‘Big Mouth’ spinoff succeeds in keeping up with its outlandish behavior
Photo Courtesy of Collider
On March 18, the spin-off of the critically acclaimed Netflix adult animation series “Big Mouth,” was released, titled “Human Resources.” The spin-off stars Aidy Bryant portraying Emmy, a female Lovebug who is assigned to Becca (Ali Wong) after her boss Sonya (Pamela Adlon) was fired from her position. Despite being a Lovebug, Fairfax struggles to show affection, and throughout the series, she looks to find herself before becoming a successful Lovebug.
In the beginning, we see Emmy as nothing but a train wreck, constantly showing up to work drunk, hooking up with an Addiction Angel and starting fights with other Lovebugs in the office. Emmy eventually starts to realize what her purpose is by befriending Rochelle (Keke Palmer), a Hate-Worm turned Lovebug. Despite their friendship going through multiple obstacles, such as Hillhurst falling for Emmy’s boyfriend Dante (Hugh Jackman), they both end up building a strong relationship that will continue in future seasons. Fairfax also bonds with another experienced Lovebug named Walter (Brandon Kyle Goodman).
The series’ first episode, “Birth,” starts off strong with Emmy facing the challenging task of picking up the pieces Sonya has left behind. Emmy attempts to figure out how to deal with a stressed-out Becca, as she deals with her pregnancy ending and the pressures of being a Chinese American mother. Here, audiences see a diverse and refreshing cast, more so than its predecessor. As the season progresses, we meet Black characters, queer characters and people from diverse backgrounds in life.
The show also features familiar faces such as Maury the Hormone Monster (Nick Kroll), who helps adolescent males go through puberty, and Connie the Hormone Monstress (Maya Rudolph) who helps adolescent females go through puberty. Maury and Connie are both monsters who care for one another and throughout the series realize that they love each other. The Shame Wizard (David Thewlis) returns as well, continuing his mission to haunt children through puberty by representing their deepest and darkest regrets. However, the Shame Wizard has trouble with his own personal regrets and tries to prove that he is capable of being successful at his job.
Creator Nick Kroll continues to push the boundaries of raunchy animated television. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, “Human Resources” is a spin-off that does not overstay its welcome and is a fresh take on “Big Mouth.” One of the biggest successes of this new series is that every new and old character fits in perfectly – for example, the new addition to the show, the Logic Rock (Randall Park). The Logic Rock is the straight man in a show that is full of bizarre characters and, even then, can push the envelope and build his own identity. While building a character that tends to be on the calmer side of things, he is still able to deliver funny lines and go through the typical emotions that us humans may experience on a regular basis.
“Human Resources” is able to separate itself from “Big Mouth” with heartwarming moments that may occur less frequently in the original series, one being the death of Yara (Nidah Barber), Walter’s human assignment who passes away due to old age/dementia. We get to see all the memorable moments of Yara’s life in a montage, as well as all the moments shared with Walter. It is one of the deepest episodes in the history of the “Big Mouth” franchise and depicts how grief is such a tough situation for anyone to go through.
In a review from the Collider by Rebecca Landman, she said, “‘Human Resources’ not only crafts funnier moments and stronger stories [than Big Mouth], but it also creates more delicious chaos around the emotions and hormonal imbalances its various monsters and creatures are meant to represent, saying even more about how we as humans relate to our feelings.”
The raunchiness and creativity are what have driven Kroll into securing a successful spin-off. This is the “Inside Out” of characters that possess our strangest and unwanted desires. “Human Resources” delivers on all fronts, and given the popularity of these Netflix originals, it is safe to say that we will continue to learn more about all these different monsters, creatures and normal humans that have been given gracious care and focus.
