In 2019, Netflix's Big Mouth continued its good run with a batch of solid stories. Here are season 3's best and worst episodes according to IMDb.
The most uncomfortably accurate portrayal of pubescent pains can be found in Netflix's Big Mouth, an animated series about a bunch of middle-schoolers who embark on a journey through sex, hormonal flux, and romantic feelings. The characters are gorgeously detailed, as is the animation (which does not shy away from censorship if the script demands it).
The third and latest season came out in 2019, with Netflix renewing the show for three more seasons around the same time. Unlike the previous two, this one includes an array of new characters and Hormone Monsters, taking the narrative through a few complicated loops. As with any season, or series for that matter, different episodes have been rated differently by viewers.
Jay finds himself at home with the Birch family, to the annoyance of Nick, who feels his life being taken over. Nick tries to get the Bilzerians to retrieve their prodigal child but quickly realizes that Jay's parents and brothers are horribly abusive people.
On the other hand, Andrew is sexting with his cousin, Cherry, taking a variety of dick pics that end up synced on the family computer. The one with the best arc is Jessi, who tries to figure out how orgasms work, finally succeeding with the assistance of an electric toothbrush and the memory of Judd Birch's musky masculinity.
Repeating the same theme as the previous episode, "Obsessed" follows Nick's various attempts to make his phone "happy" — which he does by recording his father's grooming ritual (in which he refers to himself as Soft Daddy).
As punishment for supposedly shaming his father, Diane bans her son from using his phone. Jay and Missy have a warm moment together when they both realize that they have a lot in common: Erotic fiction, to be specific. Jessi supports Matthew's desire to get cozy with Aiden, by distracting his parents with random monologues.
As Devin and Devon plan to get "married," they send out invites to the entire school. He reveals to his friends that he might be getting a handjob out of the whole thing, which makes it worth it in his opinion. On the other hand, Devin is humiliated to learn that her "attractiveness rank" is #13, making her insecure about marrying the #1.
One of the new characters, Ali, becomes the point of adoration when she tells people that she is pansexual (while Jay's bisexual identity is dismissed by Matthew). Bi-erasure is a real thing, and it is really great that "Rankings" touches upon the subject.
This episode is a bit haphazard in scope, especially in developing the character of the misogynistic drama teacher, Mr. Lizer. His insistence on this particular show exposes him as a specific variety of incel (basically men who believe that masculinity is at risk of extinction due to the modernization of society, and, more importantly, modern women).
This incredibly complex subject deserved a full episode, as does the story of Coach Steve's transformation under the guidance of Queer Eye.
While this phenomenal bonus episode appeared between seasons two and three, it is counted as part of the latter. None of the kids are filled with love on Valentine's Day, each of them for a different reason.
Andrew goes through several Missy-based epiphanies, many of them rubbish, and ends up shoving Lars out of his wheelchair (an act so horrendous that even Maury tries to dissuade him from performing it). Nick, feeling emasculated at being given a Hormone Monstress, furiously snaps back at his parents, an indication that the kid might finally be entering puberty.
"Girls Are Angry Too" is a spectacular episode — covering topics as diverse as sexist dress codes, gender disparities, and what it really means to be feminist. Diane and Leah Birch take the girls' side, telling Nick that he needs to learn to be an ally.
The next day, almost all the girls go on their "slut walk" to show Mr. Lizer that they will not be cowed into submission. Unfortunately, Missy refuses to change herself, leading the others to label her a gender traitor. The only possible reason for its relatively low IMDb score is because the show rehashes the events of the previous season for way too long.
Andrew and Nick go to Florida with the Gloubermans to visit Marty's father and brother. Sadly for them, the Sunshine State is nowhere as sexually fulfilling as they imagined it to be. The kids hang out with Cherry and her friend, both of whom take a romantic shine to the boys.
The introduction of a new abstract entity, the Menopause Banshee, is incredible. The episode intends to depict how hormones, or the lack thereof, can wreak havoc on adults as much as they do on children.
Nick inherits a new phone from his big sister and becomes instantly addicted to how fast and smooth it is in comparison with his ancient device. In parallel, his mom, Diane is equally hooked to "Boggle," forcing Elliot to take great steps in order to distract his wife (he is successful, and they end up sleeping together, as they always do).
Two more scattered plotlines make up the bulk of "Cellsea." One follows Andrew's decision to avoid the internet, and the other, Matthew's feeble attempts to woo the only other gay cutie in town, Aiden.
Part of Caleb's genius is how he manifests a completely different interpretation of middle school through his art, giving all the main characters what they greatly desire via superpowers. In the real universe, Jessi finds out that her mom plans to shift base to NYC, and wants her to come along.
The ending is heartbreaking, given that the unbreakable bond between Nick and Andrew turns out to be rather brittle. They part ways, having set incompatible expectations for themselves and for each other.
To be fair, Duke does a phenomenal job of taking viewers through the life of Duke Ellington, or rather, a largely fabricated version of the same. Nick, Jay, and Andrew only listen to him because he promises to reveal how "he lost his virginity," but the story goes on for too long without getting to the fun part.
Duke's tale is packed with metaphors and morals, but nearly all of them go right over the heads of the single-minded adolescents. However, it looks like at least a few viewers did not appreciate the narrative being yanked out from its comfortable groove and into an unrelated timeline.
