Puberty is a rough time for everyone, and the cast of the Netflix series Big Mouth knows this all too well. From first times to first periods, and everything in between, the cast of young teens explore their changing bodies and complicated social lives with the help of their own personal hormone monsters.
The show packs plenty of the raunchy comedy viewers love about the adult animated series genre and reminds audiences just how awkward the teenage years can be. Some of the most memorable moments and storylines in the show are downright heart-warming, but others are just plain cringe-worthy.
10 Andrew's Extreme Summer Camp Constipation
In the perfectly-but-horribly titled episode "Poop Madness," Andrew takes bathroom anxiety to a new level: he refuses to empty his bowels for the entire four weeks of summer camp. This, of course, leads to intense constipation to the point that Andrew actually starts hallucinating. Nick has to help Andrew "birth" twin bowel movements out in the woods on the last day of camp and, needless to say, it is one of the grossest, most cringe-worthy segments of the entire series. To make matters even worse, the entire camp finds them in the woods mid-act. It's a moment neither of them will ever live down.
9 Jessi's Hellish Bat Mitzvah
For Jewish girls, their Bat Mitzvah is a rite of passage. In Jessi's case, her Bat Mitzvah was more like a rite of humility. Between the ugly, boxy dress she is forced to wear and her mom's girlfriend serenading the attendees with an acoustic guitar, the Bat Mitzvah was nothing short of a pre-teen dystopian nightmare.
The episode "I Survived Jessi's Bat Mitzvah" covers a lot of themes that are familiar to anyone who was a teenaged girl at one point. From trying to assert her own identity in the selection of the dress to feeling out of control over her life, Jessi goes through some pretty major internal upheaval in the course of this family circus. What's worse, her external life is about to go through some big changes, too: her parents officially decide to separate for good at the end of the episode.
8 Andrew's Mishap With Missy At The School Dance
Right from the beginning of the series, Andrew establishes himself as a kid prone to embarrassing moments. In episode one, "Ejaculation," Andrew and Missy dance together at a middle school dance. Egged on by his hormone monster, Maury, Andrew gets a little too close to Missy and accidentally does exactly what the title of the episode hints will happen. Mortified, Andrew rushes off to the bathroom to try to get rid of the proverbial evidence. The episode also establishes one of the more sentimental aspects of the show: Nick will always come to poor Andrew's rescue.
7 Coach Steve Loses His Virginity To Jay's Mom
Coach Steve is an overwhelmingly sympathetic character, the school's resident bumbling idiot. He means well, but it's clear from the beginning of his character development that, when it comes to adult milestones, he is way behind most people his age. This is especially true of losing his virginity.
Steve's knowledge about sex is dubious at best, and - much to the horror of viewers - the task of showing him the ropes falls to Jay's mom. Few things are more embarrassing to imagine than one of your teachers sleeping with one of your parents, but that is exactly what Jay endures in the Season 2 episode "Steven the Virgin." Combined with Steve's awkward ways of describing sex, it's as hilarious as it is painful to watch.
6 Jay's Inappropriate Relationship With His Pillow
Growing up, a lot of kids have imaginary friends that they talk to and play with when they're alone. This innocent childhood tendency takes a horrible turn when it comes to Jay. In "Sleepover: A Horrible Ordeal of Emotional Brutality," Jay introduces his friends to Pam, a pillow with which he has an intense imaginary relationship.
To the horror of everyone else at the sleepover, Jay reveals that his relationship with the pillow is sexual in nature. This sparks a whole cringe-worthy storyline that eventually goes as far as Jay fathering an imaginary pillow-child with Pam, who they name Scorpion. With his weird pillow family, Jay certainly wins the award for "best imagination" in this series.
5 Andrew And Lola Attend A Glauberman Family Dinner
Andrew's barely consensual, short-term relationship with Lola is cringey from the start. In the episode "Drug Buddies," Andrew accidentally defiles his signature blue pants and needs to borrow a pair of Lola's pink sweatpants with her name emblazoned across the back. When Lola sees the pants, she remarks "I basically own you."
Andrew brings Lola home for dinner with his family because she has no dinner of her own, and she immediately introduces herself as his girlfriend. An embarrassing round of banter with Andrew's father ensues, made all the worse for Andrew by the fact that they take turns insulting him. For anyone that has experienced "meeting the parents" going terribly wrong, this segment was hard to watch.
4 Jessi's Period Incident
Most women can relate to embarrassing "first period" stories, and that's exactly what Jessi has to endure in "Everybody Bleeds." On a field trip to the Statue of Liberty, Jessi's period starts unexpectedly... while she's wearing white pants. The cringiest part? She has to ask Andrew for help.
Andrew responds like a typical pubescent boy by instantly vomiting at the thought of Jessi having her period, which makes the whole event even worse. In the end, he does rise to the occasion and helps her out, but that doesn't change the fact that Jessi has reached another dreaded puberty milestone. This is one field trip she will never forget, for all the wrong reasons.
3 Nick's Parents Just Being Themselves
There is no one instance of Nick's parents being embarrassing that stands out - every moment of their lives seems devoted to lovingly mortifying their son. From awkward conversations about sex to downright disturbing declarations of love, Nick's mom and dad are the quintessential cringey parents and every pre-teen's worst nightmare. Like a typical middle schooler, Nick becomes enraged when his parents treat him too much like the kid he no longer believes himself to be. These reactions just make the situation even more hilarious for viewers, especially in scenes where Nick's friends are there to bear witness to his humiliation. The secondhand embarrassment the audience feels is part of what makes Nick so relatable.
2 Jay & Lola's Third Base Fail
One of the most cringe-worthy matchups in the series is Lola and Jay, especially in the appropriately titled episode "Four Stories About Hand Stuff." Nervous about getting to third base for the first time, Jay asks his horrible older brothers for advice. Of course, the tips and tricks these inexperienced boys suggest to Jay are nothing short of appalling.
When he tries their techniques out on Lola, she loudly protests, and agrees with Jay's assessment that he is "terrible at fingering." The embarrassment of early sexual encounters are funny-yet cringey memories for most adults, and this episode perfectly encapsulates those experiences.
1 Andrew Makes Out With His Own Cousin
As if Andrew doesn't have enough embarrassing moments throughout the series, there's the infamous "Florida" episode. On a family trip to the Sunshine State, Andrew reconnects with his cousin, Cherry. Unlike most of the kids in the series, puberty has been kind to Cherry, and hormone-crazed Andrew can't help but notice.
Andrew is awkwardly attracted to his cousin almost immediately, and it seems that Cherry feels the same: she invites him to have a private makeout session. Things only get worse when the entire family walks in on them, and each express their horror about the situation in no uncertain terms.