Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Sometimes, the toughest step in getting a divorce is ‘telling the parents’. Nobody Wants This Season 3 obviously focuses on popular podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Rabbi Noah Roklov (Adam Brody) as they take the next big step in their relationship: living together. But much of the drama actually revolves around Noah’s brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) and sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn), who are struggling to break the news of their separation to his conservative, control-freak mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh).
Also Read: Nobody Wants This Season 2 Review: Eh, not as Great as 1
The ten-episode ‘Nobody Wants This’ Season 3 opens with a cute montage of Noah and Joanne basking in the excitement of moving in together. That is, until Joanne realises she’d rather enjoy her morning coffee alone, while Noah discovers that his girlfriend leaves a messy trail wherever she goes: cabinet doors left open, a terribly loaded dishwasher and random stuff scattered everywhere. It’s funny, and Noah sensibly gets the two of them talking like adults about what works and what doesn’t, rather than letting their little frustrations curdle into something ugly. They remain adorably in love, much to the annoyance of Joanne’s very single sister Morgan (Justine Lupe), since she must endure their shameless public displays of affection.
The whole ‘hot rabbi falls for atheist podcaster’ romance was the best part of Nobody Wants This Season 1, only to become the most boring element in Season 2. Thankfully, the writers seem to have found their groove again, making their relationship is back to being fun, even if Joanne’s newfound enthusiasm for converting to Judaism feels contrived. Especially since the writers portray her decision as wholehearted, rather than the arguably more believable ‘Ugh, I don’t believe in religion anyway, but let’s get this over with if it’ll make my boyfriend’s family accept me.’ Then again, Joanne hilariously fumbles when asked what exactly she likes about Judaism, so perhaps she’s just smart enough to keep her actual beliefs to herself.
Anyway, while Noah and Joanne cutely navigate the challenges of living together and figuring out their next steps, Sasha struggles to come to terms with Esther wanting to end their marriage. The two decide to live apart, and their daughter Miriam (Shiloh Bearman) is surprisingly chill about the separation. Well, partly because her parents go out of their way to keep her comfortable, which is shown in a brief but funny glimpse of their family dynamics. In a fun twist, Sasha takes up Lynn’s (Stephanie Faracy) offer to move into her place, which also means becoming flatmates with Morgan.
A light-hearted subplot follows Esther and Sasha as they explore dating apps, while Esther also pursues a new career in real estate. So far, Nobody Wants This has kept teasing a ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic between Sasha and Morgan, and neither Noah nor Joanne wants anything romantic happening between their siblings. Personally, I’ve enjoyed the platonic, flirty friendship between Morgan and Sasha, but Season 3 makes things considerably more complicated between them. Timothy Simons and Justine Lupe share an endearingly awkward-cute chemistry, and viewers are bound to be divided over whether these two should remain friends or become lovers.
Romantic subplots aside, ‘Nobody Wants This’ continues to explore the sisters’ podcasting career, with Morgan going viral over a solo episode, sending Joanne into a hilarious spiral of jealousy. But despite her growing insecurities, she also puts her best foot forward to help Noah revive his flagging career as a rabbi and land a big promotion. The contrasting sibling relationships are a key ingredient of the tale. Noah and Sasha are friendly bros who almost always have each other’s backs, while Morgan and Joanne are a bickering mess.
Now that ‘Nobody Wants This’ is in its third season, supporting characters like Joanne’s quirky mom Lynn and clueless gay dad Henry (Michael Hitchcock) feel a lot more entertaining. One of the funniest moments this season comes when they get into a no-holds-barred verbal spat with Noah’s parents, Bina and Ilan Roklov (Paul Ben-Victor), with the latter reduced to Bina’s faithful sidekick. Tovah Feldshuh is a riot as the manipulative, self-centred Bina, who suffers from a severe case of main-character syndrome. Stephanie Faracy is the perfect foil as the free-spirited Lynn, who treats her daughters more like best friends (which has its own cons).
Season 3 introduces a few new characters, but in the interest of keeping things spoiler-free, I won’t discuss the newcomers. But in an amusing twist, an ex of Joanne’s reappears, prompting her to regress into a silly teenager determined to prove that she’s now in a far better, superior relationship. And Noah, being Noah, happily indulges her childish behaviour. It’s one of the sweeter things about their relationship: they’re willing to humour each other even when they’re being completely ridiculous.
The season also throws in a little New York detour, complete with a very ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ sort of twist. And in keeping with the show’s chaotic energy, born from the collision of two very different worlds, the Season 3 finale is loud, messy and occasionally annoying, but in an acceptably theatrical and amusing way. Noah and Joanne get their dreamy happy ending, even if it comes after an ugly showdown involving practically everyone in their families. It’s called ‘Nobody Wants This’ for a reason!
Rating: 7.5 on 10. Stream ‘Nobody Wants This’ on Netflix.
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