Hey there, Unicorns! I hope everyone is feeling well-rested and got in some good stretches. Did you do a little yoga today? A few sun salutations set me right and get the blood flowing. And hey, it always helps to stay a little limber. You never know when that zombie apocalypse is coming.
Did I just reference Zombieland? Yes. Yes, I did. (And no, it’s not a dated reference because the second one is coming out in a few months. That’s called being ahead of the curve, baby.)
Anyway. Let’s talk about awkwardness and gratitude. Awkwardness covers, oh, I’d wager 90% of our waking hours from twelve to high school graduation. Puberty’s a bitch. But as much media as there is covering those awful high school years, not a lot of stories are dedicated to those first few years of our changing bodies. And that’s where Netflix’s animated comedy, Big Mouth, comes into play.
The tween years are all about, as the title song suggests, going through changes. Those early adolescent years are so rough, it’s funny. All these deep shifts in emotions, physical and emotional growth, and burgeoning sexualities are rife for discussion — and laughs. But what am I doing talking about a show that focuses on cartoons in junior high? Read on.
Before I get too wrapped up in talking about the show’s sordid details, I should lay the smackdown on the disclaimers. First and foremost, this review will contain SPOILERS on the show, up through the second season and including the Valentine’s Day special, “My Furry Valentine”. While I may not discuss some of these topics, Big Mouth itself includes serious topics, including depression and consent. Also, if this is your first time around these parts and you have no idea what the Unicorn Scale is all about, I highly suggest checking out the metric breakdown over here.
Big Mouth follows the trials and tribulations of Nick (voiced by Nick Kroll), Andrew (voiced by John Mulaney), Jessi (voiced by Jessi Klein), Missy (voiced by Jenny Slate), and Jay (voiced by Jason Montzoukas.) These twelve-year-olds hurtle through the dual obstacles of puberty and growing up — often at different speeds. Encouraging and advising the crew are a variety of imaginary consiglieires — characters as diverse as Hormone Monsters (voiced by Kroll and Maya Rudolph), a Shame Wizard (voiced by David Thewlis), and even the Ghost of Duke Ellington (voiced by Jordan Peele). Turns out that growing up isn’t easy — even if you’re two-dimensional.
What I Liked:
While Jay is surprised at his burgeoning bisexuality in the final episodes of Season 2 after he kisses Matthew, I was rather pleased with how this development came into play. Yes, Jay’s first kiss happened during an updated version of Spin the Bottle, but that is super common for a lot of queer folks I’ve known. Maybe they didn’t go on to have a massive make-out sesh during a free-for-all after defeating a Shame Wizard, but hey. Baby steps.
I also appreciated seeing Jay struggle with accepting his attraction to men. He may be perverted to the point that “he is his own hormone monster” that other monsters observe to take notes from, but his complex life has more shape than just his emerging queerness. To point, as another article pointed out, it’s okay to have messy bi characters.
In fact, Jay’s progression and bi reveal ends up being a surprisingly rewarding arc to watch. In the first season, while we do learn of Jay’s sad home life (ignored by his mom, harassed by his brothers, and used by his cheating father), he comes across as a homophobic jerk to his friends. Jay is not afraid to talk about his weird, innermost desires at all times, to the point that he sometimes comes across as a walking id. But in the second season, throughout the episodes, the writers plant seeds about Jay’s openness. Yes, he’s still often the grossest kid in the room, but there are moments where he suggests “a mouth is a mouth” and buttons scenes with searching “no homo?”-ish comments, testing the waters.
So when Jay kisses Matthew during the smooch-or-share game — or hours after they finished playing — I wasn’t totally surprised. But I figured it could go either way — either this tryst could get downplayed as an experimental moment, or they could push Jay’s questioning further.
Big Mouth dared to do the latter, giving Jay a love triangle — between himself and pillows, granted (this show gets real weird) — but pillows of different genders, something Jay never imagined before his hot-and-heavy session with Matthew. While he struggles with his newfound curiosity, he eventually accepts his orientation, dating both pillows.
What an arc — to have a young boy go from homophobic tendencies to a full-blown, self-accepting bi.
Not only that, but Jay isn’t the only bi character on the show. Jessi’s mother, dissatisfied with her relationship, separates from her husband — and starts up a relationship with a lady. Not a perfect example of a bi character, but she is a tertiary character who has very real, human problems and owns up to her mistakes. There is even a running joke in one episode where the Ghost of Duke Ellington wants to take out Whitney Houston (#Bi2) on a date — but she is into Nina Simone (#OneofUS), and they all show up to an awkward phantasmical dinner date.
What I Didn't Like:
We had two whole episodes where the storyline revolved around Jay’s queerness … and no one mentions the term “bi?” “Pan?” Nothing?
Come on, Netflix. We can do better than this. I know I get salty about this point, but it gets irritating seeing more and more stories emerge exploring bisexuality, but no one mentioning the word. This isn’t Bloody Mary we’re playing. Ghosts won’t appear in mirrors if you mention the term, especially in this day and age.
The Rating:
Jay is messy. Jay is gross, even within the parameters of this show. But Jay is complex, and that’s reflected in the stories about his queerness — even if the show has to call back to weird storylines about sexcapades with pillows to get the point across. I just really wish we would actually hear the term “bi”. But hey, Netflix just renewed the show for a whopping three more seasons, so we’ll have plenty of time to see fi Jay explores these attractions with personalities not made up of feathers.
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