Season 2 of Nobody Wants This takes the relationship between sex and relationship podcaster, atheist Joanne, and Rabbi Noah to the next level. This season sees this adult partnership struggle to keep it together for many reasons, but mainly because Joanne is ready for the next step in love but not so much religion, whereas Noah is skeptical still because he believes everything in their relationship hinges on this one choice Joanne has to make: conversion. On the other hand, Morgan doesn’t like that Joanne is having such a good streak after finding a perfect man in Noah, so she wants something special for herself too (which is fair enough), but the guy she chooses is certainly not the kind of person anybody expected her to end up with. Will she push herself to stick with that relationship? We’ll find out. And lastly, this season sees a shift in Sasha and Esther’s relationship, too, but how will it end up? Let’s find out in this recap of season 2.
Spoiler Alert
What Happens On Valentine’s Day?
Nobody Wants This season 2 begins with Noah and Joanne taking a big step in their relationship by merging their two groups. I mean, technically, they’ve already done this, but this is like an official dinner party at Noah’s, and this leads to some unexpected complications; mainly, this is the starting point of the conflict this season, where Joanne and Noah realize they’ve been on different pages regarding her conversion this whole time. While Joanne thought it wasn’t a thing she had to think about anymore, Noah thinks it’s something that’s been “tabled” for a different time, yikes. On the other hand, there’s an almost setup between Morgan and Noah’s friend, Lenny, but it doesn’t work out because Morgan’s too busy thinking about Sasha calling her “nothing” in front of Esther, because they need to really settle this issue. But when Morgan learns that Lenny doesn’t want her number, after she ignored him the whole time, she decides to ask him why. Later, at a basketball game, Lenny tells Morgan that she didn’t even bother asking him what his name was, and she’s clearly not ready for a relationship. This sets off something else in Morgan, and the next thing we know, she’s got a boyfriend, but who is he? Well, her therapist, Dr. Andy.
But back to Noah and Joanne, though Noah handles the situation okay, Joanne tells him that she can’t decide if she wants to convert if Noah’s going to put pressure on her, saying it would really complicate his life if she didn’t convert, but in the middle of the conversation, mJoanne realizes that Noah’s got her a nightstand because she’s been putting all her stuff on a random skin care tower next to the bed. This is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for Joanne, so they forget about the looming trouble. But the next day, Noah learns that he’s been replaced in the race to become Temple Chai’s senior rabbi. It appears the whole Joanne thing really did mess up his life, but can he handle it? Well, kind of.
At first, Noah doesn’t know how to handle “Big Noah” taking on the role of senior rabbi, but during that one basketball game, Joanne makes him realize he’s been resenting the man a lot and really just needed to get it out of his system, which ultimately leads him to step down as rabbi at Temple Chai. On the other hand, Morgan keeps pushing Joanne to believe Noah doesn’t really want a serious relationship because he’s not moving forward with her, but Joanne tells her that he’s just going according to his own timeline. However, on Valentine’s Day, Joanne starts to believe her sister, because Noah ends up doing the same set of things he’s done for his ex-girlfriends for Joanne because he thinks it’s romantic. Joanne points this out at the end of the day, though, and even sends Noah off to talk to Rebecca because he doesn’t realize that he’s making everyone feel the same way, rather than doing something special for the person he really cares about. Noah doesn’t know the difference between a romantic gesture and what is perceived as one, so he thinks buying Joanne a gold necklace and taking her on a night hike is what he MUST do to make this work out. But at the end of the day, Joanne asks for time by herself to watch “Love Is Blind” and just chill while Noah’s just around, because she’s had the worst Valentine’s Day. But, this leads her to want to spend time with Noah again, and she even writes him a letter because that’s something he finds special.
On the other hand, Morgan’s new boyfriend, ex-therapist Dr. Andy, asks Morgan to move in with him a bit too quickly, and she rushes to ask Sasha for advice because she can’t ask Joanne out of fear of judgment. While Sasha thinks it’s moving too fast, Morgan ends up saying yes because Andy makes her feel extra special, something she’s never experienced before.
What Happens At Abby’s?
Leighton Meester’s Abby is an ex-rival of Joanne’s from school and a Jewish mom who invites Noah to host the naming ceremony of her second daughter. This family is the first assignment Noah gets after quitting at Temple Chai, and he’s excited to have Joanne there, too, but he’s worried she might ruin things for him because of her relationship with Abby. We already know how the sisters get when it comes to revenge, and you bet it’s a valid fear. However, Joanne takes a mature turn after listening to her boyfriend’s sermon, even though Morgan’s already there and wants to ruin Abby’s perfect life just because she cut off Joanne’s American Doll’s hair back in the day. Turns out Abby was just tired, and they wouldn’t let her sleep. Abby’s an influencer now, but she’s still a big fan of the podcast, and all she wanted was for the sisters to be there so that she could prove to everyone that they were friends in school. I do hope she’ll be returning for more fun later, but for now, this is all we get from Abby. Also, she and her husband are split up now, so let’s see how that pans out next.
What Happens at the Parents’ Meeting?
On Purim, which is an occasion where Jewish people dress up in costumes and get drunk in celebration, Joanne is mad at Noah for asking for a night off from her because he needed to reset for an interview at an upbeat and unique temple where he thinks he can fit in. He gets the job and excitedly tells Joanne, alongside his parents, but then realizes she was mad at him for wanting a “night off.” Now, this also happens to be the day Joanne and Noah’s parents are supposed to meet, and shockingly enough, they get along way better than expected. But more importantly, Joanne’s mother has an epiphany that Noah was expecting Joanne to have; she feels Jewish and decides to convert (huh). Now Joanne doesn’t believe Lynn’s serious about this at all, but later we learn that it’s something she’s actually feeling, and it’s liberating for Joanne’s mom, who has never had anything of her own before. On the other hand, the craziest thing that happens on that day isn’t even Lynn’s epiphany, but Andy proposing to Morgan and her saying yes.
Why Does Noah Leave Ahava?
While on paper Temple Ahava and Noah seem to be exactly right for each other, it turns out they’re a bit too liberal for him, and though it would be the ideal spot for him to be at, because Joanne wouldn’t have to convert, he realizes he wants to be a more traditional rabbi, ultimately leaving the place (and Seth Rogen) behind. On the other hand, Morgan and Joanne have a massive fight because the latter ends up trying on a wedding dress when they’re shopping for Morgan’s dress, which leads to them having a massive falling out and putting a pause on the podcast. But to make things worse, Joanne gets evicted because Morgan tells her landlord that they gave him a shoutout on the podcast, but it was Joanne admitting she puked in the swimming pool (yikes).
Unfortunately, this leads to Joanne realizing that Noah doesn’t really want to move in together because of the whole conversion thing, yet again. But the worst part is that this whole time Noah thought Joanne would give up on them because she went to different high schools and was finicky growing up. She makes him realize that the reason she was moving and struggling was because she never had anything stable in her life, and Noah is that stable, safe space. At the same time, though, Esther’s coming to the realization that she’s not really happy with Sasha anymore and, in typical fashion, wants some time apart. This is what happens when you rush into something like marriage. But ultimately, Joanne tells Noah that if he can’t move in with her right now, he won’t be able to do it ever in the future. He thinks they can deal with these issues in their own time, but clearly, he’s not ready to deal with them; he just wants Joanne to convert.
What Happens At The Engagement Party?
At the end of Nobody Wants This season 2, some big truth bombs are dropped, and Morgan finally realizes she only likes the idea of Andy but doesn’t really want to be with him. He, too, was someone she didn’t get to know by herself; he just knew every little detail about her and used it all against her. Fortunately, she comes to her senses thanks to her mom saying she should’ve thought more about her decisions when she was younger. This also sparks something special in Joanne, who has been on a break with Noah for all of a day, and they’re just pretending to be happy at the party not to ruin Morgan’s mood. While Noah and Joanne come to a realization together that they’ve literally never loved anybody else as freely as they do each other, Noah thinks it means they should break up because Joanne deserves to be happy and content as she is. However, Esther tells Joanne that she’s been waiting for a moment that’ll never come. Essentially, Joanne’s also been wanting some sort of big revelation, but she’s already assimilated in theory. It’s all about a feeling, and Joanne’s had it since she started becoming superstitious and attending Sabbath. I guess she’s already got faith. On the other hand, Esther admits to Sasha that she needs a break, and he accepts it because he’s going to wait for her, no matter how long it takes. I did feel quite bad for Sasha this season.
Ultimately though, Noah realizes that he’s been pushing for the wrong thing, and we go back to square one, where he chose Joanne, and it doesn’t matter if she’s Jewish or not because they love each other.
