Review: 'Big Mouth' Season 2 is One Hell of a Conversation Starter
Cameron Lee ’20 / Emertainment Monthly staff writer
Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers for season 2 of Big Mouth.
A show like Big Mouth really shouldn’t work at all what with its hormone monsters, cringe worthy yet honest portrayal of teenage puberty, and gross subject matter. But after a terrific first season and now an amazing second season, Big Mouth has proven to be one of the smartest, well written and honest shows about growing up ever conceived (pun intended).
Season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off; Jessi (Jessie Klein) and Jay (Jason Mantzoukas) have run away together (which goes nowhere) and Nick (Nick Kroll) received his own hormone monster an old nearly retired yet very supportive Rick. This season was full of highlights; from the introduction of the Shame Wizard that disrupts all of the kid’s lives voiced to slimy perfection by David Thewlis to the excellent and funny musical numbers that season 1 introduced. As to be expected, the voice acting is top notch all around from the main 4 characters, as well as from the incredible Maya Rudolph who is a riot as Connie the Hormone Monstress. All of this wouldn’t matter if the writing wasn’t any good but thankfully Season 2 is just as smart as Season 1. It is cringy sex humor at it’s finest; full of puns, callbacks, snappy dialogue, visual gags, clever fourth wall breaks and a great deal of surprisingly realistic conversations on divorce, bullying, dating, body shaming, and masturbation that feels brutally honest to the point. It’s downright unbelievable that a sex adult comedy show is doing a better job at teaching kids and teens about puberty and growing up then a mandatory health or sex ed class.
The finale also is a major highlight. Nick, Andrew, and Jessi enter a portal to the department of puberty in order for Nick to get a new hormone monster. The world feels like a gross version of Monsters Inc (you won’t look at cats or think of depression the same ever again). It serves as a perfect conclusion to the season as each character makes peace with an issue they’ve been dealing with for the past 10 episodes.
Big Mouth goes by way too fast. You’ll be wishing there were 15 episodes to binge rather then just 10. It’s a kiss on the lips to any fan of smart adult comedies and also one hell of a conversation starter. It’s simply too good for anyone to pass on.
Season Grade: A