By Luis Mila

Big Mouth Season Three came out this past October fourth, and it touched on myriad sensitive topics: rape culture, victim blaming, toxic mansplaining, sexual discovery, the addiction to technology, coming out, clout culture, north florida’s incestuous maniacal stereotype, menopause, psychological references, double standards in both sexualities and gender identity, the stress of standardized testing, even more misogyny, sexual harassment from teachers, and even cutting off a close friend.

The goal of “Big Mouth” is to revive these feelings and experiences with a hyperbolic twist. In the show, hormone monster vocalizes our intense emotions; the depression kitty highlights the existential dread of going to school only to hate every second of it; the menopause banshee shows exactly the cling to youth a woman has as she gets older. The show itself is easy to make fun of, and join the bandwagon of hate for its crude, overtly vulgar language, but it’s just as easy to see the bigger picture behind it all and find yourself in some of these characters.

I’m going to jump between episodes to talk about some of my favorite scenes and themes in them – all with some minor spoilers:

Episode Two is summed up perfectly in one clip: Mr.Lizer provides a list of prohibited attire for female students and when asked what the boys can’t wear, he simply replies:

“Boys can’t wear tee shirts with curse words, or Luchador masks.”

When Gina asks why the school can’t just teach impulse control for all the boys, Lizer says it’s just “too easy.”

When a girls’ skirt is a centimeter too short, or other code is violated in the infinitesimal sense, they’re forced to wear oversized costumes – which of course references the pants some schools provide that are not only disgusting but also extremely humiliating.

When the female student population rises in protest by wearing provocative clothing, they end up being objectified and hypersexualized by their male peers – they assumed this is what the girls wanted just by how they dressed.

Being obviously counterintuitive, it does highlight the fact that girls are so much more easily punished in school for violating a dress code in the lamest sense, while boys can easily get away with not only violating the rules, but for enforcing them.

Episode Three is all about Jay discovering his sexuality as he watches a Netflix series. He’s perplexed as the series’s main character doesn’t come out as bisexual – which he assumed the entire time of his viewing.

There’s also a sub plot of Matthew – the show’s lead gay character – struggling to stay calm and collected with his new crush Aiden, who he met at the pharmacy store. Their relationship shows the struggles of new lovers, and living with an unaccepting family.

“You’re telling me there’s a category for everybody?! I don’t believe it,” says the ghost of Duke Ellington in the show’s musical.

By the end, Jay finally comes out. I won’t say as what exactly, because that’d be too big of a spoiler to give away.

In Episode Six Jessi’s getting to know herself – a lot. It begins with a snake dream; Freudian analysis takes over, and it’s clear this episode is all about sexual awakening.

This is one of the most promiscuous episodes, but it does have a genuine message by the end of it all when Jessi’s on an escapade with hormone monstress Connie and her own vagina.

It really does go to show the only person people know best is themselves.

Episode Eight is another spectacular episode about double standards.

There’s a new girl, Ali Wong. She explains pansexuality and her sudden rise to popularity inspires Jay to come out himself.

However, the school doesn’t take it so nicely, and they actually begin to ridicule him and misjudge the basis of his sexuality – saying it’s “one step closer to being gay” or that it’s just different when girls like the same sex as well as the opposite one.

This ends up hurting Jay, and he distances himself from his friends.

Ali does empathize with Jay near the end, and admits that no matter what, coming out is hard.

And in the famous words of Andrew Glouberman “Yeah man you’re right, it is a double standard…”

Episode Nine is one of the episodes that an anxious, auspicious student can relate to. Jay is prescribed adderall and begins to sell it around school as finals are being taken.

It highlights the stresses of standardized testing, and the pressure some parents place on their kids to have Ivy dreams and either achieve them or become complete failures.

Episode Eleven is a bit of a nightmare, but every character gets superpowers and Andrew and Nick get in an argument, and as it comes to an end, the only way to stop the animosity is for Andrew to say he no longer wants to be Nick’s friend at all.

This was something that could pluck everyone’s heartstrings, as it shows that even the strongest of friendships have the possibility of coming to a sudden end.

Overall, I would definitely recommend watching “Big Mouth” if you’re a fan of other crude-humor cartoons such as “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” “King of the Hill,” and even “The Cleveland Show.” It’s similar to all of the dynamics in these shows but “Big Mouth” plays on a viewer’s biopsychosocial experiences and either revives, explains, or predicts them in some way, making it an enjoyable coming of age story for all.