“Human Resources” Hits Home

If you liked the Netflix series “Big Mouth”, chances are you will like “Human Resources”. Even if you did not like “Big Mouth”, the new spin-off series may pique your interest. Although the cartoon is, believe it or not, more vulgar than its predecessor, “Human Resources” explores the depths of the human experience and all of the emotions packaged with it in a way that live-action shows cannot. 

In “Big Mouth”, viewers were introduced to creatures like the Hormone Monsters, the Depression Kitty, Tito the Anxiety Mosquito and the Gratitoad. The show also features middle schoolers and their families, as well as the struggles of puberty. Although the show was vulgar, the characters spent much of the series experiencing milestones and navigating relationships as preteens. 

“Human Resources” takes viewers deeper into the world of the creatures and their workplace. Each creature, like Maury the Hormone Monster, has its own clientele that they visit in the human world. Their office, however, is full of new coworkers and creatures. Emmy the Lovebug, for example, is introduced as a main character. She is a typical slack-off who has to learn to accept more responsibility and take on her first client, a pregnant woman named Becca. 

All of the characters are adults, including the creatures. This sets the show apart from the prior. “Human Resources” further delves into the complex human emotions of adults as opposed to the struggles of kids, like in “Big Mouth”. The creatures have to deal with the complexities of adulthood, including sexual partners, marriage and unrequited workplace crushes. 

Amidst all of the silliness of the show, one human family faces a more serious issue than any of the other human clients: death. Amir, a father to two daughters, moves his elderly mother, Yara, into his house during her final days. Yara’s Lovebug becomes distraught over the declining state of his client, as does Amir. Soon, Amir is visited by Kieth from Grief, a wooly blue sweater with feet. Amir and his Logic Rock (another creature) choose to ignore Kieth and focus their energy on Yara. 

Avoiding Keith makes him angry, so he begins to grow and chase Amir, yelling his mantra, “The only way out is through! The only way out is through!” Amir then accepts Kieth and wears him as a sweater as he comes to terms with Yara’s worsening state and eventual death. 

Critics of “Big Mouth” and “Human Resources” may argue that these shows are unnecessarily inappropriate or not funny. However, “Human Resources” only solidifies the messages of both shows and the importance of emotions and experiences. This show cleverly animates human concepts that were once intangible and makes the human experience, including death, feel a little more universal and a little easier to make it through.