This week on The Deep Dive: Bluey’s emotional intelligence and continuity weren’t what we expected from a children’s show but they’re what we deserve, Tangled’s soulless, corporate, and rushed younger sister in a drab parallel universe, art can change the world but it depends on who that art is made for, Hollywood’s upcoming era of post-superhero growing pains, and what’s behind the United States and Ireland’s special relationship?

Let’s help Fadi AbuTaqiya’s and his family evacuate Gaza. The offer still stands – if you donate at least $10, reply to this email with your receipt and a video essay category of your choice, and I’ll send you a personalized recommendation from The Deep Dive’s archive!

TV

Bluey Just Did Something Incredible… by FootofaFerret (19:45)

I know I’m a little late to this, but we need to talk about that Bluey season finale episode. And while we’re at it, we need to talk about Bluey as a show in general. In this video, FootofaFerret breaks down the children’s show and its buzzed-about finale, which, at a whopping 31 minutes, might as well have been called Bluey: The Movie. Unless you’re a child or the parent of one, you might not even be aware of just how unafraid this show is of tackling emotionally complex and heavy topics, all while being accessible to children, speaking directly to parents, and maintaining an impressive level of continuity. No other children’s show in history (no, not even your childhood favorite) has come close to developing such well-rounded, multi-layered storylines. And if you thought “The Sign” was the end of it, you’re wrong. Bluey’s just getting started.

MEDIA

why Wish’s soulless animation is worse than you thought by art at midnight (26:37)

What do Disney’s newest computer animation movie, Wish, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, and Marvel’s recent releases (more on that later) have in common? They rest on the laurels of the creativity that came before them, insisting upon themselves and relying on easter eggs instead of standing on their own. In this video, art at midnight brilliantly analyzes the magic of Tangled, and why Disney’s recent attempt at apparently making the exact same movie again fell so flat. Despite their similarities, nearly everything about Tangled is better than Wish – the coloring, the lighting, the animation, the storyline, and the callback to iconic Disney properties. It’s almost as if Disney should have just made an entirely new original story. Or have we reached a point where studios are incapable of releasing anything that isn’t a remake? More on that later, too.

A Sneak Peek at The Rabbit Hole:

April 18, 2024: Vanderpump Rules is a 2010s time capsule

Binge-watching Vanderpump Rules has been one hell of a trip back in time. From the fashion to the food trends to the vernacular to the pop culture references to the general millennial-core undercurrent, it’s hard to overstate this show’s ability to capture a zeitgeist, suspending moments in time for anyone who dares to relive the 2010s by rewatching it from the beginning.

Somewhere in between season 3’s statement necklaces and season 7’s bold brows, the cast took a trip to Hawaii. This vacation was a notable one for a number of reasons, not the least of which being Jax’s arrest for apparently waltzing right into a sunglasses store, grabbing a pair off the shelf, and walking right out before giving them to his girlfriend, Brittany.

In all the chaos, it’s easy to forget an argument that went down between Katie and Lala. While swimming near a waterfall, Lala decided to take off her bathing suit and swim topless in front of the rest of the crew, including Katie’s fiance and demon in sheep’s clothing, Tom Schwartz. Katie was not pleased and proceeded to hurl insults at Lala that, today, would be considered slut-shaming, though we (or at least the cast of Vanderpump Rules) didn’t have the vocabulary for that just yet.