Camping is the forty-third episode of the first season of Bluey.
Synopsis
While on a camping holiday, Bluey makes a new friend called Jean-Luc. Bluey may not understand him, but they find common language playing and hunting for a wild Daddy pig.
While on a camping holiday in the bush, Bluey makes a new friend, a French speaking boy named Jean-Luc.
They may not understand the same language, but that doesn't stop them spending their days laughing, playing, planting seeds and hunting for a wild Daddy pig.[1]
But one morning, Bluey is heartbroken to discover that Jean-Luc and his family have packed up and gone home.
That night Mum tells Bluey that special people come in and out of our lives and she must always cherish the good times.
Many years later, a teenage Bluey sits beneath the tree grown from their seeds and sees Jean-Luc once more.
Episode Recap
The Heelers are out on a camping trip with their cousin Stripe. Bluey and Bingo try to run a café, but Muffin, the butler, goes rogue, takes the frying pan, and kicks them out of her caravan. Bluey and Bingo's new plan is to live in the forest, but Bingo, who likes stinking, is taken away by Chilli to take a bath (she hasn't showered in three days!)
Bluey heads on over to a nearby stream to pick up sticks for her house as she is greeted by a French-speaking boy. Naturally, the girl doesn't understand French, so she doesn't understand Jean-Luc. The Labrador boy gives her one of the sticks, signifying he wants to play. The two start to build their house as Bluey gets hungry... what could she have?
The Labrador plants a seed with his newfound friend. However, Bluey needs to eat this instant! Enter a wild pig wanting to fill its bucket, but it runs away once provoked by the duo. Mission failed, but incidentally, it's time for dinner. Before heading off, the boy introduces himself as Jean-Luc, and Bluey introduces herself to her new friend.
The next day, Bluey and Jean-Luc finish the house, but are still looking out for food for the winter. Enter the wild pig once more - the duo plans to ambush it. However, the pig proves smart, splashing water at them as it runs away once more. Dinnertime once more - oh well, maybe next time.
Next day - still no fruit tree yet. Jean-Luc tells Bluey that they must catch the pig today - it's their last chance (naturally the Heeler girl doesn't pick up). So the duo return to the drawing board once more - Bluey, mixing water with a rock, caveman-draws the plan into motion. An ambush is in order. The wild pig appears once more with the bucket. Clearly exhausted, but at this point, what's more to lose? Suddenly, a wild Bluey attacks! The pig runs asunder - here comes Jean-Luc! And finally, the pig is downed. Great success!
However, with great success comes a great realisation.
After catching the pig, the duo are idyllic in their elation. Finally happy, brought further together. One more final call of the day - Bluey exchanges a hug with Jean-Luc, but he sadly tells her that "Non, pas demain matin" with a sad look on his face.
"Au revoir, Bluey."
The next day, the seed has finally sprouted. Bluey is elated once more, calling out for Jea- wait. Jean-Luc's tent isn't there anymore. Chilli tells Bluey that she saw Jean-Luc's family packing up and leaving. Naturally, Bluey is heartbroken - she never had the chance to say goodbye to her new friend. Walking over to the tree, she cries a quiet sob...
Later that night, Bingo needs to do a li'l bush wee - Bluey opts to come as Chilli's bringing Bingo outside. Bluey wonders if she'll ever see Jean-Luc again, and Chilli tells her that special people will come into our lives, stay for a bit, and have to go. Indeed, that's sad, but the world is a magical place! And Bluey can, and will, always cherish the memories she made with her new friend.
We're taken on a trip through the times, the tree eventually growing to show its full size. Bluey, now grown-up, pops by and reads a book (well Muffin's book, but hey, remember the frying pan over ten years ago?)
"Hello, Bluey."
Jean-Luc has finally returned.
Appearances
- Bluey
- Jean-Luc (debut)
- Muffin
- Bingo
- Chilli
- Bandit
- Trixie
- Stripe
- Socks
- Jean-Luc's Dad (debut)
- Jean-Luc's Mum (debut)
Trivia
- This episode is the first to have a time skip sequence. It ends with future Bluey reuniting with future Jean-Luc, while future Muffin is heard offscreen.
- Jean-Luc may be a reference to Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- The entire episode may be a parody of the episode "Darmok" in which Jean-Luc Picard must overcome a language barrier with an accomplice to survive an attacking beast.
- According to Costa Kassab, the tree Bluey and Jean-Luc grew is a pink trumpet tree, which blooms seasonally. The tree is in bloom in every frame, thus each frame represents the same time of year. The time lapse of the tree growing has twelve frames, one of which is the present, and one of which is only a change in time of day. Thus, the time lapse represents at least 10 years.
- There are hints that Bluey likes Jean-Luc, from going to the streams to meet up with him throughout the episode, playing games with him, missing him and smiling when he returns in the future versions of said characters.
- Given that Bluey and (likely) Jean-Luc are both 6-years-old by the start of the episode, this could mean they're at least 16-years-old in the episode's time skip.
- Despite a drawing of Jean-Luc holding a stick in the title, he never actually drew himself holding a stick.
- On Day 3 of the episode, they drew the wild pig (Bandit) without his paw touching two pebbles. However, on day 4, the drawing of his paw touches two pebbles.
- The bunny light is the first object that does not move at all in the ending credits.
- Bandit doesn't talk and only makes pig noises throughout the episode. However, he does speak in the campfire scene, albeit itinaudibly.
- In the episode's French dub, Jean-Luc is named Johnny and his dialogue is in English in order to keep the episode's theme of bonding despite language barriers. Tough his voice actor is clearly a native French speaker.
- This is the first (and so far only) appearance of Jean-Luc and his parents.
- This episode has a similar lesson to the Pikwik Pack episode, "Tibor's Butterfly Buddy."
- When this episode aired on Disney Channel in the US, it was paired with The Sleepover and Hide and Seek.
- On this episode's page on the official website, the character section has Bluey dancing.
Errors
- When the campfire scene is shown, Stripe has two spots on his face, when he's supposed to have one.
