For Millennials. By Millennials.
Recently, I binge-watched three entire seasons of Netflix’s Big Mouth. I’m not going to lie, at first, the show did not appeal to me. Yet I gave it a try and got hooked right after a few episodes. It’s an animated series about kids which is definitely not for kids to watch. Big Mouth, is a unique comedy where we see a bunch of kids going through the most difficult part of adolescence: puberty. Though, the show creators Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg added something interesting in the mix and gave us Hormone Monsters.
What Are the Hormone Monsters in Big Mouth
Now, Hormone monsters are fictional but what they say is exactly what the voices in my head told me while I was going through puberty. Don’t worry, I’m not schizophrenic but the impulses and sexual urges were made worse thanks to my hormone levels going haywire. Whenever I see the hormone monsters Maury (voiced by Nick Kroll) and Connie (Maya Rudolph), it’s like my hormones finally got their perfect mascots.
But one interesting to note here is that all the main characters get assigned to a Hormone Monster according to their gender except two.
Who Got Which Hormone Monsters
Here’s the whole Big Mouth cast that got a monster or monstress according to their gender. Andrew Glouberman (voiced by John Mulaney) gets Maury. Whereas, Jessi X (voiced by Jessi Klein) gets Connie. Similarly, Missy (voiced by Jenny Slate) gets Roxanne (voiced by Thandie Newton). Even Matthew is assigned, Maury.
However, Nick Birch doesn’t get a Hormone monster. He got a really old one that was male but that one retired. Then Nick got the Hormone Monstress, Connie! At first, Nick resisted but eventually, he warmed up to the idea of having a female Hormone monstress. This could have just been to add a little flair to the story.
But, it could signify something much bigger.
Nick Birch May Become a Transgender
Now, I got to give credit where is due. No online forum informed of this theory neither did my brain. A rather candid and interesting conversation with my sister-in-law leads to her sharing her theory about Nick being transgender.
We aren’t told much of this alternate reality where Hormone Monsters are working in a professional office except that it exists and their water cooler talk is a bit different than ours. But we do know that each kid gets assigned a Hormone monster according to their gender. The only exception is Nick.
The puberty symptoms that Nick Birch was experiencing was that of ‘hard ni-ples’ too. That’s one of the main signs the girl goes through during puberty. It might also explain the unusually small size of his penis.
Why It May Not Happen
I was convinced when I heard this theory. But I am still 50/50 on this. Nick still portrays classic masculinity which doesn’t unnerve him for the most part. He keeps uttering the words ‘Big Dick Energy’ to exert his dominance over his peers or as a joke. Either way, he loves that line.
Plus, the creator Nick Kroll has modeled the character of Nick Birch after himself. Now, we know Nick Kroll has not expressed that he is transgender or that he identifies as a female. Sure in the Nick Kroll Show, he does a variety of sketches where he has no problem of impersonating as a woman.
But we cannot assume anything about his gender identity until he expresses it out himself. I guess the same could be said about the character of Nick Birch.
I’m just curious about this unique placement of Hormone Monsters. Hopefully, the fourth season may reveal something more about it.