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It’s a season of breakups in the second instalment of Nobody Wants This, the Netflix series starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell that made millennials reinstall their faith in a traditional love story. As unlikely a duo that Noah (Brody) and Joanne (Bell) make — a hot rabbi and a sex podcaster — they just fit in the way that will make your cynical heart (that’s burnt out from online dating) believe that there is a thing called “soulmate”. Excuse the corniness. But while season one spotlighted (and even idolised) the enviable romance between the lead couple, season two felt more real. The events chronicled across the 10 episodes mark the challenging timeline of a relationship that’s exited its rose-tinted honeymoon period; where questions about the future — marriage, kids, and faith — creep in. When Joanne finds herself evicted, a part of her assumes that she would just move in with Noah. But the latter, who’s taken up an unsatisfying job at a more “loose” temple for his relationship, can’t commit to this, among other things, because Joanne still isn’t ready to convert to Judaism. A red flag for any Rabbi. Nobody Wants This season 2 ending explained — do Noah and Joanne part ways for good? By the end of Nobody Wants This season 2, our favourite duo is at an impasse. And what’s worse, they’ve got to fake their way through Morgan’s (Justine Lupe) engagement party, where every conversation is interrupted by characters who just ship them (including us!). Meanwhile, Morgan herself is out of sorts; questioning her decision to marry her former therapist (you read that right) Dr Andy, who we see weaponising her “patterns” that she’d shared in the safe space of therapy, against her. On Joanne’s advice, she tries to break up with him, only to have him tell her that her “inner child is afraid to love”. Manipulating much? Esther (Jackie Tohn) and Sasha (Timothy Simons) are fairing no better. Through the season, we see them trying to ignite the spark in their marriage, even toying with the possibility of another child, much to the former’s dismay. But, as Esther tells him in the midst of a slow dance at the now doomed engagement party, it just isn’t working. Personally, I enjoyed Esther’s character arc the most: she was unapologetic back then, and she’s unapologetic, although softer, now. For a while in the final episode of the popular series, it really does seem like nobody wants this — whatever “this” is — because all three couples are just hanging in limbo. But, in a matter of minutes, they all start breaking up: first Morgan with her fiancé, after admitting that she’d rushed into the relationship to keep score with her older sister, Noah with Joanne because “nothing good happens when it's forced” and Esther with Sasha, expressing her desire to figure herself out without the pressure of her marriage. In a single sweep, Nobody Wants This starts shattering our illusion of modern, flawed and yet perfect love. But that doesn’t last long. In my personal favourite sequence from the whole season, a crying Esther and Joanne have a heart-to-heart, where Esther echoes what we’ve been thinking all along: “I don't really know what you're waiting for… Whether it's a sign, or the waters to part, or what, but the whole thing is just a feeling”. Her final words of wisdom — “With or without Noah, you're Jewish”, makes Joanne jump up and sprint after Noah who, unknown to her, has raced back to the venue to win her back. The final scene is one we’ve all seen before — at the end of season one to be specific — but even then it doesn’t feel forced. In fact, it’s quite sweet. As they find each other in front of the Urban Light sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, his words: “None of it matters. You’re my soulmate. I don’t care if you’re Jewish. I don’t care if you’re not Jewish. I choose you. Every time”, made me, and women everywhere, sigh out loud. Joanne’s response — “You’re in luck,” — before they passionately kiss and the screen fades to black, seems to insinuate that she’s decided to convert after all. But we’ll need to wait for season three to confirm that.
