her children unconditionally.

we see bandit bring bingo back into her room. before returning to his room, he helps bluey take a dump, singing her the song he sang to bluey when she was a baby. and, can i just mention how “dad can you sing to me” is genuinely one of the funniest scenes in bluey? like, not only is this show emotionally compelling, but it’s hilarious, and i love how this episode showcases both in harmony.

when both bluey and bandit return to bandit’s bedroom, we see that bingo is there, sleeping in bandit’s spot comfortably. bluey sneaks into her mom’s spot, and bandit sleeps on the floor. bingo falls into the floor, sleeping next to bandit. bingo then begins sleepwalking again, returning to her bedroom. in her dream, she comes across saturn whose rings are a bunch of floppies circling around. in astrology, saturn is meant to represent discipline, karma, and structure, often meant to teach us about what our obligations and responsibilities in life are.

i find this scene interesting, especially if you consider that floppy is meant to represent love. floppy insists they want to join the other floppies, and despite bingo’s hesitation, she lets them. i think what this means, especially when considering that floppy and their peers returned to bingo later on, is to show that it’s integral for bingo to give out love as much as the love she receives. she recognizes the importance of chilli giving bingo comfort and care. despite the fact that it’s difficult for bingo to let go of floppy, she recognizes that floppy wants this, and so bingo lets them go, because bingo wants to return the love she felt from floppy. through this, we also see that she values the love her family gives her, and she wants them to know she loves them back. that is why the moon represents floppy, because again, bingo’s inner desire is to share the love she experiences with her family.

and then, this scene. bingo zooms through space, moving directly towards the sun. and as we know, the sun represents chilli. upon seeing the sun, bingo gets a hold of her tears and tells the sun that she has to go [to bed] because she’s a big girl now. here we return to the initial problem at hand and bingo’s arc of getting there. obviously, the journey there was not perfect- she sleepwalked a lot that night, and cried when she lost floppy. but, that’s okay. the sun, chilli, recognizes her efforts in trying, and ensures bingo that she’ll be here with her through the entire journey of making her way there. and even if chilli didn’t explicitly tell bingo that she loved her, the sun tells bingo she loves her because bingo knows her mom loves her. she even wags her tail to it! in real life, chilli snuggles up to her like the mother hen and the chick from the story, and we see later that bingo was able to fall asleep, aka solve her problem, because her mom supported her wholeheartedly.

and i think that’s another beautiful thing about sleepytime. the fact that this happens in bingo’s head showcases that this is how she thinks of herself and her family. bluey, as mercury, is outgoing, adventurous, and curious, because bingo knows this and loves her for it. bandit, as jupiter, is a playful guardian angel, showing his love through fun and being himself, because bingo knows this and loves him for it. chilli is filled with warmth and unconditional love for her family, similar to how far the sun’s light can reach, because bingo knows this and loves her for it. bingo’s dream reveals her deep appreciation for her family, because she knows that they all love her.

and eventually, bingo returns to her earth, putting its pieces together. here we see floppy and their friends return to help bingo. to harken back to the saturn symbolism, not only does saturn depict responsibility but it also represents good karma, believing good things will occur if you commit to your responsibilities. and here, we know how much bingo loves other people like her family and floppy. because of her good deed towards floppy, the floppies return to help her because they love her too. it reflects how chilli returns floppy to bingo. this is the second time in the episode that bingo receives floppy from her mother. if we apply the same logic and consider floppy as a symbol of love, chilli returns floppy to bingo because she is giving back the love that bingo provides to her. chilli knows how much bingo loves her, the same way bingo knows how much her mom loves her. the love within the heeler family is cyclical, because every single one of them love each other so, so much.

and then we are brought back to reality as the music swells. we see the many instances of love wafting through the walls of their home. the bathroom where bandit stayed to support bluey, the glass of water chilli got for bluey, bluey and bandit snuggled up on the floor comfortably, chilli enjoying the warmth of the bed the entire family slept on at some point, bingo’s storybooks, and eventually, the sun making its way to bingo’s window. it’s all love. the entire household basks in the glow of unconditional love for each other.

all in all, sleepytime is such a beautiful episode showcasing how love within families should exist within everything they do, no matter how “mundane” it seemingly is. THAT’S what a family is supposed to be. i would also, obviously, like to compliment the stunning animation, background designs, comedy, and score, because it really heightens the impact of the entire episode. genuinely, if you want to introduce bluey to somebody who hasn’t watched it, THIS is the episode. anyway i ignored my homework for this, just go stream bluey!!!!!!

(ps if the planets are wrong, like if neptune was actually uranus and if mercury was actually mars, then uhhh just dont talk abt it LOL. tbh i googled them to just to make sure and it provides similar insights anyway!!!)

#bluey #bluey heeler #bingo heeler #bandit heeler #chilli heeler #sleepytime #analysis #yeah BYE

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