The Big Mouth season 2 finale gave a sneak peek at the Department of Puberty and it’s left us wanting more in season 3.
In “The Department of Puberty,” the Big Mouth season 2 finale, the veil was lifted when Tyler accidentally left a portal open in Nick’s closet. When Jessi, Nick, and Andrew traveled through the portal, they were transported to Maury’s world, which was a lot bigger than the kids ever could’ve imagined.
Not only did it house the Department of Puberty, but we also see buildings for the Center for Adulthood, Geriatrics, People Who are 62, and the Bureau of the Dead. We also see a variety of monsters who are quite different than the two types of monsters we’ve seen so far — the hormone monster and the shame wizard.
At the end of the previous episode, “Smooch or Share,” we see another creature appear. It wasn’t hard to guess that this new monster probably had something to do with depression, as Jessi has been dealing with a lot of difficult issues lately, but we didn’t get conformation until Jessi snuck into her own evaluation room.
Here, we see Connie representing Jessi as the Hormone Monstress, but there are several other monsters seated at the table, all of which have an effect on Jessi’s life. There’s the Intellect Sphinx, the D. N. Ape, the Ambition Gremlin, the Anxiety Armadillo, and finally, the Depression Kitty.
The show never goes into detail about the roles and effects these other monsters have on Jessi’s life, it’s not hard to figure it out. But even though they’re all pretty self-explanatory, I would love to see the show delve deeper into the other creatures that inhabit this world in season 3.
We learn that Connie is the one in the driver’s seat when it comes to Jessi’s development, but she’s by no means the only one with a voice at the table. The other monsters want the Depression Kitty to take over as Jessi’s number one since Connie doesn’t seem to be doing such a good job. The Intellect Sphinx projects that Jessi’s current trajectory will land her in jail with a pretty terrible neck tattoo. It was enough to call this emergency meeting and vote the Hormone Monstress out of her leadership role.
The Depression Kitty’s effect on Jessi is nearly immediate. As soon as Jessi tells Connie she wants the Depression Kitty to take over, the new monster takes her to the Depression Ward. Here, she covers Jessi in blankets, feeds her soupy ice cream, and lays on top of her until Jessi stops feeling guilty about being in bed in the middle of the day.
It’s not subtle, and it’s not meant to be. If you’ve ever experienced depression, it’s easy to relate to Jessi and her inability to get out of bed even when she knows she should. Luckily, it’s Jessi’s friends who wake her up — both from her nap and from her delusion that she’s okay. She calls out for help, and that allows them to find her. She has to fight to escape her depression, but she’s determined to get out of her slump.
Again, it’s not subtle, but the imagery is effective.
When we met the Shame Wizard earlier in the season, he also appeared to be a villain, but in reality he’s just a personification of a feeling we’ve all experienced. In fact, we learn that his goal isn’t to make Andrew and the other kids feel terrible, but to make them better people. When Andrew decides not to jerk off in the middle of the night next to his best friend, and instead go to the bathroom and run the water while he does it, the Shame Wizard wipes away a tear of pride.
In this vein, I would love to see what the other monsters in Maury’s world are like, particularly ones like the Ambition Gremlin and the Anxiety Armadillo. As someone who has anxiety, I’m particularly interested in seeing how the show would tackle this topic, how they’d make it relatable to those who do have anxiety, and how they could show those who don’t how it effects someone’s day-to-day life.
And then there are those creatures who we haven’t been able to name just yet. There was a large white creature that looking startlingly similar to the adipose from Doctor Who, and then there was the blue hippo that the Shame Wizard was talking to about halfway through the episode. What are these creatures and how do they affect us on a daily basis?
I’ve already talked at length about how Big Mouth is a brilliant show, and I’d love to see them continue season 2’s momentum by introducing another creature to explore in depth in season 3. The Department of Puberty is full of potential, and I can’t wait to see what the show does next.
What do we know about ‘Big Mouth’ season 3?
Big Mouth has officially been renewed for season 3. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who has seen the show, as it remains both hilarious and heartwarming — a perfect combination for an animated show you can binge on Netflix.
With the first season dropping at the end of September and the second during the first week in October, it’s likely we’ll have to wait a whole year for Big Mouth season 3. But I have a feeling it’s going to be totally worth it.