What happened to Mackenzie? Bluey fans are confused over Space episode

While fans are offering up their theories, we got the official word from the creators.

When they're not entertaining us all with their Aussie jokes and relatable moments, the pups from Bluey are making us think. But there's an episode in the third season of the ABC animation that has fans thinking so hard, they're becoming emotional and confused. 

It's all to do with Mackenzie and what happens to him when he keeps disappearing in the episode 'Space'. 

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Mackenzie keeps disappearing in the episode Space. Image: ABC

Space episode has fans confused

The episode centres around Mackenzie, Jack and Rusty playing as astronauts on a mission to Mars. But during their imaginative journey, Mackenzie keeps disappearing and sees himself in flashback scenes as a pup.

No one knows where he disappears to or why he keeps having these private moments, and it's confusing fans a lot on social media. 

"Can someone explain the space episode of Bluey to me," one person asked on Twitter. 

"Now I am going to spend half the evening trying to analyse," another wrote about the very cryptic plot of the season three episode. 

What is happening to Mackenzie in Space on Bluey? Image: ABC

Meanwhile, others who have labelled the episode as one of the most traumatic and highly emotional they've seen from the cartoon yet, have shared their own theories about what they think is happening to Mackenzie when he heads down the mysterious 'black hole' and into his past. 

"I wonder if the episode space was about remembering a childhood memory and wanting to just redo it," one person asked on Twitter. 

Another agreed: "I think he was remembering/reliving a bad memory where he thought he was lost."

Source: Twitter

Some common theories thrown around were that Mackenzie might have depression and struggles to be present and happy, others have suggested he was abandoned as a pup and revisiting that childhood trauma, while others offered up that he might be on the spectrum.

"I wondered if Mackenzie was meant to be on the spectrum... looked at my husband during the episode and he was like 'yeah I see it'. Reminded me of the early years with our kid," another suggested. "Could be open to lots of interpretations though..."

Others said whatever the reason for Mackenzie's moments, it definitely had them reaching for the tissues.

"This episode hit me in the feels," one person shared. 

"Bro wtf, 'Space' almost had me crying with that young Mackenzie flashback. Holy damn," added another. 

And another shared: "Didn’t cry but it DEFINITELY sent chills."

Source: Twitter

What is actually happening to Mackenzie? 

Determined to get fans the answers they need, Kidspot contacted Ludo directly to see what the go is with Mackenzie in the sad episode, and unfortunately for us all, there's no firm answer - it is all open to interpretation. 

"Each episode of Bluey is written in a way that allows the audience to make up their own mind about the details or the meaning of the storylines, allowing for many different interpretations," a Ludo Studio spokesperson revealed to Kidspot. 

With so many episodes open to fan theories, keeping things open is something that works for the much-loved TV show. Even star Melanie Zanetti, who voices Bluey's mum Chilli, is a fan of the trend. 

"I do love that people are so invested in the show and have seen it so many times that they are looking at finding meaning in it," she told Kidspot back in 2021.

"I think if people personally have a moment where they’re like ‘oh I see this and I can relate to this, I think that’s great. Joe [creator] is a creative genius and there are always lots of layers within his work."

This article was first published in June 2022 and updated in July 2023. 

Originally published as What happened to Mackenzie? Bluey fans are confused over Space episode