For those who don’t know, “Big Mouth,” a Netflix original series, is an adult cartoon based on young teenage characters beginning the oh-so-delightful journey through puberty. The essence of the show is to make viewers reminisce on those years full of insecurity, hormones and extreme emotions, while incorporating humor into otherwise horrible experiences. People can relate to “Big Mouth” because everyone had to endure what seemed like an eternity of adolescence.
The show revolves around three teenaged friends named Jessi, Andrew and Nick. Each character has their own “hormone monster” — a personification of a particular hormone that is taking charge of their lives at the particular time. What makes “Big Mouth” so funny is not necessarily the situations, but more so the fact that viewers can connect to the characters in such a relatable way.
When looking back on the many horrors of puberty, a lot of things we thought were awful at the time seem funny to us now. That being said, here are what I think to be the top four funniest episodes of “Big Mouth.”
1. Episode 1
The very first episode of the series sets the tone for the show. Andrew falls under the spell of the Hormone Monster, who is responsible for causing untimely erections and sexual feelings. Andrew and Nick are sitting in health class together watching a video about women’s reproductive organs. The narrator on the video refers to the uterus, at which point Nick and Andrew turn to each other in confusion.
It is at this moment that the Hormone Monster comes alive, only visible to Andrew. Andrew begs the Hormone Monster to go away and says “Not now!” to which the Hormone Monster replies, “But you thought the word beaver, which is why I am now sending blood to your sweet penis!” The rest of the episode deals with Andrew’s excessive erections and frequent masturbation, while Nick worries there is something wrong with him because he does not experience the same hormones.
Thinking back to my days of sitting in middle school health class, all I can think about while watching this episode is the occasional boy running out of the classroom and straight to the bathroom.
2. Everybody Bleeds
“Everybody Bleeds” focuses on the character Jessi. Jessi and Nick have recently started dating, and the class takes a field trip New York City to visit the Statue of Liberty. However, while the class navigates the Statue and Jessi and Nick navigate their new relationship, Jessi takes a trip to the bathroom — only to see blood in her underwear and realize she has gotten her period. Mortified, Jessi mutters, “Ugh. What am I going to do?” She then begs Andrew to go to the gift store at the base of the Statue of Liberty to see if he can find any “feminine products.” The Statue of Liberty then comes to life and takes Jessi in her fist, saying, “Welcome to the covenant of menstruation.”
Every girl knows what it’s like to get their first period and how embarrassing it can be if you’re caught in a location without a tampon or pad. Jessi’s situation makes viewers remember how awful and confusing that first time was.
3. Am I Gay?
Andrew begins to question his sexuality after watching a movie trailer featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The Hormone Monster suggests that he could possibly be gay, and Andrew seeks advice from his father and other male friends. His father is no help — Andrew asks when he realized he liked girls, to which his father replies, “I can’t stand girls! I can’t stand anyone. There’s literally three people on Earth that I like.”
Meanwhile, Jessi breaks up with Nick, saying she wants to go back to being “just friends.” Nick, however, misunderstands what Jessi’s intention is and believes she still wants to date, but also bring their friendship into it. Nick is mortified when he realizes that he didn’t even realize Jessi was trying to break up with him and fears that everyone will think he’s a loser. This is another example of a common issue young teens often face: their first embarrassing breakup.
4. Girls Too
A steamy book rounds the school, inspiring Jessi to explore her sexuality. A female version of the Hormone Monster appears to Jessi, encouraging her to explore these feelings instead of running from them. All of the female characters read the novel and eventually Nick asks his sister, Lia, why every girl seems to be obsessed with it. Lia explains to him that “Girls get turned on, too,” and Nick’s head literally explodes. He had no idea that girls could feel the way he and his friends did. Lia says, “You knew that, right? Girls get excited, we just don’t constantly talk about it.” Nick then informs Lia that he has a book report to write in order to snatch the book to see what the hype is all about.
Meanwhile, after reading the book, Jessi feels self-conscious about her small breasts and insists her mom take her to the mall to get a push-up bra. After convincing her mom to buy her a new bra, Jessi feels a renewed sense of confidence. Many young girls feel the same way as Jessi at the beginning stages of puberty — the lack of self-confidence can be harrowing.
“Big Mouth” is funny, relatable and fresh. It’s fun to watch a show with characters based during such a trivial time of their lives, as we all were once. The humorous take on the show makes viewers, male and female, realize that they weren’t the only ones who had these issues growing up. While there are currently only two seasons of “Big Mouth” on Netflix, people everywhere are hoping that a third season will be announced. Netflix hit all the right notes with this show and does not show signs of slowing down any time soon.
