Tuca & Bertie Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Fledging Day
Tuca & Bertie Season 3 Episode 8, “Fledging Day,” examines the nuances of mother-daughter relationships with its signature wit and thoughtfulness. Additionally, it dives deeper into Tuca’s struggles with medical gaslighting and undiagnosed pain.
Mother-daughter relationships are some of the most complex we’ll ever experience. Regardless if you’re particularly close to your mom or if your bond suffers under the weight of tremendous strain, these connections with the ones who gave birth to us are anything but a breeze.
BERTIE: We’ll rip her to shreds like two lionesses devouring a gazelle. Our conversation will flow like blood.
“Fledging Day” poignantly highlights this, whether through Tuca’s grappling with the grief of losing her mother or Bertie wading through the waters of emotional suppression with her mom.
Tuca & Bertie executes this episodic narrative with visual flair and brilliant imagery. Inarguably, the show’s most visceral, thought-provoking outings tend to boast more immersive visuals for the audience to absorb. In “Fledging Day,” these images are emblematic of Bertie’s anxiety and fear regarding her relationship with her emotionally-stunted mother.
We see the effects of her mom’s hurtful words as Bertie almost reverts to a childlike state in one scene. The show also pulls back the veil on Tuca’s thought process about Fledging Day and Speckle’s journey post-job loss. Of course, the series kicks its usual cheeky humor and astute thematic exploration into high gear.
TUCA: I’m only interested in a pants sale if they’re half off. Get it? They’re shorts.
So much of this outing is visual. You might be rolling your eyes and thinking, “Well, duh, this is an animated show.” However, “Fledging Day” is more about the animation of these characters — the details are in the deep dives into Tuca, Bertie, and Speckle’s rich emotional and mental lives via evocative imagery.
As per usual, it’s not all thought-provoking thematic exploration. The Speckle and Tuca B-plot is such a fun, lighthearted story. Plus, the homage to the “trying on clothes” montage popularized in the 1980s is a delightful element of their episodic journey.
We seldom see Speckle and Tuca without Bertie, so it’s refreshing that Season 3 seems keen on delving into their friendship. “Fledging Day” deepens their bond, and Speckle expressing his genuine concern for Tuca’s welfare is a heartwarming moment.
SPECKLE: Aw, man! I use that for work and for looking at boring porn!
Overall, “Fledging Day” explores mother-daughter relationships with so much tenderness and love, beautifully illustrating the various colors and textures of these connections while validating any feelings toward our moms regardless of what we’ve endured. The episode develops friendships and evolves our characters, culminating in an intelligent, hilarious half-hour of comedy.
Stray Observations:
- Tuca & Bertie never fails on the clever wordplay front. If you zoom in on the poster in the background of that classroom where Speckle’s laptop lands, you’ll see it says “The Crucibill.” Who knew all we needed was a production of The Crucible performed exclusively by ducks?
- Tuca, Bertie, and Speckle should start a musical trio and style themselves as “Flock Together.” (You’ll only find bad dad jokes in these here parts.) Get it?
- Is the dying man’s ask more than a tad uncomfortable? Sure. That said, wouldn’t it be slightly flattering if one person’s last wish was to make love to you? Also sure. That doesn’t mean you have to fulfill it, though.
- We should all be so lucky to have Tuca as our Loaf Coach. Let’s make the most out of loaf!
- It’s 100 percent in our job description as children to disappoint our parents at some point in life. It’s inevitable, much like death and paying taxes.
What did you think of this episode of Tuca & Bertie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Tuca & Bertie airs Sundays at 12/11c on Adult Swim, with next-day streaming on HBO Max.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.