Ty Watches "Big Mouth" Season Six

Yesterday I finished season six of "Big Mouth". "Big Mouth" is the best show on right now that touches on puberty. Puberty, and growing up for that matter, is a pain in the butt. It is an awful time in your life. It is awkward and gross and disheartening. It is all bad. It is a necessary evil, but it is still very, very evil. "Big Mouth" puts that forth tenfold. They do not shy away from anything.

Everything touched on in the show, I have found a relatable time in my life. That was what drew me to the show in the first place, and that is what keeps me coming back. I remember thinking when it first came out that it would maybe be sustainable for two, three seasons. But they are now in the sixth, and they keep finding fresh ways to talk about this awful time in your life. And while it is still fresh, it is also more of the same. And I mean that in the best possible way. It is like being reacquainted with an old friend. It may feel awkward and weird at first, but then after a minute or so, it is just like the old times. I found myself right back in it after the first episode of the new season. It was great to see all these characters I have gotten to know over these six seasons.

Season six did touch on some new ideas. We got to meet Nick's grandpa and find out about his dad's athletic past. The sport was nipple twisting, but it was still pretty funny to see how they dealt with strained relationships. Andrew had to deal with a breakup of his own and his parents fighting. I like that they gave Andrew a little more of a storyline than just being a pervert. He showed a little growth. I like that. The whole scenario he was involved in in the finale was nuts also. It was wild. Jessi dealt with a new step sister, becoming friendly with her stepmom and finding out that even parents have real feelings too. Missy met and started to date a religious kid. He also happens to be asexual, and the way the writers put that across on screen was pretty rad. They handled it very properly. I also enjoyed the return of Nathan Fillion. Jay grew and found out more about himself just like Andrew. The only difference is that they kept him as gross as ever, but that works with Jay. He is supposed to be the gross one. He is the one we all look at and laugh about, but we all knew someone like him when we were growing up. I also enjoyed the hormone monsters having a baby and then introducing a few new hormone monsters from their spin off show, "Human Resources". There was far more singing this season, a lot more stuff outside of school and even some tech talk. The Apple brooch episode was phenomenal.

I adore "Big Mouth". I have said it before and will say it many more times, but this should be shown to every kid that is currently going through puberty. This show knows how to tackle it better than any show now or in the history of TV. "Big Mouth" is a special show that happens to be very well done. The writing is tremendous. It is at the top of the list. Go watch this show everyone. It is worth it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Big Mouth" Season Five

"Big Mouth" has done it yet again.

This show is one of the best things that has been on TV in quite some time. Each season deals with, or adds some new layer that just makes it better and better. I am a big time fan of this show. I have loved it from day one. I have said on this site, to anyone that will let me tell them, hell, to myself that "Big Mouth" is the best representation of going through puberty on any platform right now. I really, truly believe that kids in middle school should be watching the show. I think they should teach a class on it in school. It would have been so much better than the ridiculous sex education that I got when I was in middle school. It was too technical. It was too clinical. They used words that my 13 year old brain had not even heard. At least "Big Mouth" is compelling for kids. It is a cartoon. And it shows the horribleness, and sometimes wonderfulness, that is puberty. It is the truest version that I have ever seen.

Like I said above, they add something new each season that I will watch and think about all the times I had those exact same feelings. This season, their fifth, added hate worms. We have the hormone monsters, the shame wizard, the depression kitty, the anxiety mosquito and so many, many more already. Adding the hate worm was a cherry on top. Even though none of us want to admit it, we all went through this phase of hating a person for some reason only we knew at the time. They used it great in "Big Mouth" by showing Missy getting angry at Jessie for stealing her idea for an organized protest group, and for Nick being upset when Jessie did not like him back. We all had these feelings. It happened to us all. What "Big Mouth" did so well in this fifth season was have the characters say and act how I, and many, many others felt when we were that age, but did not say and act out of rage. It was funny and eye opening to see these cartoon characters act on their rage. They went over the top, but that works because when you are that young and angry, you probably want to go over the top, but you don't. "Big Mouth" gives us this outlet. I also like how they wrapped it up. How they showed Missy and Nick getting through their anger. I liked them showing how they apologized for being assholes. It was great. I also thought it was a great idea to have Nick Kroll, one of the creators of the show, show up as himself and talk to his teenage cartoon character. That was great.

Outside the hate in season five, the other characters involved had some solid storylines. Jay finally finds his true love. Nick's sister gets a real boyfriend. Nick's parents have their first real fight, and then makeup. Jay's dog has a great, small story this season. The Christmas episode was cool as hell. The main hormone monsters have a solid backstory. Lola, Devon and Devin, Ali, they each grow a bit this season.

"Big Mouth" is such a great show. I hope they keep making it. I am pretty sure they have a pretty solid contract with Netflix to keep making it. I love it, I think it is super relatable and totally based in reality, even though it is a cartoon. I think everyone should watch it. I think each person will find something they can relate to while watching. "Big Mouth" is awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Big Mouth" Season 3

Last Friday I finished season 3 of "Big Mouth", and it continues to be the best show about puberty that I have ever watched.

I love this show, and I love what the writers do to show kids how tough and embarrassing and crazy and messed up puberty can be. I wish they showed this show in middle schools, they won't because it is so very dirty and uses bad language, because I feel like it would make the students feel okay. It would let them know that puberty is tough for every single person out there. I also think it is the perfect show for people my age because it is so easy to relate to. I remember going through puberty, how tough it was, and I was just your average run of the mill kid in middle school. There was nothing spectacular or terrible about me. I was the definition of average in middle school, and puberty sucked for me too.

The third season of "Big Mouth" touched on some really great concepts, and added a few new characters that were really funny. The subjects that they touched on in season 3 were things I went through, stuff I did and was/am still embarrassed by, and it all really hit home. They talked about school uniforms in the season premiere, and it was a great discussion on how differently boys and girls are treated at that time in their life. Another episode, it crossed about 2 episodes in fact, Nick and his family are obsessed with their phones. None of them can live without them, and when the phones get taken away, they freak out. I live that daily with my son and his Switch. He is crazily obsessed with that thing, and it is getting tough. also, that episode makes me happy that cell phones weren't a thing when I was a kid. The Florida episode is a perfect encapsulation of what the rest of America thinks Florida is. Also, the secondary storyline of Andrew and his cousin was absolutely hilarious. There is one episode that is entirely dedicated to the story of a young Duke Ellington. Jordan Peele is great as Duke, and to hear him tell the story of how he became to be a great jazz pianist was funny and enlightening. There's another episode where the boys rank the girls on looks. I did this same thing, I am embarrassed that I did it, and this episode flooded me with memories. It shows how gross and mean middle school boys can be, and I was once the exact same way. This was probably my favorite episode of the season. There's another one that is pretty much about the SAT, or any standardized test, and that portrayed the anxiety those tests give 12 and 13 year old, and it is unnecessary anxiety. The "Disclosure" musical episode was so niche, and so god damn hilarious. We were also introduced to Thandie Newton's character Mona, another hormone monstress. The secondary story too, where the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" guys come in and fix Coach Steve was dynamite. And the season finale, where all the kids get "super powers" was so good. This is where Andrew and Nick get in their first real fight, and that was, dare I say, emotional to watch because, again, I went through that exact thing in middle school.

There is a ton of side stuff that was perfect this season too. Jay coming out as bi sexual was awesome. Also, Jay being taken in by Nick's parents when he is abandoned by his family was great. The addition of Ali Wong's character, Ali, was perfect. The stuff with Jessi's power, making people tell the truth, really gave us some insight into what her character may be doing next season. Andrew Rannels character finally getting a boyfriend was a long time coming. And anything that featured Coach Steve was ridiculous and hilarious.

"Big Mouth" is one of the best shows currently on TV. I was stoked that Netflix gave it such a long term deal. Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have struck lightening in a bottle, and I cannot wait to consume more and more of the show. It is fantastic. And season 3 keeps showing that the show is only getting better and better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"My Furry Valentine" is an Instant Holiday Classic

I just finished watching the “Big Mouth” special “My Furry Valentine”, and just like the show itself, this was a perfect representation of this holiday at that time of life. The writers portrayed Valentines Day when you’re a pre teen or newly teenager so well.

This show, as I’ve said many times, is the best show about puberty. So, I expected nothing less, and of course, they nailed it. Valentines Day is rough stuff when you’re in middle school. All the hormones and new feelings and puberty and just overall awfulness that is that time of life is doubled on Valentines Day. “My Furry Valentine” showed it perfectly.

In the holiday special, we have Jay who just gets overwhelmed because his pillows, which are his lovers, want too much out of him. He’s worn out. Jesse is frustrated because her parents split, and she has no one and is just angry at her mom all the day. She pairs up with Matthew, who is, as he says in the episode, “the only out kid in middle school”, because he’s alone too. Their friendship and song in the episode is great. The stuff with Nick and his hormone monstress and his feelings are perfect. He’s the nice kid who is just now starting to go through the rough stuff. Connie, the Hormone Monstress, keeps pushing him, telling him he’s in love with his mom, and he pushes back. He’s upset and going through puberty a totally different way than all his friends. But the story I enjoyed most was between Andrew and Missy. Andrew found out last season that Missy likes him. He’s trying to play it cool, but he can’t. It’s not in his nature. Missy, on the other hand, is the level headed one on the show, and the way Andrew treats her in this episode makes her start to dislike him. He’s mean and yells at her, and when she told him she didn’t like him anymore, I said, out loud, “Hell Yeah”. Then go see Andrew freak out, it was hilarious. Even the side characters had some crazy stuff go on, but again, it made me think about how I acted, or wanted to act when I was that age. I also really enjoyed the one on one interview stuff they did, making it almost documentary style.

“My Furry Valentine” was funny, real and heartfelt. Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have something really special with this show. I know this special came out about a week ago, but I’m glad I waited until it was actually Valentines Day to watch it. It’s great and I recommend checking it out. “Big Mouth” rules and “My Furry Valentine” is just another feather, of many, in their hat.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking for his own special valentine this year. Could it be you?

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The Best Television of 2018

Happy New Year everyone. And I cannot think of a better way to ring in 209 than by continuing my best of 2018 lists. Today we are going to do TV. I know last week I was very hard on "Westworld" and "Legion", but today it is all love. The only problem, this was the hardest list for me to pair down. There is so much TV to watch now. Be it national shows, premium cable or streaming, we have more options than ever to watch millions of shows. Also, I still haven't seen a lot of what major critics have on their list, but I will probably never see "Marvelous Ms. Maisel" or "Succession" or "Counterpart". Those shows aren't for me. I'm more of a goofy comedy guy, or serious drama type stuff. That fills my best of 2018 TV list today. Now lets get started.

At number 5 I have season 3 of "Better Call Saul". This show has only gotten stronger since it started airing. Bob Oedenkirk is making me feel for Jimmy McGill, but this season you can really see him turning into Saul Goodman. He even goes by the name a few times this season. But what made season three so great, aside from everything thing that went on with Johnathan Banks and Giancarlo Epsosito, was Rhea Seahorn's portrayal of her character, Kim Wexler. She is the only person who still believes in Jimmy, but by the end, we all see that she is even duped and ready to give up on him. Seahorn was amazing this season. In a show filled with standouts, she stood out by a wide margin. I'm curious to see where they go with season 4 because of how season 3 ended. Season 4 may be the last, which is a minor spoiler alert. For the time being though, "Better Call Saul" is proving to be another great show from Vince Gilligan and company. I'm excited to see how they wrap it all up.

At number 4 I have what I consider to be the most accurate, and best representation of puberty, season 2 of "Big Mouth". Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have done with this show is nothing short of amazing, and gross. Don't get it twisted, this show is gross and touches on the horribleness that is puberty in no way like I have ever seen before. There was a whole section this year where one of the young teens goes to a spa with her mom and her mom's new girlfriend, and the song is amazing, but there is so much nudity. There is a great scene about losing a pubic hair. I loved when Coach Jeff hooked up with Jay's mom. That was also super gross. But the best thing all season was when the kids took over for Coach Jeff in health class and told horror stories about what they assumed having a STD would be like. It was a great way to talk about how awesome Planned Parenthood is, and the writers totally nailed that. Also, the episode where Nick and Jess eat some of Jess's dad's edibles was really good too. This show nails puberty to perfection. I love it, and when my kids are going through that time, you better believe "Big Mouth" will be on my TV.

At number 3 I have season 3 of "The Good Place". "The Good Place" is the best network sitcom on TV right now. It is just an absolutely wonderful show that somehow finds a way to surprise me every season. Their season one finale was the best finale of a show I have ever seen. They followed it up excellently in season 2, and the way they just closed out this season was amazing. Everyone on this show is amazing too. I'm not a big Kristin Bell fan, but she is awesome. Jameela Jamil is so good as the silver spoon name dropper. William Jackson Harper is terrific as the anxiety riddled Chidi, The episode where he realizes what is going on, and makes chili in his classroom with Peeps was one of the best things I saw on TV this year. Ted Danson is a total delight. But the 2 standouts are Manny Jacinto as Jason, and more importantly, D'Arcy Carden as Janet. Jason is the idiot dirt bag in all of us but he has a heart of gold. He is also hilarious. But Carden as Janet, the all knowing being, kind of like a real life Alexa, she is  just phenomenal. She is the standout of the show. She is the best part of season 3, and she ran with her chance to shine this season. You need to look no further than the season 3 finale where she gets to play every main character on the show. She absolutely nailed every single person's ticks, voices and how they dress and carry themselves. It is a true masterpiece of an actor going for it, and nailing it. It was truly amazing, much like everything else that is on "The Good Place".

At number 2 I have season 2 of "American Vandal". I adore this show. I think it is a perfect sendup of all the true crime stuff we are all enamored with now. It is so funny, but also totally believable. They take something so ridiculous and childish and I am hanging on every word trying to find out who did the crime the 2 kids are investigating. Season one, I needed to know who "drew the dicks". This second season, I had to know who the "turd burglar" was. This is such a well made show using what many would describe as "potty humor". This show has also won a Peabody Award. That is simply amazing for what this show is about. I didn't know how well they would be able to follow up the first season, which seemed like lightening in a bottle. But, they did it, and they nailed it. Going to a new city to solve a similarly childish crime was the correct way to go about it. Besides the 2 filmmakers, all the characters were new, and they all had great stories. From the basketball star to the weird fruit ninja to the many other suspects, they nailed it again. I am so bummed that the show got cancelled. I'm still holding out hope that some other network or streaming device will pick it up because I feel like this show could go on for another couple seasons. "American Vandal" is the best show I have seen that makes me truly care about fake crimes that dumbass teenagers commit. It is a work of art. 

There is one show that is better than "American Vandal", and that is "Atlanta". Did you all think I would have something else here? Donald Glover is a genius, and "Atlanta" is his best way of putting it out there. This season was filled with amazing episodes. The premiere, with Katt Williams and the gator, was tremendous. When Earn and his baby's mother go to her hometown for a weird party, that was odd but effective. And the episode had big time ramifications for the rest of the season. When Earn is trying to spend a 100 dollar bill but no one will take it from him because they believe it is fake, that was a great take on how people look at other races and cultures. When Paper Boi gets lost in the woods and gets jumped and chased by a crazy forest guy, that was incredible. When Paper Boi just wants a haircut, we have all been in a wild situation like that. But the best thing about this season, and definitely one of the best things I have ever seen on TV in my life, was the episode "Teddy Perkins". This one 45 minute block would have gotten the show on the list if it was the only episode they released all season. It was horrifying, funny, a tale of a horrific childhood, possibly a fever dream, I don't know. What I do know though, it was the most original piece of TV I have seen in quite some time. It is so perfect. I watched it multiple times since trying to find things I may have missed, or to see if Teddy Perkins was real, or a figment of Stanfield's imagination. It is a masterpiece, as is "Atlanta". As long as Glover keeps making this show, I'm pretty sure it will always be on my best of lists, and it will most likely be number one. "Atlanta" is a truly remarkable show. It will go down as one of the greatest shows ever. It is definitely the best show of 2018.

Come back tomorrow for my best movies of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to put “Black Miirror: Bandersnatch” on his list, but he is still lost in an endless loop because of the interactive nature of the show. Or maybe he needs to upgrade his WiFi because what he is really caught in us a buffering loop.

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Ty Watches "Big Mouth: Season 2"

Last week I finished up season 2 of "Big Mouth". This show is, by far, the best representation of going through puberty that I have ever watched on TV.

Now, I can only speak from a male point of view, but the way they portray the horribleness that is puberty, it is truly perfect. They have all the awkwardness and weird feelings and shame and just all around awful, awful things that happen when you are a teenager going through this time. I will say too, from the few ladies I know that watch the show, they say it is pretty on point from a female perspective.

What Nick Kroll and Gil Ozeri have done, with Netflix giving them a long, long leash, is pure perfection. First off, to make it an animated show, was the exact right way to give their message. With animation they can do things like a Hormone Monster and Hormone Monstress. This season they added a Shame Wizard, voiced by David Thewlis, and it was so real I had flash backs to all the shame I felt while I was going through puberty. The way they talk about how teens go through this at all different times was great. I was a slower developer, so I could relate with Nick. But, I had friends that were more like Andrew(John Mulaney), who were just frustrated and angry and growing faster than I was.

There was an episode this season, the premiere, when one of the girls developed faster than any other female student, and that brought me back. That was gut wrenching and hilarious to watch. There was a through line this season, it happened at the end of the first season, so it isn't a spoiler, where one of the kid's parents are going through a divorce, and we get to see her act out, like so many of my friends who had divorced parents did. It was perfect. All the stuff with her and the Hormone Monstress, be it yelling at her mom or stealing from a convenience store, I watched these friends of mine going through that do the same.

I also liked another episode where 2 of the kids try edibles for the first time and we see their journey. One handles it very well, taking it all in with glee and the other kid freaks the hell out, just like I would have had I done something like that as a 13 year old. All the stuff with the other families, like Nick's parents being overbearingly loving, or Josh's folks being loud and arguing with each other, but still deeply in love, or Jay's(Jason Mantzoukas) parents, who despise one another, but are so despicable they deserve one another is just excellent. Jay is another standout character as the crazed horned up lunatic friend that we all had in middle school. I also really like Miss(Jenny Slate), who has hippy parents, is a total nerd and is also dealing with puberty in all its awfulness. The show is simply perfection in every single way. From the writing to the voice acting to the way each kid deals with puberty it is all so well done. I can also tell how much I enjoy a show when I think about it all the time and it both, makes me laugh and cringe. That is exactly what "Big Mouth" does for me.

This show is a homerun for Netflix. It further proves that Nick Kroll makes great comedic TV. It also proves that more and more people need, and should, know who Gil Ozeri is because he is a comedic genius. I have loved both seasons of the show. I cannot wait to see where they go with season 3. "Big Mouth" is the best show ever made about puberty and I will fight anyone that says otherwise. Go watch it and tell me why it isn't. I bet you cannot find one show, or reason, why I'm wrong. "Big Mouth" is a triumph.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Watching “Big Mouth” may bring back some memories for Ty, but it also brings nightmares. Ty does have two kids that will one day enjoy the journey.

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Ty Watches "Big Mouth"

Last week I finally got around to watching "Big Mouth" on Netflix. I was waiting until I caught up on other shows to watch, and when I finally sat down and binged the show, and I was very happy with what I saw. I was pretty sure I was going to like it when I saw Nick Kroll was the co creator. I'm a big Nick Kroll fan. Then I saw some of the other people involved, and I was on board. Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Seth Morris, Kristen Bell, Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Richard Kind, I could go on and on with the people I am a fan of on this show.

At its core, "Big Mouth" is about teenagers going through puberty. "Big Mouth" hits all the important moments, both male and female, that make puberty such a drag. We get zits, wet dreams, periods, awkwardness with the opposite sex, weird feelings that go through your body, getting hair where there was no hair before, hormones, virtually everything that makes this such a tough time in young people's lives. After watching the first episode I told my wife that this was, by far, the best representation of going through puberty, at least from a male perspective. Puberty stinks. It is the worst. It is so awkward and challenging and there is so much change and new things that do not make sense. And "Big Mouth" captures that perfectly.

Andrew, voiced by John Mulaney, is one of the main characters, and we see a lot of the bad sides of going through puberty through his eyes. He even has a hormone monster that is always at his side telling him the wrong thing to do because, as we all know, our hormones are way out of whack when we are teenagers. We see the wet dreams, the constant urges, the will to fight when told something he didn't like, the yelling at parents, the horribly awkward encounter of asking a girl to be your girlfriend at 13. It is all there, and Mulaney, and the writers, completely nail it. Nick Kroll is his buddy that is a bit behind, as far as growing up goes, but he is just as good. You see the jealousy, the fighting, the wanting to be involved, trying to get girls himself, even drinking at his sister's high school party. Kroll's character also wants the hormone monster to get him, but he is not ready. In fact, that is a very good through line for the first season. Jessi Klein represents the female lead, and as far as I can tell, she is great at showing how rough this time of life can be for girls. She has a bad experience with white shorts, her mom and dad are always fighting and she has crushes on 3 of her different friends that happen to be boys. Klein is great. Jason Mantzoukas is cast perfectly as the crazed 13 year old that cannot control his urges. He also has a crazy home life, and he loves magic. The relationship between him and his pillow, voiced by Kristen Bell, is gold. Nick Kroll and Maya Rudolph play the voices of the male and female hormone monsters, and they are my favorite parts of the show. The hormone monsters tell these kids to give into their urges, and they also have a very odd relationship with each other. But, their lines always made me laugh, and also reflect on how true that situation was at age 13. Richard Kind is great as Andrew's dad, who has a big problem with scallops, and also constantly complains. Rudolph and Fred Armisen play Nick Kroll's folks, and they are almost too loving and caring. They are always eager to give advice that their kids may not want to hear. There is a great few scenes in an episode where Nick doesn't want to be babied anymore, so his mom starts to take care of Jay(Jason Mantzoukas), who is hard pressed for the love of a mom.

I have nothing but good things to say about "Big Mouth". It is perfect in every way. It gets across its message so well, and I am so pumped to see what they do with season 2. The only warning I will give, the show is animated, but it is not a kid's show. My son walked in one day while I was watching it, and I had to turn it off immediately. It is filled with curse words. Anyway, I highly recommend "Big Mouth" for anyone and everyone that went through puberty. There is no show that better represents that time in your life.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He still waiting for the hormone monster to get him. Being a bald prepubescent boy is one of strangest things ever. Something only Charlie Brown knows about.

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