Bandit, Bingo, and Bluey stand together in their playroom. Bluey wears a futuristic cyborg outfit and Bingo holds a tennis ball in a drink sleeve.

Here’s My Best Attempt at a ‘Bluey: Surprise’ Ending Explainer

Surprise! The internet rumors were right: “The Sign” wasn’t the finale episode of Bluey season 3. One week after “The Sign” dropped, we got a bonus episode, fittingly called “Surprise.”

Recommended Videos

But that ending is legitimately a little confusing—and yes, I’m aware that I’m talking about a show for preschoolers here. So what exactly happens at the end of “Surprise”? Here’s my best guess.

Warning: spoilers for the Bluey episode “Surprise” ahead!

Here’s a quick recap. Bluey asks Chilli what it’s like to have kids, just before she and Bingo both ask Bandit to play with them. Bluey and Bingo want to play two different things, though. Bluey wants to play “Surprise!” with a cyborg tennis ball gun toy she’s borrowed from a friend, while Bingo wants to play children. Bandit tries to do both at once, frantically putting Bingo’s babies to sleep while Bluey pelts him with tennis balls. Turns out that’s what having kids is like!

At the end, we flash forward to the future (as evidenced by drones, robot vacuums, and other electronic gadgets chugging around everywhere). A grown-up Bluey has come to visit her aging parents, and as Chilli (now wearing glasses, to show that time has passed) takes her to join Bingo in the backyard, there’s another knock at the door. Bandit opens it to discover a kid with an even more advanced tennis ball gun.

How sweet! We get to see Bluey all grown up. But whose kid is that!?

It’s not clear whether it’s Bluey or Bingo’s kid. No one asks about a kid when Bluey shows up, so it’s possible it’s Bingo’s, and they slipped around from the backyard to the front to ring the doorbell. But maybe it’s not unusual for Bluey to show up sans kid, and she agreed not to tell her parents that her tyke had come along, so that the kid could surprise them.

There’s also the matter of the father. There are already theories emerging that Bluey had a kid with her old friend Jean-Luc or McKenzie, but there’s really no evidence to support any one candidate. We have no clue who the dad is.

Finally, you may be wondering why Bingo is in the backyard. Does she still live at home? Is she visiting, too? Again, unclear.

The episode also plays with themes of disability (the race Bandit’s watching on TV, Bingo’s baby Fernuken) and the challenges of childrearing, but all of that stuff seems to fall away at the end. It’s just a fun little flash forward.

But don’t worry! That last scene doesn’t mean Bluey is ending. Both Ludo Studio and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have clarified that there are no plans to end Bluey, so hopefully there will be plenty more of our favorite little blue heeler to come.

(featured image: Disney+)


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article I Have Questions About the Big Bird Dress in ‘Hacks’
Deborah Vance shows off a yellow ball gown with black ruffles on it.
Read Article The 10 Most Fabulous Frocks of ‘Bridgerton’
The Bridgerton family in Bridgerton season 2, including Anthony Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton, Daphne Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Hyacinth Briderton, and Gregory Bridgerton, all leaning in to listen at a door.
Read Article If You Hoped ‘Party Down’ Would Lead To More Revivals of Adam Scott Sitcoms, He’s Got Some Sad (but Reasonable) Words for You
Adam Scott Ben Wyatt Parks and Recreation
Read Article The Sad Theory Behind Martha’s ‘Sent From My iPhone’ Messages in ‘Baby Reindeer’
Jessica Gunning as Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer
Read Article 10 Best K-Dramas Like ‘Queen of Tears’
L-R: Queen of Tears, My Demon
Related Content
Read Article I Have Questions About the Big Bird Dress in ‘Hacks’
Deborah Vance shows off a yellow ball gown with black ruffles on it.
Read Article The 10 Most Fabulous Frocks of ‘Bridgerton’
The Bridgerton family in Bridgerton season 2, including Anthony Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton, Daphne Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Hyacinth Briderton, and Gregory Bridgerton, all leaning in to listen at a door.
Read Article If You Hoped ‘Party Down’ Would Lead To More Revivals of Adam Scott Sitcoms, He’s Got Some Sad (but Reasonable) Words for You
Adam Scott Ben Wyatt Parks and Recreation
Read Article The Sad Theory Behind Martha’s ‘Sent From My iPhone’ Messages in ‘Baby Reindeer’
Jessica Gunning as Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer
Read Article 10 Best K-Dramas Like ‘Queen of Tears’
L-R: Queen of Tears, My Demon
Author
Julia Glassman
Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she's the author of the popular zine 'Five Principles of Green Witchcraft' (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at <a href="https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/">https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.</a>