So this post is going to cover two things about two important issues that are not widely discussed enough. Miscarriage and Infertility. How does a show aimed at kids deal with these topics?
I'll tell you today and the reasons why they were brought up.
Brandy & Infertility
In the episode of Bluey titled "Onsies" Auntie Brandy, (Bluey's Auntie) visits for the first time in years. Chili's sister Brandy wants kids but unfortunately is unable to, that's why she stayed away from the family and her sister for years. It's difficult and traumatic and anxiety inducing for her to deal and think of kids, her inner turmoil and fall into depression kept Brandy away for so long, and she gives herself a prep talk just to see her family. Brandy and Chilli have a close bond despite her not visiting for 4 years. Brandy has Bluey and Bingo Onesies, and they don't fit either kid very well and Bluey asks her mum Chili to make it fit and Chili answers with a quick "it's not meant to be kiddo" which foreshadowed a lesson later in the episode. There's a few times Brandy tries to have a heart-to-heart with her sister, but the kids interrupt it because Bingo becomes more animalistic when she wears a onesie, which is pretty funny. It's possible the sisters bonded more so over the fact Chili had a miscarriage before Bluey was born also, but I'll touch on that in a bit. So the aforementioned foreshadow moment goes with Chili talking to Bluey saying "you know how you want bingos cheetah onesie, but it doesn't fit you, so you can't have it. There's something Auntie Brandy wants more than anything, but she can't have it and no one can do anything about it. She can't have the thing she wants because it's not meant to be." Brandy and Chili have a heart-to-heart and Chili makes sure she's not alone and cares about her and her well-being and isn't mad about not seeing her in 4 years and Brandy confirms it won't be so long til she sees them again and the two dance like they did as kids to make chilli's kids laugh and smile again.
Chilli & Miscarriage
In the episode "The Show" it takes place on Mother’s Day. Bingo, Bluey and Bandit bring Chilli breakfast in bed, but Bingo trips and spills the tray. Bingo runs from the room crying, and Chilli encourages her to have a little cry, pick herself up, dust herself off and carry on. “The show must go on,” Chilli says. Then Bluey has the idea to put on a play about how Bandit and Chilli met. The key moment in the episode happens when Bingo, playing Chilli, has a balloon under her shirt to represent Chilli’s pregnancy with Bluey. The girls get carried away horsing around, and the balloon pops.
Many parents instantly became obsessed with this moment, because the view turns from showing the balloon popping, to Bandit grabbing Chilli’s hand as her smile fades. We have confirmation from “Bluey” creator and writer Joe Brumm himself, thanks to the new book “Hard to Bear: Investigating the Science and Silence of Miscarriage,” by Isabelle Oderberg. There’s so little representation of miscarriage in pop culture, nonetheless in children’s programming. My realization upon knowing this was shock but also a feeling of pride because this topic which affects me, being a father of miscarriage'd babies, hit me. This topic isn't widely discussed, and the care for those affected isn't much at all. So it's nice to see and hear this issue being raised and talked about since it's deemed to be such a common issue.
There is something truly special about “Bluey.” It’s a show that manages to transcend generations while actually having a heart and this is why and these episodes I mentioned are why I started watching this show and taking notice of it in the first place. I started recently to watch the show from it's beginning as it's soft and calming and sort of reassuring for me at the moment as my girlfriend is away for work, and it reminds me of her and her soft loving caring nature and Bandit is the dad I aspire to become. Thanks for reading and for visiting my blog, stay shiny and follow for more!
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