The second season of “Big Mouth” debuted on Netflix in early October. Season two of the hit Netflix series pays homage to what made the first season so hysterical; sexually vulgar humor, the sheer awkwardness of developing bodies and of course, Coach Steve.

In the midst of the inappropriate, yet all too relatable humor in this Netflix original series, a deeper, darker side of puberty begins to make it’s way to the forefront. The crew takes a sexual education course, taught by the one and only Coach Steve. This exemplifies the horrifying reality of kids learning about Planned Parenthood from teachers who have absolutely no experience in the area.

Unfortunately, it’s the hand plenty of pre-teens are dealt.

The Dark Side

The prominent female character on the show, Jessi, goes through phases of romantic runaways, shoplifting, and drug experimentation in an attempt to cope with her parents' divorce scandal. This rebellious streak reaches its peak when Jessi and Nick share a hilarious adventure on the wings of her dad’s marijuana edibles. Unfortunately for Jessi, coming home stoned is the last straw for her mother, who then decides to kick her father out of the house.

Jessi’s stressful stretch prompts her to make a visit to the Department of Puberty, hoping to get some answers to her prominent puberty problems. Bring in the Depression Kitty.

The Depression Kitty is an embodiment of the suffocating effects of depression. The Depression Kitty (literally depicted as a giant purple cat) has Jessi lay down comfortably and begins to snuggle her to show her everything will be alright. More and more layers of blankets are added on, nearly smothering her with infinite layers of "comfort." The Depression Kitty represents how engulfing and overwhelming depression can be, especially to somebody just coming into fruition with their hormones, emotions and self-confidence.

Enter the Shame Wizard

Another considerable addition to the cast of Season 2 is the Shame Wizard. He’s illustrated as a floating wizard with off-colored eyes like a Siberian husky and sounds like he was raised in Middle Earth. The Shame Wizard’s purpose is rather self-explanatory, to bring shame (whether just and unjust) to developing pre-teens throughout the world.

He thrives off their self-loathing and self-defeating tendencies and is always there to capitalize on any potentially embarrassing mistake made during the puberty years.

The Shame Wizard joyfully “DJ-ing” highlights this trait during the scene when word gets out about Nick reaching second base with Gina. He proceeds to make absolute mincemeat of Andrew’s self-confidence once he reluctantly starts dating Lola; pressuring him into being with somebody he has no legitimate interest in. The Shame Wizard represents the inner voice judging us at all times and the moral indecisiveness that accompanies drastic hormonal change. He insists to Andrew that he just wants, “to make you a better person,” but ultimately the kids learn about their keeping self-judgment in check.

As always, "Big Mouth" finds a way to incorporate humor into the most awkward, cringe-worthy discussion topics. As adults, the topics the show addresses resonate with everybody on some level. Season two matches every bit of comedic gold that grabbed everybody’s attention last year, but it also brings a new level of reality to the table of what it’s like going through changes.
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