Today, for some really really odd reason, I'm going to do a two-part review of the Christmas episodes of Blue's Clues. Y'know, the hit Nick Jr. show that set the bar for interactive preschool television shows today. The one with the unnatural blue-furred puppy and her youthful owner and host Steve. It was a part of my childhood and perhaps your's too! I love this show even today and the Christmas episodes are some of the show's best works, so let's "Blue Skidoo" into our review.
Season 3, Episode 10 - Blue's Big Holiday
Even with its formulaic nature, Blue's Clues is a show that can stay consistently solid. A fun thing about the show is that it can really go anywhere. Through skidooing, their odd technique of transporting (using green screen effects), they've gone in submarines, on chalkboards, and in the most remote of places. This portion here is what the show feeds on: variety. That said, skidooing can go to far off lands and, at the same time, nowhere at all. Much of it ends up feeling too disingenuous. I won't say skidooing isn't a good idea and it's not worth having on the show, but, while the show's solidity is intact, it reinforces how fast the show can get stale.
This plus it's never-changing main locale of Steve's home is the main cause of its recurring tedious episodes. Blue's Clues is a show that grows tiresome with time. Thus, episodes like "Blue's Big Holiday" are saving grace and feeds the show what it so craves: variety.
This holiday episode takes us into Blue's home during the cold holiday season, complete with wintery opening sequence. Steve, like always, beckons us in to take part on their holiday tradition, which is to expand their holiday quilt. Filled with patches marking their favorite memories, the holiday quilt is what they do to celebrate during the cherished time of the year. (Side note: I should mention here, I think this is what they do instead of Christmas/Hanukkah/etc. It's weird considering they don't commonly know any of the holidays they learn about later in the episode.)
Anyhow, the episode, of course, features a game of Blue's Clues. This time, Steve uses the game to find out what Blue wants to do for her patch on the quilt, blazing the trail for the different-than-usual episode's escapades.
The first clue ironically places Blue's blue paw print on a holiday card with four tiny paw prints. Likewise, the first detour takes Steve and Blue skidooing into their snow globe depicting the world of Toyland, a magical land that bums you out a little more than you'd think. The irony here is due to three sad toys lamenting their differences to the toys next to them; namely, a doll with an orange dress, blocks that keep falling down, and a pocket. Luckily, their sadness inspires Steve to uplift them, in addition to grant their wish to be presents.After skidooing back out, Steve and Blue take these now-happy gifts and give them to their fitting owners Green Puppy, Orange Kitten, and Purple Kangaroo. This is where the magic happens. Steve finally takes steps outside the house and into the neighborhood. The cardboard cut-out town he travels is still similar to Steve's home, but somehow just works. It grounds the show finally in some weird kind-of reality. We see the different pets' owners, and they're live action! They're talking interacting and even sharing about the holidays their celebrating to a curious Steve.
It's also really nice for them to mention the variety of holidays too. While they keep it a lot more general than even Elmo's World, it's nice to see them mentioning the "special birth" and the "miracle of light". It's great to see that on the show.
While their here they give them their gifts, but the owners kindly give Steve a patch for the quilt representing their holiday. It's real genuine moments like these that truly make the show. Of course, its all abruptly interrupted by Mail Time.
All this variety even transitions back home where they are literally missing Mail Time. Steve and Blue are literally running to the house, singing the song from the window, and running around, only to get inside by the last line. It's a hilarious little spot and we even see commitment to the bit on Steve's part. He's sitting in the Thinking Chair out of breath and taking a moment before he grabs the letter. It's legitimately funny even for me, the fifteen-year-old watching Blue's Clues.
Mailbox, while he's here, also receives his present (a flag warmer), while Steve opens the letter from Magenta. The letter here is either really good or really bad. It doesn't suffer from the normal child actor problems we see a lot of time here, but Magenta's unintelligibility gives us nothing to play off of. Though, it occurs to me this might just be a little moment to breathe. I should mention the second clue was a blanket, back in the snow globe, and the third was Mailbox's gift to Steve, a rattle. The patch ends up being Blue as a baby.
Wrapping up this great episode is the adding of the patches and a nice little cozy, warm moment where everyone surrounds the fire and it just feels like family. And we say goodbye but that cohesive feeling of warmth stays with me up until the end of the credits.
This is a really lovely episode and the real gift behind this was giving the repetition a break and giving a little breathing room and the answer to its quality (you know it): variety. I give the episode a 4.5/5.
Click here for Part Two, where I review "Blue's First Holiday".
