Relive the best and worst years of your life with Big Mouth, the adult cartoon about kids grappling with puberty. It’s an awkward, lewd, and totally hilarious look at the challenges of growing up including first zits, first boners, and yes, first loves. The relationships between the main characters are at the heart of the show, and in typical teenage fashion, there are many of them.
There to help the main characters navigate first dates, school dances, and strange hormonal urges are their trusty Hormone Monsters, the impish creatures that provide guidance for puberty’s rigors. The Hormone Monsters even get a little frisky with one another, especially since their entire job is concerned with - as Lola would say - “rubbing fronts”. Whether you ship Gina the overly-developed new girl and Nick the late-bloomer, or detest Coach Steve getting it on with Jay’s mom, here are the best and the worst relationships the show has to offer.
Best Relationships
Nick & Gina
Gina became the object of a lot of the guys’ affection when she was introduced in season 2. She was the first girl to develop breasts at their school, which became a particular point of obsession for Nick. Though his hormones eventually get the better of him when she allows him to cop a feel, their banter up until then was extremely entertaining.
To his credit, Nick attempted to apologize at the school slumber party for telling Jessi about the incident, but the apology itself left something to be desired (especially since he blamed Devin). Unfortunately, their chemistry wasn’t revitalized in season 3.
Nick’s Parents
Because Nick is one of the true main characters of Big Mouth, his home life is examined quite a bit. Of all the parents, Nick’s have the most well-adjusted and loving relationship. Sure, it may be a little “intense” for Nick’s taste, but compared to the rest of his friends, he can only hope to grow up with a partner he’s still madly into even after two decades of marriage.
Nick’s parents constantly compliment each other, subvert gender expectations, and represent true teamwork. They’re a far cry from The Gloubermans, with Andrew’s dad verbally berating his mother and everyone around him, or the Glasers, with Jessi’s mom verbally berating her dad.
Matthew & Jay
Spin the bottle/smooch and share and a sleepover in the school gymnasium blossomed into something fans of the series never saw coming; a romance between Jay and Matthew, the caustic Queen of the morning announcements. Despite getting it on with his pillows, Jay apparently never saw himself as someone that could be attracted to men.
Still, he developed a fat crush on Matthew who, to his credit, handled Jay’s sexual identity crisis with as much patience as he could muster. Certain fans called Jay a very positive representation of a bisexual character, and since season 5, Jay and Matthew have been in an equally positive depiction of a healthy relationship.
Connie & Maury
The show may be about kids going through puberty, but Hormone Monsters Connie and Maurice (Maury) are arguably the stars of the show. They’re the driving, sweaty force behind its most awkward, obscene, and hilarious moments. They have a history of helping horny teenagers, and their banter as coworkers and lovers shows their intimate connection.
Connie and Maury operate as instigators of mayhem and mischief in the series, inspiring the main cast of characters to give into their most lustful thoughts and actions. But when the Hormone Monsters turn all that sexual energy towards one another? They’re part of Big Mouth’s best episodes.
Jessi & Jay
What initially began as an unlikely pairing, the concept of Jessi and Jay in a relationship turned out to be the best thing to happen to both characters. Jay, normally self-centered and abrasive, was the only male friend Jessi had that took it seriously when she got her period, unlike Nick and Andrew who were obsessed with Gina’s breasts.
And Jessi, for all her aggressive tendencies in Season 1, became her carefree self again when she decided to leave home with Jay. They were exactly who each other needed by the end of Season 1. season 2 didn’t prove as cathartic for them, but perhaps Season 3 will see a reunion of J & J.
Lola & Jay
With their strong personalities, dirty jokes, and taste for adventure, Lola and Jay are two of the best characters on Big Mouth and a standout pairing of season 4. Even though they fight like cats and dogs, they always find a way to reconcile, and their on-again, off-again romance is exciting and edgy.
Unfortunately, the flame that burns twice as bright goes out twice as fast, and Lola and Jay have to cool it but remain frenemies into season 5. Their Bonnie & Clyde adventures are much more dynamic than anything their fourteen-year-old friends are doing.
Jessi & Judd
Jessi starts getting a crush on Judd, Nick’s edgy older brother, in season 5, but he only sees her as one of Nick’s peers. This doesn’t stop him from talking with Jessi and validating her feelings, though she tends to be less articulate around him than any of her friends.
Even though he’s more of a fantasy figure for her, Judd is an important person in Jessi’s life because he represents her awakening as a woman in more ways than one. Season 6 focuses on their relationship reaching new heights and Jessi maturing as an individual who has learned not to cast her own feelings aside to please a partner.
Worst Relationships
Andrew & Missy
There almost couldn’t be two more awkward teens on the show than Andrew and Missy, but what they lack in smooth social skills, they make up for with enthusiasm. Missy’s open-minded upbringing allows her to be much more assertive than Andrew when it comes to their romance, which overrides Andrew’s hormonal insecurities.
Ultimately though, not only did Missy outgrow Andrew when she realized she needed to focus on her own development, Andrew was getting increasingly impatient that she wasn’t meeting his expectations as a romantic partner, and turned into a real jerk by My Furry Valentine. Fans loved Missy’s growth in season 4 and the fact that she’d moved well beyond Andrew.
Lola & Andrew
Big Mouth is all about subverting stereotypes, and gender role reversal is no more apparent than in Lola and Andrew’s relationship. Lola is strong, aggressive, and takes what she wants. She has little to no emotional intelligence and acts completely on impulse to the point of physical brutality.
Andrew, by contrast, is seen as sensitive, caring, and where Lola is concerned, a pushover. Their relationship, while it had some very funny moments, ultimately highlighted a poor archetype; that women can be physically abusive to men without repercussions, and it’s funny, whereas the reverse would be taken very seriously.
Andrew’s Parents & Jessi’s Parents
Andrew and Jessi’s parents are perfect examples of what happens when all the love goes out of a long-term relationship. Andrew’s parents, the Gloubermans, perfectly capture the fallout of a verbally abusive father who only shows moments of kindness to his kin. Andrew has almost no way of knowing how to express love in a way that isn’t resentful or at a loud volume.
Jessi’s parents are similar, except it’s her mother that takes on the domineering role, endlessly vexed about her husband’s weed problem. She views him as a waste of space, which is why he’s regulated to living in the basement. Jessi doesn’t believe true love is possible, as she watches her parent’s marriage deteriorate in front of her.
Nick & Jessi
Nick and Jessi came together early on in season 1, and initially, it seemed as though they were a match made in prepubescent paradise. Each of them possessed a sarcastic wit and a dark sense of humor. Unfortunately, the mean-spirited nature of their comical interactions soured what might have been something worthwhile.
The pithy banter they engaged in early on in season 1 became bitter and resentful by the middle, and it was clear that they would either end up hating each other, so they decided to break up before there was no longer a possibility of them being friends. They were one of Big Mouth’s best duos and luckily they remained that way.
Coach Steve & Jay’s Mom
Jay has a pretty horrible home life - so much so that he puts creepy cameras in Nick’s house just to spy on what a healthy home life is supposed to look like. He’s neglected by his family, most notably his mom, whose main focus is cruising for men.
She eventually approaches Coach Steve, the PE teacher who has his own Hormone Monster despite being middle-aged, for a one-night stand. While it was great that Coach Steve lost his V-card and all, it was pretty traumatizing for poor Jay, who had to be privy to details of the encounter.
Jessi & Ali
Ali and Jessi have had a complicated relationship brewing since Ali’s first appearance as the “new girl” in season 3. As a pansexual person who’s romantically attracted to both girls and boys, Ali is the topic of rumors and gossip, and Jessi tries to be an ally and support her whenever she can, even if it means angering Ali’s girlfriend Samira, who’s jealous of their friendship.
Unfortunately, Ali often puts Samira’s feelings before Jessi’s, even when Jessi isn’t trying to sabotage their relationship. Their friendship would benefit from transparent communication, but they so often assume each other’s perspectives, resulting in a long series of miscommunications highlighting the unique dynamics of teenage girls’ interpersonal relationships.
Jessi & Michelangelo
Jessi dates Michelangelo in season 4 after they both find out they’re skipping school, and the young street artist is soon leading her down a path of rebellious exploration. They make out, they skip school, and vape together, driving a wedge between Jessi and her friends.
Michelangelo guilt trips Jessi into doing things she’s uncomfortable with, like giving him a handjob, and when the deed doesn’t turn out the way he wants, he dumps her. He shouldn’t have made her do something she wasn’t ready to do, and made her prioritize his ego over her own comfort.
