By Tim Werth
What’s better than hormones, puberty, and the awkwardness of adolescence?
A second season of it.
According to early reviews of “Big Mouth” season two, the animated Netflix comedy propels the audience headfirst into a new season of awkward adolescent sexuality, dynamic characters, and new cast members. The new season was released by Netflix on October 5 for your binge-watching pleasure.
If you’ve already binged the entire season, you know what happens. But do these early reports match your interpretation?
The show follows a rag-tag group of adolescents trying to make their way through the chaos of puberty, relationships, and middle school. Aided by the ever-present Hormone Monster and Monstress, the raunchy show offered a strong first season with a powerful cast and clever writing.
The first season consisted of 10 episodes and the show was quickly renewed for a second season October of 2017.
So, what can we expect in the second season?
Unfortunately, not too much had been revealed before the release date. Along with a couple teaser trailers, only a few media outlets have managed to give the eager public something — anything — to work with.
So far, we can expect the kids to deal with a slew of new problems as they age. This might include a bar or a bat mitzvah since the kids are aged around 13 and series creator and star, Nick Kroll, comes from a strong Jewish background.
But according to new reviews, we might get a little more than your typical birthday party or wedding.
According to an inside look at season two by online site, Decider, we can expect something a little different during the premiere.
“[…] as it turns out, Season 2 of Big Mouth isnt better or worse than the Netflix series first season Its merely different. But those pointed differences, and the societal anger stewing beneath them will arguably create a bigger buzz than Season 1,” claims Decider writer, Kayla Cobb.
According to her review, the new season includes more in-depth conversations about women’s bodies and the male gaze that goes deeper than what we’ve been told by the beauty industry. Society has had difficulty breaking out of these habits; after all, the first use of nail polish dates back to 3000 BC China.
Additionally, Cobb notes that the second season will be angrier than the first.
The show will look at the way puberty is taught in schools and how sexual education in schools can be less than helpful. This anger toward society will be expressed in different ways, but there will also be a healthy dose of internal anger.
The new addition of the Shame Wizard may take the brunt of that anger. After all, it’s his job to make puberty, well, a shameful thing.
On top of that, anger takes on various roles through the characters’ evolutions throughout the show. Nick feels left behind because of his small size, Andrew hates what puberty is turning him into, and Jessi copes with her parents’ divorce.
“Big Mouth” has always relied on the relatable. After all, it’s geared to an adult audience despite its middle school-aged characters. These are the kinds of issues we’ve all gone through: discomfort with our bodies, discovering our sexuality, becoming a child of divorce. Even though 2.4 million weddings are performed each year in the United States, nearly half of those end in divorce.
In the end, early reviews of season two reveal that the gross jokes are here to stay but the writers have focused more on character-driven plots than the first season’s shock humour. Now that the season has finally hit screens, you can compare your thoughts with these early reviews. Do they match up against the critics?
Did you end up liking season two better than season one? If you’re one of the many who haven’t seen it yet, don’t hesitate to break out your laptop, gather some friends, and try to keep your second-hand embarrassment at bay.