Adults Are Obsessing Over This Bluey Episode Because, Well, It's Perfect

‘Round these parts, we’ve been going on about the beauty of Bluey for a while now. The Australian series is a favorite of kids and parents alike, who seem to see their own stories, struggles, and peccadillos reflected back at them in a way that’s both charming and insightful. But it seems that some-child free folks are getting in on the series as well, specifically through the Season 2 episode “Sleepytime.”

Twitter user @JustinDubinMD recently noticed in a now somewhat viral tweet that “Sleepytime” was “secretly climbing the IMDb ranks as one of the best eps of tv ever.” The episode does, indeed, rank #21 on an IMDb list of best TV episodes, which is mostly composed of Very Serious Dramas. “Ozymandias,” for example, the third to last episode of Breaking Bad is #1. “Rains of Castamere,” the Game of Thrones episode that shocked viewers by killing several main characters in minutes, appears at #9. While @JustinDubinMD notes that they haven’t watched Bluey before, lots of their colleagues with children did, and so they decided to check it out.

“Good god, it’s perfect,” @JustinDubinMD tweeted. “Rarely do you see such a simple idea considered in such a complex and relatable way. In just 8 minutes it tackles parenthood, growing up, independence, and family dynamics- all with very little dialogue. I was blown away.”

Welcome to Bluey, Dr. Dubin.

For those of you who haven’t seen “Sleepytime” yet, honestly, the best thing to do is just stream it and enjoy it for yourself. (And, seriously, it’s 8 minutes: you have the time.) But if you simply must know first, the episode is at once simple and high concept. Four-year-old Bingo is determined to spend the night in her own bed because she wants to be a big girl. Her mum, Chilli, encourages her to do her best, but reminds her that she’s always there if she needs her. In short order, Bingo falls into a dream, and elements of her bedtime routine — from the stories she read to her stuffed bunny Floppy — are all there.

The episode goes back and forth between Bingo’s celestial dream and her sleep-walking in real life. Elements of what she encounters in the real world make their way into her dream. (Kicking her dad in her sleep, for example, is imagined in her dream as running along the jiggly surface of Jupiter.)

When Dream Bingo finds herself cold, alone, and crying (in real life she’s been left without a blanket), her Real Life Mom hears her whimpering and walks over to her bed for a snuggle. In the dream, this launches Bingo to a planet immediately in front of the warm, comforting glow of the sun, who speaks in her mother’s voice. “Remember, I’ll always be here for you,” the sun says in her mother’s voice. “Even if you can’t see me. Because I love you.” All of this is played against a brilliantly composed variation on Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter,” which swells with emotion.

To recap: in eight short minutes, we get both a fun, cleverly constructed slice of life and a heartwarming, emotional metaphor about growing up, gaining independence, and a mother’s love.

Perhaps it goes without saying that @JustinDubinMD’s replies were positively awash with agreement (“It is an absolutely incredible episode.”) and further recommendations, including “Cricket,” “Baby Race,” “Onesies,” and “Rain.”

Over on Reddit, plenty of non-child Bluey fans have sung the praises of this beloved episode as well.

“The soundtrack is what got me,” writes u/cin_vhetin in response to the question “Is Sleepytime worth the hype?” “Caught off guard while doing housework, then realized what it was and sat down to watch. Really, the feeling is hard to describe, but as a parent and a former child, everything in this episode is so relatable. You’ll probably understand better why it’s so loved after you watch it!”

“I loved it so much I’ve been learning to play it on piano. You’ve really got to love a song to listen to it a million times while practicing,” writes u/Wubbalubbadubbitydo.

“Sleepytime for me scratches a very particular itch of mine which is ‘Finding the epic in the mundane,’” agrees u/totoropoko.

Personally, my favorite is “Flat Pack,” but there’s plenty of time for all the episodes before Season 4’s special 28-minute episode comes out later this year...