5 Perfect Rom-Com Moments From Netflix’s ‘Nobody Wants This’
Everyone is loving Adam Brody and Kristin Bell in Nobody Wants This. Here’s why.
Perhaps you’ve already burned through all 10 episodes of Netflix’s new smash rom-com series Nobody Wants This. If so, then I don’t blame you. As the lovetruck Joanne and Noah, Kristin Bell and Adam Brody have enough chemistry between them to create fifteen new noble gasses. (Yep, a chemistry joke. I was pre-med for several years … That knowledge needs to go somewhere.) On top of that, Nobody Wants This has enough character development and snappy writing to keep viewers hooked for its entire duration. That’s no small feat, especially when some rom coms barely include character development in their 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Of course, those aren’t the only reasons for the success of Nobody Wants This. For reference, let’s revisit some of the show’s best moments.
*mild spoilers ahead*
The meet cute
It is an unalienable right for every rom com to be endowed with a meet cute. In this case, that happens when the incorrigibly single Joanne stumbles into a party and catches the eye of Noah, a “hot Rabbi.” I mean, just the fact that they didn’t meet through an app is revolutionary. But then these two instantly hit it off, volleying witticisms and leaning into their flirtation. It all culminates in a hilarious misunderstanding that expertly calibrates their tension. In other words: Rom com perfection.
An electric first kiss
TV characters kiss a lot, so a first kiss needs to be truly out-of-this-world to land. Nobody Wants This does not disappoint in that department. Joanne and Noah’s first kiss involves not only moonlight and a gentle stroll, but playful repartee and (swoon) verbal consent. And then Noah puts his hands on Joanne’s face and lower back and bye. That’s a wrap for my time on Earth! According to Kristin Bell, even the show’s crew members were gasping during this scene.
Sassy supporting characters
Supporting characters often steal the show in rom coms. Joan Cusack and Judy Greer instantly come to mind, for some reason. However, the supporting characters in Nobody Wants This don’t just steal the show; they have arcs of their own. Even though Joanne’s sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) doesn’t find a man for herself in Season 1 of Nobody Wants This, she still matures in delightful ways while caring for her sister and taking risks in her career. She’s also snappy and sarcastic – both prerequisites for rom com icons. Of course, I would be remiss to omit Veep’s Timothy Simons as Noah’s brother, and Jackie Tohn as Esther, the steely housewife with a heart of gold.
That Esther, though…
Incidentally, that aforementioned housewife with a heart of gold is a perfect antagonist. While needlessly cruel to Joanne at first (and there may be internalized sexism at play there), Esther eventually warms up to Joanne in the face of the latter’s charm offensive. Snarky, snippy and spirited, Esther also ultimately opens up to reveal a complex matriarch suffering from unspoken generational trauma. She even has her own mini arc involving her mother-in-law and daughter, which adds a lovely grace note to the end of Season 1. But speaking of her mother-in-law Bina … Phew. It’s never easy to meet your prospective mother-in-law, but Bina (Tovah Feldshuh) ups the ante by thwarting Joanne at every turn. At the same time, she invokes moments of hilarity thanks to her many quirks and foibles, proving herself a formidable yet entertaining foe for Joanne. And if the end of Season 1 is any indication, then we may see Bina planning a revenge plot against Joanne very soon. Sign me up.
The twisty climax
Like any good romantic story, Nobody Wants This tosses plenty of obstacles at Noah and Joanne. For instance: He’s on track to become Head Rabbi and needs a Jewish spouse. Joanne, on the other hand, would have to convert if she wants to be with him, even though Noah’s family would sooner raze their synagogue than let that happen. Naturally, this all comes to a head in the final moments of Season 1, which I won’t spoil for you. But suffice it to say that it is satisfying without being too cliché. I gasped despite myself. Well, OK, if we’re being honest, I gasped several times during this series despite myself. Needless to say, I can’t wait for Season 2.
