'Big Mouth' season 3's focus on toxic masculinity could mean that Andrew might get his redemptive moment this time around
In 'Big Mouth' Valentine special movie 'My Furry Valentine', we saw the shocking (and rather cringe-worthy) fall of Andrew Glouberman (John Mulaney) from a beloved friend and weird hat lover to that of a toxic young teenager.
Through seasons 1 and 2, Andrew had progressed (or shall we say regressed) from the perverted friend next door to a character with full-blown symptoms of toxic masculinity by the time 'My Furry Valentine' released. While the show garnered praise from audiences on the depiction of toxic masculinity, fans were unhappy that one of their favorite characters on the show had seen such a downfall. And this got many hoping that he sees a redemptive moment in the upcoming season.
His actions after getting rejected by Missy (Jenny Slate) were found by audiences to be downright despicable and those that millions of young girls and women around the world recognize as toxic. Not only does he insult Missy and demeans her choices, he even goes to the extent of throwing money at her following the rejection; he also makes abusive remarks at Lars - shouting at him repeatedly, questioning his paralysis, and pulling him out of his wheelchair.
We reviewed the potential of redemption of Mulaney's Andrew earlier and how taking forward the discussion around toxic masculinity would be a great feat for a show that talks of puberty with earnestness.
According to the official synopsis, the animated adult comedy created by Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett is set to deal with this very issue in the upcoming season. Netflix's official synopsis for season 3 read, "In season 3, 'Big Mouth' focuses on what's like to be going through puberty now. The show continues exploring human sexuality and everything around it, tackling issues such as cellphone addiction, female anger, the vast spectrum of sexuality, Adderall abuse, dick pics, toxic masculinity, and of course 'how to have an orgasm'."
Addressing toxic masculinity could mean that there is redemption for Andrew on the horizon, but how it will be achieved is yet to be seen. One thing that is missing from the narratives around toxic masculinity is owning up to the responsibility. And if Kroll manages to incorporate that in Andrew's narrative, there would be nothing like it.
'Big Mouth' returns to Netflix for season 3 on October 4, 2019.