This raunchy, ridiculous Netflix original follows the story of young preteens as they are ravaged by a physical manifestation of puberty, also known as the hormone monster. There seems to be two main streams of thought regarding this particular show, and they can be broken down by those who haven’t seen Big Mouth and those who have.
- Those who haven’t seen it label it as child porn and brand Netflix as a struggling media giant that’s quickly running out of ideas.
- Those who have seen it are demanding a second season.
You can watch the trailer and decide for yourself below. Regardless of the opinions, we have to acknowledge that it currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – something that is no easy feat. Due to all this virtual chatter, I found myself sucked into the hype that this underdog has been generating and I recently watched it to completion twice in a four-day weekend.
***WARNING: Spoilers Below***
Con’s
LGBTQ+ Characters
There are so many good things within this show, but there are also bound to be some… not so great stuff. Within an early episode, Andrew struggles to identify his sexuality and he goes around asking some trusted confidants how he can determine his queerness. After an amazing song by the Ghost of Freddie Mercury, Andrew determines that he is, in fact, gay. Andrew goes through the motions of common queer struggles (worrying about falling in love with his best friend, being outed, etc.). When Andrew’s friends learn he might be gay, they’re openly supportive. At the end of the episode, Andrew blurts out that he never even kissed a guy and can’t be sure of his homosexuality – to which Nick responds by kissing him to see if he really is gay. Spoiler Alert: he isn’t. (However, I have to give this show credit for showing two guys kissing and not making jokes about their masculinity.)
Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot of good things about this episode. I was ecstatic to see that an entire episode would be devoted to Andrews possible queerness and the struggles of identifying yourself. However, these struggles seem empty by the end of the episode when it’s revealed that Andrew wasn’t queer after all.
After reflecting on the episode it feels like the viewer lost something that could have been amazing. We almost got the chance to watch a queer character as the center of an animated show.
While Big Mouth has a surplus of POC representation, there is only a single recurring queer character – Matthew. Matthew falls into every single negative stereotype about white, gay males. He is sassy, funny, snarky, well-dressed, and always ready to say something mean and degrading. He has no character arc or development like the other characters and is only really there to be the token gay voice in the room. His entire existence has a very written-by-straight-people feel to it.
If you’re looking for lesbian representation or POC queers – you won’t find it here. Hell, Matthew doesn’t even have a boyfriend or show affection to another guy.
Another problem with this episode is the labeling Freddie Mercury as gay when he was in really bisexual. This entire show contributes to bisexual erasure and never even mentions sexualities other than being gay – which is a fatal flaw in the “Am I Gay?” episode. Straight people tend to view sexuality as a switch – either you’re gay or straight. In reality, sexuality is a spectrum and there are tons of overlap within the categories (you can be bisexual, pansexual, aromantic, demisexual, and so many more.). The “Am I Gay?” episode had so many chances to talk about this and the complex nature of sexuality, but instead, it opts for a musical number.
If there were any queer people in the writer’s room these flaws could have been avoided and, maybe, queer viewers would have had something of substance.
Necrophilia
I know that this show is all about gross stuff, but I had to include this. The show makes it clear from early on that it’s going to blur the line of what’s considered acceptable to show on television and what isn’t(Ex. The basketball-playing dicks at the beginning of the show.).
However the show still setups internal rules about what’s ok and what isn’t. The rules boil down to this: everything to do with sexuality and puberty is fair game, but violence and nonconsensual acts are not.
These rules play out time and time again. We sympathize with Jessi when she gets her period and when Andrew questions his sexuality BUT we hate Daniel the Head-Pusher and the mugger who steals from Nick and Andrew.
These rules are broken when, in a fit of desperation, the hormone monster cuts off a characters head and proceeds to have sex with it slightly off screen. Some might argue that this was all apart of a joke since the character he attacked was set up in an attempt to bore the Hormone Monster into submission with his “sexlessness”.
Even so, the behavior broke the internal rules of the show because the violent act was only meant to shock and disgust the audience. There was no plot-value or importance. There was no reason it should be there. Not to mention, the rape scene is sprung upon the audience without warning.
The sense of community that was built in the Head Pusher episode is destroyed because one of the main characters turned into a violent rapist who didn’t face any consequences.
This leads to my main question of why this scene was even included in the first place because it has no actual value. Was this scene meant to backtrack on the shows more progressive message? Was it there to isolate and traumatize victims of sexual assault that saw themselves in the scene?
Whatever the reason, this scene had such an impact on me that I feel like it begins to overshadow the other positives that the show worked so hard to create. Without this episode, I can easily say that I loved the show. But when considering the show as a whole, it’s messages and values seem empty because the characters are continuously going back on whatever progress they make.
Pro’s
Puberty in General
I could argue that “Puberty in General” is basically what this show is all about. Big Mouth follows the story of Andrew Glouberman as he is regularly visited by his “friend” the Hormone Monster – a beast that visits all puberty-stricken youths. The Hormone Monster is the cause of all the stupid, hilarious things that happen to us when our bodies are changing.
In the case of our protagonist Andrew, he is hit with puberty particularly hard. Slightly chubby and infinitely awkward – the audience watches as a representation of their Middle School-selves navigates through crushes, masturbation, group projects, and poorly-timed erections. Overall, Big Mouth accomplishes it’s goal and depicts life as an adolescent in a brutally honest manner.
Female Sexuality
Our male protagonist isn’t the only subject of this original series. Andrew is friends with a slew of characters including his best friend Nick and Jessi, one of the main female characters of the series. Just as the boys have visits from the Hormone Monster, Jessi is visited by the Hormone Monstress – which is basically the female equivalent.
Jessi herself said it best at the beginning of the season – male puberty is portrayed as the miracle of ejaculation while female puberty is depicted as a mess of achy tubes. But this show twists this concept in an amazing way and portrays a realistic leap into the chasm that is female puberty. It’s safe to say that this show is more educational than those high school sex-ed classes.
Need an example? After Jessi learns how scary and intimidating being a woman can be, she’s introduced to her vagina. I’m serious. She meets her genitals and has a surprisingly pleasant conversation. The talking vagina even explains the different parts of her genitals and clears up common misconceptions (like which part is actually the vagina).
After their little talk, Jessi says “wow I can’t believe I thought you were scary” to which her genitals respond “Boo!”
Jewish Representation
“They should rename it Jewflix,” one commenter stated in the comment section of the Big Mouth trailer, as other Xenophobic trolls crawled out of the woodwork. All of them conveniently and simultaneously forgot that the Jewish faith is one of the most persecuted religions in the world.
Disregarding the haters, this show features several Jewish main characters and even takes us into Jessi’s Bat Mitzvah for the show’s climax. This show provides some much-needed Jewish representation and makes fun of the absurdity of some common stereotypes surrounding the religion.
Jessi & Jay
Okay, I’ll admit it – I was a little annoyed when Jessi and Jay run away together at the end of the season. I’m sure the lover’s flight won’t last long, and it’ll be quickly resolved in the next season, but I was still annoyed. How could Jessi choose to be with such a D-bag?
But upon my second watch-through, I started to see it. Even though Jay is a magic-obsessed fuckboy, he is there for her when her family is falling apart. While Nick and Andrew betrayed her, by not immediately telling her that her mother was having an affair, she doesn’t have to worry about Jay lying to her. Jay is faithful, listens to her worries, and is in a unique position to sympathize with her shitty family situation (even though he does fuck his bathmat).
While she initially only uses him as a boy-toy, they both eventually develop feelings for one another through their similarly terrible situations. This, of course, leads our middle school protagonists to run away in a fit of passion – giving hope to magic-obsessed jerks everywhere.
The Period Stuff
This is the first animated shows that I have ever seen that accurately tackled the issue of periods and the role they play in female puberty. While visiting the Statue of Liberty, Jessi gets her first period while wearing white shorts and has to rely on the ever-oblivious Andrew for help. Surprisingly, he actually comes through.
Unfortunately, though, the rest of the class soon realizes what is really happening. One would think that this would unleash a tidal wave of insults and name-calling. Instead, the other girls show her sympathy, Missy even remarked in terror that this is the nightmare of all young ladies (which is dead on).
The majority of the reactions from male characters are also sympathetic and no one makes Jessi feel like less of a person because it’s her time of the month. There are no snide remarks at her expense or attempts to invalidate her feelings. In a private conversation, Nick and Andrew have an open discussion about periods which is surprisingly charming for middle school boys (in my experience, middle schoolers usually just scream “YOUR INSIDES ARE FALLING OUT” in response to periods).
The only negative response comes when Jessi is frustrated that everyone knows she got her first period. Jay, unaware of the situation, sees her anger and begins to ask her if she’s on her period – just to be throat-punched by Jessi and left gagging on the ground.
(Sidenote to Uterus-owners: this is the correct response when someone sarcastically asks if you’re on your period).
The true charm of this episode is that no one makes Jessi feel lesser because she’s on her period. Her feelings are validated and acknowledged by her friends. Even Coach Steve, the bumbling idiot, reaches out and tries to help her.
The Friendzone
There was one moment that really scared me in the second half of the season. It was when Coach Steve started talking to another teacher and immediately fell for her. Their little friendship develops as she tries to teach him to read and tells him the correct way to pronounce “Keurig”.
But things take a turn for the awkward when Coach Steve gets down on one knee and proposes to her during the school dance. The teacher clarifies that she values him as a friend and I immediately started preparing for the fallout.
To my amazement, Coach Steve is elated that the teacher would consider him to be a friend. He even remarks that the Friendzone is the best zone to be in. Even Coach Steve, a ridiculous, moronic character, doesn’t sink into a misogynistic rant. This is meant to show that even this idiot won’t yell or berate a woman for not being romantically interested in him.
This interaction poses an interesting conclusion: those who berate women for not being romantically interested in them are so much worse than this illiterate, friendless, weirdo.
Interracial Couples
Who would have thought that so many interracial couples would get so much screen time on an animated show? The connection between Andrew and Missy is obvious within the first episodes, but the creators refused to let them be the token couple. Instead, Jay and Jessi also develop romantic feelings for one another AND we get a glimpse of Missy’s overprotective parents.
Couple Goals
Has anyone else noticed how awesome Nicks parents are? Yes – they sometimes cross a boundary into the world of over-affectionate parenting, but their relationship is something to be admired.
Based on the age of their eldest son, they’ve been together for at least twenty years, and still manage to keep their sexual and romantic connection alive and thriving. They’re directly contrasted with Andrews parents, who have lost such a connection. Instead, Andrews father is having an “affair” with scallops while his mother fantasizes about a fictional horse.
However Nicks parents have an amazing influence an, due to them, Andrews father begins to put effort back into the relationship.
The Head Pusher
I saved my favorite for last. This episode shows Nick and his high school- aged siblings throwing a party while his parents are out of town. The Hormone Monster And Monstress are aflame with colliding hormones and sexual tension. At the party, Andrew and Missy hide in Nick’s sisters closet for a session of Seven Minutes in Heaven.
While they share a first kiss, Nicks sister and a boy come into the room for a makeout session. Andrew and Missy stay hidden and watch as the boy, Daniel, keeps trying to push down her head, insinuating that he wants a blowjob. Nicks sister, after telling him she doesn’t want to do that, is outraged and makes him leave. This reaction was incredibly refreshing and we can only hope that women watching will realize it’s ok to say no to things they’re uncomfortable with.
But Nicks sister takes things one step further. She calls Douchebag Daniel out in front of the entire party – revealing him to be a head pusher and a complete creep.
Instead of facing ridicule or being called a prude/whore, Nicks sister gets sympathy from the crowd. Another woman even steps forward and says that Daniel tried a similar tactic on her and then spread rumors about her.
Daniel defends himself by twisting feminist arguments and using them to his advantage (claiming that Nicks sister is tangled up in her own sexuality,etc.) and ends by saying that men need to take the lead. Ew.
The episode ends in a spectacular fashion – Nick pukes into a beanie and his sister then puts it on Daniels’ head. Daniel rushes out of the party while Nicks sister has a new community of sympathetic peers supporting her.
Climbing With Apples 
