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Better Late Than Never Big Mouth: Season One Spoiler-Free Review

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I remember the days of my youth when I was a growing adolescent and teenager. I remember the slow diligent process of growing facial hair, noticing more and more women, and the difference from my lovely falsetto voice into a more baritone/bass volume. I remember those days with good moments and I also loathe those days.

I hated my voice cracking, being sweaty, and the changes to my body that I learned in health classes. It is a tough time for young people to start their process of going through puberty and in the show Big Mouth, Nick Kroll and his team encapsulate some of the funny and weird issues that plague many when it happens.

The show features four friends starting puberty and along the way, deal with school drama, puberty monsters and lots of other issues. The show is starting season three pretty soon, so, is the show really worth your time and attention? We’ll review the characters, the story, and the humor of the show of season 1. Is this show up your alley or should it go back behind closed doors in shame. Let’s review season one of Big Mouth.

The show features the four main characters of Nick, Andrew, Jessi, and Jay. Each one of them are quite unique and offer different kind of a character dynamic to the show. Nick (voiced by Nick Kroll) is the short kid who has way too open parents and is a late bloomer when it comes to puberty.

Andrew (voiced by John Mulaney) experiences puberty and is having a hard time controlling his desires and needs. Jessi (voiced by Jessi Klein) is a down to earth female who is is slowly experiencing womanhood but with not many women friends, has to try and figure it out usually by herself. Jason (voiced by Jason Mantzoukas) is a kid who is all over the place with his sexuality, his love of magic and his kinks of couchs and pillows. These characters are all unique and go through puberty and deal with their hormone monsters in different ways. Andrew becomes a chronic masturbator and has the need to express himself sexually and desires sex, even though he hasn’t had it.

Nick is more innocent, a late bloomer whose hormones aren’t taking over and thus remains a blank slate on how hormones and puberty has affected everyone. Jessi really has a 180 with her hormones. She is likable, but with becoming a woman, a growing divorce of her parents and the mom finding a new lover, she becomes a very jaded emo who is just trying to maintain some sense of understanding. Jay just goes further down the rabbit hole on what he can hump and explore.

Besides humping a pillow and couch ottomans, his older brothers are just disgusting and their bad influences have definitely rubbed off on him. All the kids are very likable. You have a good laugh sometimes at their expense mostly because we can relate to them and remember, in our own childhood that we have been there before even if we try to deny it.

The story revolves around the four main characters with learning about puberty and their growing sexual desires and needs, such as finding themselves and Jessi having her time of the month. Without giving away spoilers or specific episodes, the story explores all the adolescent misunderstandings and discoveries of finding out who you are in growing up into a man or woman.

We meet the hormone/puberty monsters and Andrews’ monster is so out there and hilarious because they don’t have subtlety. He turns Andrew, who was a shy nerdy kid, into a young man who is constantly wanting sex and human contact just to relieve himself.  The monsters forgo decency and just give their humans the worst advice on how to handle their urges. As the season continues, we delve more and more into the kids learning new lessons and trying to somehow not lose themselves while changing so much with puberty. Showing the need to return to their own innocence and just be good friends before all of the hormones start having their personalities and their attitudes change whether for the good or the bad.

The humor is definitely in your face. It is gut busting as well as cringe worthy. There are some moments when Nick and Andrew talk that are hilarious based on the immaturity, the naivety, and also just smart dialogue. Some of the uncomfortable humor does involve those characters too but mostly involves Jay and Jessi. Jay is just a dog and some of his humor is just absurd and so out there.

It is hard to figure out if it is really funny or are you laughing because you’re uncomfortable. Jessi’s descent into puberty offers some weird humor that made me as a man, feel uneasy, but that can just be me. Some of the comedy has been hit or miss at times. The overall feeling is that it’s in good fun and it does have a lot going on. The immature mind enjoying it a lot and the mature side also finding some of the jokes indeed laughable.

Overall, season one is a lot of fun. The main characters have their quirks and their own sense of humor and comedy. The ensemble characters like coach Steve and the monsters are greatly needed in making the show flow with lots of jokes and face palming expressions. I’m glad I did watch the show and I look forward to seeing season 2 and what craziness will take place.

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Sweetpea

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Sweetpea is a new dark comedy series created by Kristie Swain and adapted from a novel series by CJ Skuse. The series stars the ethereal goddess that is Ella Purnell (Fallout, Yellowjackets) using her actual English accent! 

Purnell plays a young woman whose name is not actually Sweetpea, though she is very much a wallflower. Though even Wallflower might have too much gravitas, Rhiannon (Purnell) is treated by those around her like a weed. She is stepped on and ignored by everyone except her dad and pet chihuahua. Many have argued that Purnell is just ‘too pretty’ to be that abjectly ignored by everyone. However, Purnell is an amazing actress who plays the washed-out, doe-eyed, shrinking ‘sweetpea’ so convincingly. 

Rhiannon was bullied heavily in school which led to her developing trichotillomania (a hair-pulling disorder) which ultimately caused bald patches on her scalp. She still keeps an unconvincing brunette wig in a drawer in her bedroom. Rhiannon’s dad is constantly encouraging Rhiannon to stand up for herself. Unfortunately (light spoiler!) Rhiannon’s Dad dies from his illness in the first episode, leaving her alone in the world. 

Rhiannon returns home to the large empty house she once shared with her dad. After yet another tragic incident Rhiannon looks at her life, her thirst for revenge is obvious. Particularly against her main school bully Julia Blenkingsopp (Nicôle Lecky).

Rhiannon sees Julia as having a perfect life and didn’t peak in high school “like bullies are supposed to do!”. When Rhiannon returned to work as an admin assistant for a local paper, not only did none of her colleagues notice her absence but they didn’t acknowledge her return. The only person who appears to talk to her is her boss Norman played by Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) who condescendingly calls her “sweetpea” and demands tea. 

Rhiannon’s mental state declines enough for her to finally confront Julia in a club. Julia and her friends laugh at Rhiannon which brings memories of school back and anxiously tugging at her hair. This leads Rhiannon to commit a horrifying yet liberating crime when leaving the club leading to a whole new way of expressing herself.

What I Liked:

I enjoyed watching Rhiannon’s confidence grow throughout the series. Purnell herself spoke about the production of subtlety added makeup to subconsciously influence the change in her. Rhiannon transformed from a shrinking girl to a hip-swaying, go-getting career woman. Yet its clear there is a lot of mental turmoil within Rhiannon. Purnell (2024) jokes that she actually “got kinda jacked”  due to the tension she held in her body whilst suppressing Rhiannon’s rage. Purnell also comments on how freeing it was to let it all out which Rhiannon does many times and is just as satisfying for the audience!

Initially, I found every character rather one-dimensional and stale compared to Purnell. However, as the show progresses most characters become multifaceted, particularly Julia. The narrative of the show really makes you question your own morals and sense of justice. You find yourself making excuses for Rhiannon and almost cheering her on when you really, really shouldn’t.

I also enjoyed how the show explores the victim complex. Is Rhiannon really a victim or has she taken on this mantle and lived her life accordingly? Sweetpea expertly plays with the shades of grey in the ideas of what makes someone a bully and what makes someone a victim. 

Sweetpea fits in perfectly in the genre of British black comedy. Scenes like when Rhiannon is clearing out her chest freezer and then climbs in herself to see if it could potentially fit a body. The door of the freezer almost closes on her but she catches it just in time. This scene perfectly captures just what kind of character Rhiannon is.

I also liked how the character’s houses were used as metaphors for their lives. The home Rhiannon shared with her father is messy and cozy yet in desperate need of TLC and repair much like Rhiannon herself. You can tell it’s a well-loved home with a long history much like Rhiannon and her father’s relationship. In stark contrast to Julia’s fiercely stylish and minimalistic home which she shares with her fiancé. It’s sleek and modern yet ultimately empty with little sign of love. 

The opening credits and music choices are also fire.

What Could Be Improved:

Like many others, I didn’t quite believe someone as beautiful as Purnell would be completely ignored by the general public. It did look at times like they were relying on drab clothing and too light foundation to make her look mousey. However, as stated, Purnell’s performance does save it.

The main ‘love triangle’ (if could even call it that) was a bit forced. Calam Lynch’s portrayal of Rhiannon’s colleague ‘AJ’ was a bit too enamored with Rhiannon with no real build-up. However, I found myself really enjoying Jon Pointing’s portrayal of ‘Craig’ and wishing his arc had been explored more. 

I really wanted the show to lean more into the exploration of ‘abuser’ and the ‘abused’ and take it to a deeper level. Maybe in series 2?

All in all, I enjoyed this traverse through Sweetpea’s world. I am interested to see where they go with it in the future.

Three and a half stars.

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Is This the Scariest Movie Ever?

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It’s been called the scariest movie ever. Or the grimmest, bleakest, and most brutal. The post-apocalyptic drama; Threads, has only been aired three times, its premiere in 1984 (appropriate year), 1985, and 2024 for its 40th anniversary. Threads has also been made available on streaming services. The anniversary has stirred up memories from its initial release which has been dubbed ‘the night Britain did not sleep!’

Threads is a BBC-produced TV movie which explores what would happen if a nuclear bomb was dropped on the English city of Sheffield.

The film is structured like a documentary; with a voiceover speaking to the audience in a clipped, received pronunciation BBC English. The narrator speaks over what is possibly stock footage of a spider weaving its web, or its threads. The narrator explains how in urban society everything connects and how we all rely on one another’s skills to survive. Ominously the narrator points out how fragile these threads are.

THREAD 1 – FAMILY

The film then cuts to our two leads Ruth (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy (Reece Dinsdale). These two young lovebirds are in a car over looking the Sheffield countryside. A fighter jet flies overhead as Ruth remarks how “peaceful” it is. We follow Ruth Beckett and Jimmy Kemp as they navigate an unplanned pregnancy.

The film plays like a ‘kitchen sink drama’. I have heard ‘kitchen sink’ described as an ‘anti-Hollywood’ where everyone has their natural teeth and skin texture. The film looks similar to a British soap opera. 

Whilst the narrative at this point just skirts around somewhat boring, it is clear something is playing out globally in the background. We see it on newspaper covers and hear snippets on radios and TVs. There is a situation unfolding in the Middle East with tensions building between the Soviets and the USA. Troops are mobilized and more importantly, nuclear warheads are moved. 

And then it happens.

THREAD 2- SECURITY

At almost 50 minutes in, the bomb finally drops. The literal bomb that is. The omnipresent narrator tells us it is 8.30 am in the UK meaning it is 3.30 am in Washington DC; Western response will be at its slowest. 

The bomb scene is incredibly powerful. This is where the ‘kitchen sink’ realism really comes into its own. It looks like any other British high street but people are running around screaming looking for shelter amidst the blaring siren. Children are being scooped up from their prams and the panic is palpable. Infamously one businesswoman is staring up at the blooming mushroom cloud rising above the city, the camera pans to see urine running down her trouser leg and pooling at her 80’s white heels.

There is constant screaming as buildings explode, windows smash, and curtains catch fire.

Text informs us that 210 megatons in total fell on the UK with an estimated 2.5 – 9 million casualties.

THREAD 3 – SOCIETY

Ruth exits her parents’ destroyed house to look for Jimmy. In her old neighborhood she is greeted by a horrendous sight. The whole street looks like that of The Blitz; with dead pets and both parents and children looking for each other. A shell-shocked woman covered in ash asks Ruth; “have you seen our Mandy?” she is proffering what looks to be a child’s coat, as if Mandy forgot her coat when going outside to play. A charred corpse with perfect white intact teeth (probably dentures) is embedded into a building. A staring woman is clutching the burnt remains of her infant.

After this, the horrific scenes come thick and fast. 

Food has become the new currency and food stores are protected by force. It is here we see the figure who has haunted many viewers nightmares. The armed traffic warden with the bandaged face. Played by an extra who actually was a traffic warden in real life!

Hospitals are overrun with the injured. The harried staff are using sheets as bandages and table salt to disinfect contaminated water. Doctors resorting to amputation with no anesthetic. 

THREAD 4 – CHILDREN

Ruth gives birth to a healthy child. A little girl named Jane. Ruth gives birth alone in a barn and has to bite through the umbilical cord. Later, on Christmas Day no less, a group of survivors gathers around a fire in the barn looking like a macabre nativity scene.

 But what sort of world has Ruth brought her daughter into? We are told it is ten years later and society has returned to medieval times with the nuclear winter and UV damage affecting the crops. Jane does not call Ruth ‘mum’ only ‘Ruth’ and has no reaction when Ruth finally dies. Are the people in this society so profoundly broken by the sheer amount of loss and trauma that they can no longer form familial bonds? Has that thread been cut? 

There is clearly little regard for human life anymore. Jane walks past three corpses hanging in the foreground paying them no attention. Is this a mass suicide or an execution? The corpses are also bare. Have people stolen their clothes to protect themselves from the harsh nuclear winter? Images such as these, shown for mere seconds can tell you so much about the situation. 

THREAD 5 – LANGUAGE

In the second half of the film, there is barely any dialogue. Any words spoken by Jane and her peers are some strange form of pidgin English. Many fans have argued that language would not degrade that quickly. However, these children have been brought up by deeply traumatized parents (if they had parents at all). People barely speak anymore and death and disease are extremely common. Is it any surprise that mankind has been brought down to its most basic level? Or is this the cognitive effects of growing up around high levels of radiation? 

Many fans comment how Threads gives no hope. But there appears to be a rudimentary school system-cum-workhouse with Jane and her peers watching an old educational video. Although the last scene definitely takes away from the tepid hope we are shown.

SO IS IT SCARY?

Well….as I had heard about the film through cultural osmosis I knew what to expect. I appreciate that during the 80’s, living in the fog of the Cold War, a nuclear holocaust was looking more and more likely. Having a film at that time showing exactly what it would look like if it were to happen in a typical British city would be horrifying. 

With the film being set up as a documentary speaking to some unknown in the future, it is interesting when you are watching from the future. Before COVID I would think it was so unrealistic; the way a lot of people didn’t take the crisis seriously until they were practically underneath the bomb. Now I know differently. Everything is fine until it’s not and we don’t tend to tackle a crisis until it is right on our doorstep. Like Mr Kemp with his trousers down on the loo as the bomb went off, we are so ill-prepared. And all the systems (or threads) in place that you thought would protect you, such as the government, are just ill-equipped.

It is an extremely well-done film especially when I learned the budget was £400,000 (about 1.2 million today). The acting is superb and I can see why it’s such an iconic film. In today’s current climate Threads is more relevant than ever. Would highly recommend it.

Five Stars.

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Nobody Wants This on Netflix

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Rating 8 10

Nobody Wants This, Netflix’s 2024 rom-com series, strikes a rare balance between familiar genre tropes and genuine originality. A surprising hit, it uses its single season to dive into the messiness of modern romance and human connection with a witty yet sincere approach that lingers after each episode.

At its heart, Nobody Wants This is a deep dive into everyday chaos, capturing life’s unfiltered messes in an unexpectedly heartfelt way. The show centers on two vastly different individuals brought together by chance, forced into a string of awkward encounters and life-defining moments. It’s a refreshing twist on classic rom-com setups, letting its characters face the consequences of their choices in a realistic way. Watching them stumble, adapt, and connect is like watching a slice of real life—raw, funny, and unexpectedly moving.

The writing shines with sharp, clever dialogue that feels both authentic and emotionally rich. Conversations capture not just how people speak but how they connect, creating exchanges that feel ripped straight from real life. Moments of verbal sparring and raw emotion are as delightful as the iconic banter of rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally, yet the story stays grounded, playing with the unpredictability of genuine connection. The direction adds another layer, framing everyday moments—like missed calls and clumsy first dates—with a cinematic flair that highlights the beauty in life’s chaos.

The chemistry between the lead actors is palpable, and their performances are infused with an authenticity that makes their characters’ flaws endearing. They grow with each episode, making the journey feel impactful and rewarding. The supporting cast adds even more depth, complementing the storyline without overshadowing the central romance.

Beyond romance, Nobody Wants This explores themes of self-discovery and connection, capturing the unpredictability of finding oneself—and perhaps someone else—in the chaos of life. Without giving too much away, the season finale is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, striking a perfect balance between realism and hope. It’s a conclusion that feels genuine, giving viewers a satisfying emotional payoff.

In a world where rom-coms can often feel formulaic, Nobody Wants This brings new life to the genre. It celebrates love’s imperfections, the inevitability of mistakes, and the connections that emerge in spite of it all. This series is more than entertainment; it resonates deeply, leaving viewers laughing, crying, and rooting for its characters.

As Roger Ebert once said, “Movies are like a machine that generates empathy.” While Nobody Wants This is a series, it achieves this empathy with grace, proving that even the simplest stories can have a profound impact.

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