Round Three of ‘Big Mouth’ (Appropriately) Goes Even Further Than You Thought It Would

There’s nothing quite like watching an army of furry penises go to World War Cum (World War One, but co-opted?), and before Oct. 4, I would have said such a scene could not possibly exist. I was wrong: It exists now, it’s fantastically funny, and it’s part of the third season of “Big Mouth,” which, mercifully, has been renewed through at least its sixth season. Even if you’re way older than the kids in this show, there are cultural references for everyone, and while “Big Mouth” is at times vulgar, it deals with real issues the kids encounter with sensitivity and raunchiness that cannot be missed.

To preface: I don’t generally binge shows in under 24 hours, and I don’t typically watch animated TV. The latter is never quite as good as it should be, and, if we’re honest, so is the former — as well as headache-inducing.

“Big Mouth” is the exception to both rules. It follows a band of middle schoolers as they come to grips with their changing pubescent bodies and sexual desires, and is a show replete with hilarious one-liners and cringe-worthy encounters. Some storylines include Jessi battling her depression (also known as Depression Kitty), phone addictions, anxious first kisses, neglectful parents, being “out” at school but not at home, cultural perceptions of female and male bisexuality, and the history of the female orgasm.

Sure, the show is funny, but the best part of it is the empathy with which every character is treated, even the ones who are arguably less likeable. Everyone will say that they hated middle school, and “Big Mouth” transports us back to the reasons why — in a good way, of course. Jay’s hyperactivity is not the result of brattiness: Nick’s parents discover he needs Adderall when Jay’s own parents leave him at home (alone) on spring break. Of course, he promptly sells the pills, but that’s consistent — with a home life in tatters, deeper underlying issues can’t be fixed overnight.

“Big Mouth” deals, in large part, with the shame that kids feel as their body seemingly starts to act outside of their control. The first episode follows the girls as they rebel against a sexist dress code initiated by Dean Lizer — whose creepiness and misogyny will rear its ugly head later in the season, too. Missy not only gets a new Hormone Monster and truly comes into her own, but also becomes the very definition of the age-old worry: How difficult or demanding or assertive can a girl be before she becomes too much? Jessi has her first orgasm at age 13, a statistic that likely left many women watchers calling BS — all while cheering her along, of course.

The season finale attempted to go out with a bang, but the chaotic energy of the middle schoolers-turned-superheroes drowned out what “Big Mouth” does best: careful, incisive, and inclusive treatment of issues that teenagers face all the time. There’s less emotional depth in the closer, and viewers are left with the promise of more to follow now that the kids have graduated from seventh grade. This seems to be an interesting mistake. Will the next season take place in a high school that starts in eighth grade, like it does in Canada? After three seasons, it’s finally time for them to age out of middle school, but it seems like the writers didn’t quite think this part through.

Speaking of Canada: One episode features a “Netflix original” directly from Canada, accents, politeness, and moose included. Just as it does with stereotype of ubiquitously polite Canadians, “Big Mouth” continually takes familiar themes and elevates them shockingly and beautifully. The other fantastic facet of this show, other than the ways it addresses a rainbow of teenage social conundrums, is the fun it pokes at itself and other pop cultural references. Yes, this means that the Fab Five from “Queer Eye” make a cartoon appearance, that Billy Bush gets called out for not calling out Donald Trump on “Access Hollywood,” and that people who say GIF like the peanut butter brand get roasted.

Come for the character arcs and biting metacommentary, stay for Maury the Hormone Monster’s vulgar quips, Harry Potter-inspired vibrators, Featuring Ludacris, everyone’s favorite on-screen pet, and a budding friendship kindled by the creation of erotic fanfiction. Or, of course, come for all that and then stay for the wholesome emotional development of middle schoolers. As long as you watch the show.

—Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @cassandraluca_