Big Mouth Season 8 Review

“It’s the end of a very gross era,” the hormone monster Maury (Nick Kroll) laments in one of the many fourth wall-breaking moments of the final season of Big Mouth. After eight years of combining elder-millennial nostalgia with a comically vulgar approach to sex education, the Netflix series subjects its rich cast of characters to one last barrage of humiliation before sending them off with a warm-and-fuzzy farewell.

The first year of high school provides some robust material for these 10 episodes, demonstrating how much the animated adolescent alter egos of Kroll and his comedian friends have changed and all the challenges to come. Puberty hits kids at different ages, and that simple biological fact is used to great effect as late bloomer Nick (Kroll) finally gets his growth spurt and goes through many of the same trials that his best friend Andrew (John Mulaney) experienced in Big Mouth’s early seasons.

The experience gap allows Andrew to be a disgusting mentor: He sings Nick a Broadway-style tune about how he finds inspiration for masturbation and demonstrates how he’s matured mentally and socially. Nick and Andrew’s friendship has had many rocky moments throughout Big Mouth, and this season is no exception. But it’s also an endearing portrait of male vulnerability and camaraderie that reinforces the series’ message about the power of communication.

That throughline connects the show’s most sensitive and over-the-top moments. Matthew (Andrew Rannells) goes through a raucous musical about the many permutations of gay sex (even this late into its run, Big Mouth knows its way around a song-and-dance routine) just to learn it’s OK to admit to a partner he doesn’t know exactly what he wants. Nick’s belief that he should be able to anticipate what turns a girl on instead of just asking gets him into big trouble, leading to another dark arc for a character who has consistently struggled to take personal responsibility. Meanwhile, Jessi (Jessi Klein) hilariously learns the value of enthusiastic consent by finding the courage to tell her new boyfriend Camden (Whitmer Thomas) to warm up his hands before touching her breasts.

After eight seasons of the main series and two of the spinoff Human Resources, Big Mouth has grown into a fusion of Sex Education and Inside Out packed with anthropomorphized creatures representing concepts cerebral, emotional, and physical, and The Shame Wizard, Tito the Anxiety Mosquito, and Depression Kitty all follow the kids to Bridgeton High. New this season is Compassion (Holly Hunter), a peanut-addicted elephant pushed into retirement by the world’s cruelty. While her introduction is heavy handed, her ability to allow open-minded people to see the creatures that are tormenting everyone around them is a beautiful summation of Big Mouth’s central gimmick. Compassion doesn’t just teach the kids the importance of being kind to others, but also helps them grapple with their own demons.

The final season also shows off the strengths of its rich supporting cast. Caleb (Joe Wengert) started as a gag character, but has developed into a sweet portrayal of autism. His bluntness helps Missy (Ayo Edebiri) get over her dread of high school and even start a relationship with the boy of her dreams Nate – who, in another delightful full circle moment, is played by frequent Big Mouth guest star and Missy’s longtime celebrity crush, Nathan Fillion. The feral antics of Jay (Jason Mantzoukas) have often been a highlight of the show, but even he gets to grow up a bit this season by standing up for his own happiness and helping Matthew tackle his insecurities.

This season repeatedly mocks the sad state of sex education in American schools and how weird it is that a show featuring furry detached pensises has filled the gap for many viewers. Its semi-regular tradition of combining Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) and The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” episodes gets a fitting finale in an episode where Maury and his fellow hormone monster Connie (Maya Rudolph) answer viewer mail. It’s a last chance for the writers and animators to really show off as they tackle queefing in the style of The Twilight Zone and vaginismus as the topic of a talk show hosted by Nick’s parents. To the end, Big Mouth is producing lessons that grab your attention and stick in your mind by being so gross and weird that nothing feels taboo.

It’s hard to say goodbye to a show this heartwarming, funny, and rewarding, and as such, season 8 takes on the sentimentality of a graduation story (even though the kids are only just now starting high school). Season 4 already gave us a glimpse at one potential future for these characters; in its final episodes, Big Mouth embraces the unknowns that lie ahead of them. But it also reassures viewers that they’ll be OK, because they have each other. Plus, they’ve been through so much messy, personal drama already that they’re ready for anything.