No Black Monday this week, so we’re hopping back into season 3 of Big Mouth before resuming our regularly-scheduled programming of hilarious A-holes. The last episode of Big Mouth I review was episode 4 – Matthew was absent the next few episodes and appears here in a more minor/Greek chorus role. But even though this episode doesn’t have as much Andrew Rannells/Matthew as I’d like, it’s still a good one.
All the kids are gearing up for Devin and DeVon’s 7th-grade “wedding,” but everything is thrown into disarray when it comes out that all guys made lists of their top three girls in the class at DeVon’s “bachelor party.” Soon, list fever among both guys and girls is sweeping the school, with all the jealousy, insecurity, and indignation that goes along with that. Meanwhile, when new girl Ali announces her pansexuality to the class, Jay wonders if it’s time for him to come out about being bi.
Ranking the girls is telegraphed as a bad idea as soon as it comes up, but even if you can see exactly where it’s going, the plot is well-explored. There’s Andrew’s obsession with creating multiple lists based on different features (boobs, hair, smile, etc.), Nick’s preoccupation with which boys his ex-girlfriend Gina is picking, and Jessi being simultaneously disgusted at the rankings but ashamed that no one picked her.
Jay’s plot is a good one, too. He’s been sticking his toes in the water of coming out for a while now, and when all the guys start drooling over Ali being pan, he assumes that means they’ll all be cool with him being bi. The episode explores a lot of difficulties that bi people experience, from erasure to biphobia to being viewed by some as “close-minded” compared to pansexuals. We also hit on the double standard, especially among guys, about bi men vs. bi/pan women. (Side note: Ali is played by Ali Wong – and very obviously inspired by Wong in terms of her animated appearance, which is fun.)
Like I said, Matthew’s role is confined more to the observer again. The story of the original lists first breaks on his school news show, and his coverage contributes to the whole thing taking off. He also brings regular updates on the trials and tribulations of the forthcoming “child wedding,” never failing to add just the right mixture of disdain and incredulity to his voice when he does so.
However, while I obviously get the show’s intention to explore misconceptions about bisexuality and “coming out as bi just means you don’t want to admit you’re really gay” is a definite thing in the gay community, but it doesn’t make sense to me for Matthew specifically. After all, back in season 1, Matthew blithely tells Andrew, “Guess what, you sack of potatoes? No one is 100% gay or straight” (even though, a moment later, he labels himself as getting “20/20” on Maury’s gay eye exam.) The meanness and condescension of that kind of bi erasure would be in character for Matthew, but the notion itself isn’t consistent with what we’ve seen from him before, so it bothers me. If the show wanted to include that angle, I’d have preferred they had Aiden say it instead.
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