'Big Mouth' S3: Will the makers touch upon consent in the upcoming season?
After Netflix announced the renewal of 'Big Mouth' through to a sixth season, fans of the adult animated show have been brainstorming over what turn the upcoming third season will take.
One of the pressing questions that are carried forward from the Valentine's Day special 'My Furry Valentine' is where will the show take John Mulaney's Andrew Glouberman following his very public outburst. He completely disregards Missy (voiced by Jenny Slate) on what she has to say, Andrew's public outburst traces his character arc from a "likeable pervert" down the toxic pit.
He dehumanizes Missy, throws a paraplegic out of his wheelchair, and downright plummets into a psychopath, as Reddit user SBishop2014 points out. "He doesn't even seem to feel any remorse for what he does by the end, only being upset that Missy no longer likes him and that he's made a fool of himself. What's more, speaking for myself, I didn't feel any sympathy whatsoever for him by the end. If anything, I felt as though he got his well-deserved comeuppance, and that looking back, all the signs were there that he would turn out this level of douchebag."
There are many possible reasons for Andrew's meltdown. One of the major contributing factors being his father Marty (voiced by Richard Kind) – Marty doesn't make for a great father figure, who is inconsiderate, intrusive and too rigid for a teenage son.
But this brings us to the (possible) premise for the third season. It is not like 'Big Mouth' hasn't brushed upon consent as a talking point in the series. Given its unique format, 'Big Mouth' has tackled the issue of consent in its own coming-of-age manner – complex ideas of rape culture and consent are given meaningful spins that we wouldn't have thought possible before 'Big Mouth'. "The show is able to break down and examine consent from a whole new perspective; from the eyes of a middle schooler. One of the most powerful influences of 'Big Mouth' is for viewers to see young kids discussing consent and how they react to the minefield of sex," points out another Redditor Fatallynarrow.
Any amount of praise for 'Big Mouth's treatment of complex subjects like this is not enough.
Redditor Charimanm30w points out how the difference between participants of physical intimacy being fleshed out is also fascinating. "I thought it was interesting when Missy freaks out about being a "mons pusher." I think it was meant to further push home the idea that consensual intimacy is reciprocated and enthusiastic. She is just learning that some advances are unwelcome or harmful, and the thought of doing something like that is so upsetting that she doesn't recognize Andrew is a very willing partner."
Whatever we deem Andrew's behaviour – whether it was toxic masculinity, a teenager battling with hormones and being his true self or bad role models – what went down in 'My Furry Valentine' wasn't right.
Whether 'Big Mouth' will delve deeper into this issue is yet to be seen. The first two seasons are streaming on Netflix. Official release dates aren't announced yet, but the show is likely to return in September or October 2019.