In rom-coms, the story concludes after the two leads get together. It ends in a firework of sparks, proclamations of love and starry-eyed promises. But what happens after? Nobody Wants This is keen to really explore the ups and downs of a romantic relationship. This comes at a cost though: things are more authentic and therefore uglier. This might grate with viewers who expected more of the rom-com energy of season 1. I appreciated the shift and the attempt to really portray the day to day reality of romantic relationships.
In the first season, rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) was the dreamiest guy, this season, he’s infinitely more real. As Noah and Joanne (Kristen Bell) get more serious, Noah’s in unchartered territory because he’s with a woman who isn’t Jewish, and so much of his being revolves around his Jewish identity. He gets passed over for his dream job, leaves current job, and finds himself working with a whole group of more modern Jewish individuals that looks at things quite differently from him. He’s struggling and trying not to take his frustrations out on Joanne and their relationship, but he’s also holding himself back from fully committing because of her lack of conversion. For Joanne, she’s all in with Noah, less so with Judaism. There’s pressure as she feels the expectation is for her to convert, but she isn’t quite at the place where she’s ready to make the leap just for herself and not because of Noah.
Brody and Bell have comfortable chemistry with each other this season – less combustible, more domestic, but ultimately more true to how couples are in real life. The romance is contained to smaller moments: Noah buying her a night table when he sees her struggling with the one he has, Joanne quietly observing Noah and letting him slowly open up about his troubles at work. It’s not big and showy, especially when everything Noah plans on Valentine’s day ends up falling apart. The joy lies in watching Noah and Joanne communicate their problems and their issues, and working together to solve things.
Their relationship contrasts Esther (Jackie Tohn) and Sasha’s (Timothy Simons), who are more apart than together. The married pair are doing the most to try and salvage their relationship: they’re having sexy nights in, going to dance classes together, but none of these attempts can fix the core issue, which is Esther’s desire to check out. That is ultimately what leads to the demise of relationships, when one or more of the people in the relationship decide to stop making an effort and withdraw.
Esther’s detachment has been there all season: she doesn’t care that her husband is close to Morgan (Justine Lupe), she doesn’t make an effort to listen to him or understand his problems, all she can envision is her freedom and liberty. This can happen in long-term relationships, especially since Esther and Sasha got married early mainly because she was pregnant with Miriam (Shiloh Bearman). It can be frustrating to viewers who may feel like Esther isn’t putting the effort to make the relationship work, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. She’s spent most of her adult life caring for her husband and her child, and she’s at a point where she wants to care more about herself. The show emphasizes that you must never lose yourself in relationships, staying true to who you are and what you want should also be prioritised.
I even liked how they utilised Leighton Meester’s new character Abby. Joanne and her used to be LYLAS (love you like a sister), but things went south after she cut the hair of Joanne’s American girl doll. When Noah gets invited to be the rabbi at Abby’s new baby’s naming ceremony, Joanne tags along to be supportive but her mean girl energy comes out as she considers taking revenge on Abby for what happened in the past. Instead of indulging in similar petty games, Abby shows both Joanne and Morgan how an adult would behave, and offers them grace while requesting some for herself as well. The show really goes against the mold here, especially since we were all expecting some Blair Waldolf energy from Meester, but her character delivers something far more powerful instead.
This is the strength of Nobody Wants This. The show doesn’t shy away from the ugly sides of its characters, becoming a mirror to all of us watching. Joanne’s reaction to Morgan’s engagement is fueled by protective concern and jealousy, and Noah’s decision to leave his temple is both impulsive and understandable. Every character in Nobody Wants This is undeniably human, and the show is stronger because of this.
REVIEW SCORE: 4/5
