Comedy
Shifting Gears
Matt and his estranged daughter, Riley, embark on a restoration of the dented bumpers of their relationship.
Human emotions are complex. That’s why the monsters of Human Resources manage them for you.
One human provides more than enough work for all the Logic Rocks, Hormone Monsters, Shame Wizards and more to deal with. But everyone does their part, and it all flows (generally) smoothly as they appear to their respective clients, invisible to all other people.
But that smooth flow is interrupted when Sonya the Lovebug is suddenly fired from her job, and her assistant, Emmy the Lovebug, must step in for her.
That wouldn’t be all bad if not for the fact that Emmy doesn’t really know how to do her own job, let alone Sonya’s. What’s more, her very first human, Becca, is a soon-to-be first-time mother who desperately needs to learn how to love her husband and baby as she grapples with postpartum depression.
Well…at least the job offers dental.
Pixar’s Inside Out offered a unique story depicting sentient human emotions who guide us in the actions of our everyday life. It explored deep topics regarding happiness and depression, and it told a loving story of how parents can come alongside their children as they wrestle with their complicated feelings as they grow up.
Apparently, Human Resources liked the idea of emotions controlling our lives. But they thought the movie was sorely lacking in sexual references every two sentences.
Human Resources’ take on sentient emotions is a bit different in that every emotive monster absolutely worships sex as the end-all, be-all. To these characters, the pinnacle of existence is all about sexual activity, and the only thing that would possibly divert their attention is hardcore drug use. The show, based in the same universe as creators Jennifer Flackett, Kelly Galuska and Andrew Goldberg’s Big Mouth, relies on the tried-and-true middle school comedy routine of “haha, it’s funny because sex.”
It’s not to say that it’s all bad. A portion of the show centers around new mother Becca’s struggle with postpartum depression. It helps the audience to understand just how hard the issue can be for mothers, physically, mentally and even societally as Becca wrestles with why she feels this way when other mothers seem to be doing just fine. And watching the struggles Becca endures while dealing with postpartum depression is something that helps the audience empathize with mothers who do endure it.
But any plot within this show is really just filler for another sexual quip or encounter. Viewers wade through a sea of harsh language and drug references. Anyone watching the show for the postpartum plot line will also have to navigate graphic animated sex scenes and bodily fluids, masturbation, orgies, nudity and homosexual relationships (which are also graphically sexual in nature). It is apparent that the “Lovebug” monsters in the show know very little about love, but they would wear the “Lustbug” title well.
Human Resources, intentionally or not, conflates love with sex and the maximization of self-pleasure. Characters’ love within the show is entirely conditional based on how well their partner can serve them. Christians know that love is actually the opposite—it is sacrificial and unconditional, patient and kind, enduring all things and forgiving all wrongs (1 Cor. 13:4-8, Prov. 10:12).
But you won’t find those definitions of love within this animated show, and that’s perhaps the solace we can take in it—that it’s a work of animated fiction. It reminds us that the idea the show purports—that the pursuit of unrestrained sex and total self-pleasure has little-to-no consequences—is also a work of fiction.
While a pregnant Becca is days away from giving birth, her Lovebug Sonya—responsible for making her feel loving emotions—is fired, leaving an inexperienced Lovebug named Emmy to sub in.
When Emmy is asked about her date, she says the two of them went straight to sex. Emmy considers whether one of her impressions would be considered anti-Semitic. Emmy passionately kisses Dante the Addiction Angel, and her legs are seen wrapping around him. Dante asks Emmy to meet him in the bathroom so he can do cocaine off her rear. Emmy conducts a survey asking if people would rather excrete out of their eyes or see out of their behinds.
Emmy and her recently fired boss, Sonya, drink at a bar, and Emmy is visibly drunk. When Emmy arrives at the house of Becca, her assigned human, she is still drunk, and she is found urinating in Becca’s toilet. While Becca is giving birth, Emmy throws up, and then she slips on her vomit. After Becca gives birth, Emmy says anyone who calls the baby cute is a liar.
Becca makes a crude reference to an embarrassing act involving female genitals. Becca mentions that she has “weed pens” in her underwear drawer. Becca’s water breaks, which Emmy mistakes for urine. While in labor, Becca calls her baby a parasite, and she crudely describes the pain of childbirth. She gives birth, and we watch the baby emerge from her genitals in graphic detail.
Maury, a Hormone Monster who works with Emmy, references sex toys. He threatens a coworker with physical violence and references a time when he made a child ejaculate on his deceased grandfather.
A large number of sentient male genitalia covered in fur throw a surprise birthday party for Maury. They show him a slideshow, and in it, we see a caveman discovering masturbation. Cave drawings of stick figures with large breasts and in sexual positions are seen behind the caveman. Another photo shows Maury writing the Kama Sutra, a highly graphic sex manual of sorts and two people are seen having sex in the background. Other slides show two boys kissing, the furry male genitalia attending an elementary school with a crude name and a photo referencing the aforementioned child stimulating himself at his grandfather’s funeral. Maury and the genitalia all plan to masturbate in honor of Maury’s birthday.
Two other Hormone Monsters, Gil and Joe, reference a crude sport, masturbation and a VR app for sex. Joe mentions that he’s “perfectly satisfied getting children to touch their privates,” and Gil makes a reference to erectile dysfunction. The two visit the “Bizarre Bazaar,” where monsters sell crystals, fortunes, prophecies and tarot card readings. A monster “unblocks” Gil’s heart chakra, and Gil is upset because he thought they were going to have sex. Gil and Joe call religion “mumbo-jumbo” and call humans who believe in it “idiots.”
Sonya is forcefully dragged out of her office by security. Another coworker references Sonya’s frequent drinking and how she allegedly had sex with the Grinch, causing them to comment on the size of his genitals. Sonya threatens Emmy with physical violence, and a coworker references Emmy’s alcoholism.
Tito the Anxiety Mosquito laments that Emmy may get Becca’s placenta on herself. A swarm of anxiety mosquitos say Becca’s dog will bite her baby’s face off, and the “ugly baby” will smoke Becca’s weed.
Connie, a hormone monstress, makes a crude sexual reference relating birthdays to sexual stimulation. She offers to perform a sexual act on Maury for his birthday, but when she gets called for a job, it is implied that Maury performs the act on himself.
A man and woman are seen wearing bondage attire, and various sex toys are seen in a briefcase next to them. It is revealed that the man is cheating on his wife. A monster with a crude name is made up of multiple sets of male genitals. Monsters in a meeting make crude references to Becca and Barry’s sex life and semen. A monster coworker brings another monster a bouquet of male genitalia. Two monsters smoke. An ambition gremlin commands a man to swallow multiple Adderall. A shame monster references erectile dysfunction. A barista monster sneezes fresh coffee from his nostril for a customer.
The f-word is used around 40 times, and the s-word is used 13 times. “H—” is uttered 11 times, and “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “p-ss” and “b–tard” are also heard on multiple occasions. Crude references to male and female genitalia are used frequently, and a character shows their middle finger once. God’s name is misused 14 times, and six of those are followed by “d–n.” Jesus’ name is inappropriately used three times. Becca calls Emmy an “idiot.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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