*Episode premise spoilers.*
The season finale is definitely one of the Big Mouth episodes that leans into the grosser side of its humor. Certainly not my favorite episode of the season, although it still has some good stuff in it.
It’s the first day of high school! Andrew has been convinced that the only way to stop his impending beatdown from Pumbaa is to stick his finger up the older boy’s ass, and yes, nearly everyone knows this is a horrific plan. It turns out his future self agrees, and Andrew goes on a time-travelling adventure to figure out what led him to this moment. After an awkward experience with Danni, Nick starts his new school without any friends, and he worries that his only option is to join the librarian’s “sad boys club.” Jessi is torn between accepting Leah’s invitation to hang out with her basic friends and joining Lulu with the burnouts. And Missy is so overwhelmed with dread at the prospect of high school that she tries to avoid going at all.
Yeah, it’s gross that sexually assaulting a bully is even an option that Andrew is putting on the table, let alone believing it’s his only option. I’m at least relieved that the time-travel story starts up pretty quickly; even though it takes a tour through plenty of Andrew’s lowest, grossest moments, it’s not as bad as what he’s contemplating at the start of the episode. I do like that the sign outside the school reads, “Public Beatdown Today, Parking Lot.”
I feel for Nick here. His mom assures him that it’s okay to be nervous, pointing out that “it’s a new school with wealthy, attractive children.” Nick of course tries to play off his fears and loneliness, but that just makes it worse. There’s some grossness here too, care of the decrepit librarian’s nasty feet, but I like how this plot resolves.
Jessi’s never really had a clique before, so it’s interesting to see her debating between two prospective friend groups here. She was idolizing Leah early in the season, and it’s sweet to see Leah wanting to look out for her, but it’s obvious that Jessi doesn’t fit in with her friends. When she criticizes fast fashion, we get this great exchange:
Connie: “Oh no, Jessi! You’re being unlikable!”
Jessi: “I’m just being myself.”
Connie: “Well, stop it! It sucks!”
Meanwhile, Lulu tormented Jessi in the season premiere, but they have similar sensibilities, and Jessi is drawn to Lulu’s group of nihilistic, Camus-quoting friends.
What I like about Missy’s story is the way it brings her into conflict with her dad. When she fakes being sick to get out of school, her dad quickly spots the ruse but assumes it’s a sign of her becoming a “rebellious teen,” not crushing anxiety and dread. It’s a nice example of an adult assigning a negative motivation to a kid’s behavior without examining what’s really behind it.
Not much Andrew Rannells today; Matthew is mostly in the background. There’s an opening song, and he has a few lines in that, but otherwise, there’s not much going on for him. Of his few lines of dialogue, my favorite comes when Andrew hopefully asks, “So do people like me now?” I really like Matthew’s perky delivery of, “Well, they hate you slightly less.”
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