This recap includes spoilers for season two of “Nobody Wants This.” If you’d like to share your opinion about this episode or any aspect of season two, subscribe to our Substack, Jewish TV Club and join us in the chat!
Our Shabbat episode is here!
This episode literally starts with Tovah Feldshuh singing “Hamotzi” — I’m obsessed.
Obviously, Joanne cannot win Bina over this Shabbat (or any Shabbat?), despite complimenting the shiny-ness of the challah and yelling the braided bread’s name “Holler!” style. Of course, the worst faux pas Joanne engages in (aside from saying that having dinner with your family every Friday is “crazy” — absolutely not true!), is looking at her phone during Shabbat dinner. Is this bad etiquette on Joanne’s part of bad girlfriend Shabbat prep on Noah’s part? Either way, the phone ding is an alert from Joanne’s family group chat: Morgan is wishing their mom, Lynn a happy birthday. Ilan (Noah and Sasha’s dad), Bina and Noah are scandalized at this, while Sasha is Sasha and Esther says that being left alone on her birthday is the dream. (Which, same, but also, speaking of being left alone — where is Miriam?? Why does she get a Shabbat dinner pass??)
When Joanne makes it clear that it isn’t actually her mom’s birthday, and that Morgan always gets the date wrong, Noah is grateful that he didn’t miss Lynn’s birthday. He asks Joanne what they have planned to celebrate. When Joanne says calling her mom is all she’s planning, the Roklovs wonder if her family doesn’t have any traditions. She remembers getting donuts instead of cakes for birthdays, and Noah takes over celebration planning.
Another thing Noah takes over? Morgan and Joanne’s podcast recording. Since Big Noah is taking over all the rabbinical tasks at Temple Chai, Little/Hot Noah is spending a lot of time just hanging out at Joanne’s apartment. He invites himself onto the pod and gives relationship advice to listener questions while the sisters record their latest episode and well, he’s surprisingly genuinely good at it. He even quotes some Hillel from the Talmud. Would listen to a hot rabbi podcast.
Elsewhere in LA, Esther and Sasha are having some post-sexy time treats, with Esther wearing an NSYNC t-shirt and Sasha wearing socks and a fuzzy robe… when Bina barges in to tell them to turn their lovemaking into babymaking. Sound the boundaries alarm!!!!
Later in the episode, Sasha and Esther take a walk, with Esther drinking coffee and Sasha eating cereal, which seems dangerous (but also kind of appealing??) and discuss maybe having another baby. Esther is not game; she can’t wait to be an empty nester and take dance classes and do new drugs. Sasha is down for all the empty-nest stuff, aside from dancing. Yet later at a synagogue, a very cute baby seemingly makes Sasha change his mind. “Let’s have a baby,” he says to Esther. Bina looks pretty full of herself while sitting next to them.
At Lynn’s birthday celebration, Henry (Joanne and Morgan’s dad) can’t stop talking about himself and his new boyfriend, while Lynn asks when the celebration ends so she can go get stoned with her friend Goldie. Noah brings a lot of treats and balloons and temporary tattoos and Morgan brings… her boyfriend? His name is Dr. Andy?
Everyone is super confused about this new person they have never heard of before. OK just kidding, Lynn and Henry are in their own worlds, but Joanne is super concerned about Morgan not sharing this rather large piece of information with her. Joanne confronts Morgan about her secret boyfriend and Morgan obfuscates while they prep the birthday donuts. Lots of Dunkin’ product placement in this episode; Ben Affleck would be proud.
Joanne then sends good-listener Noah, who has already doled out relationship advice to Henry, to find out Andy’s deal.
His deal is, as the episode suggests, that he’s an “unethical therapist.” Specifically, he’s Morgan’s therapist — or ex-therapist, I guess. They just had their last session that very week. Yes, this is also the same therapist who sent her to find out why Lenny didn’t want to date her. Oof.
Now listen, there’s overlap between Judaism and therapy, and not to be stereotypical but also to be stereotypical, there are many Jewish therapists and Jews who go to therapists and one of the best Jewish shows, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” also starring Tovah Feldshuh, is all about grappling with mental illness, so I have to say — I am so happy “Nobody Wants This” did not make the unethical therapist Jewish!
Joanne is obviously very upset about the fact that the two of them are breaking the law by dating, and Morgan gets mad at her family’s lack of support, while Dr. Andy tells them all how happy the two of them are before they storm out.
Lynn is in bed laughing at a show on her iPad while Noah and Joanne process the day together… lying in bed right next to her. Noah gives Joanne the advice to support Morgan, not her actual relationship. Their heart-to-heart, in which Joanne also recalls Noah’s first sermon to her about gossip, or “lashon hara,” makes Lynn happy as it is just the positive energy she wants to manifest on her birthday. It is a pretty quirky, sweet moment.
Joanne gets coffee with Morgan based on Noah’s advice. Morgan says she wants her fairytale too, and Joanne promises to do her best to give Dr. Andy (ick) a chance. Noah goes to meet Rabbi Cohen who seems happy in his new life, happy that he took a leap of faith and found a new hobby (scuba diving).
Noah gives a sermon at Temple Chai about Parashat BeShalach, in which the Jews in Egypt wander through the wilderness, and he talks about how he too, needs to wander in the wilderness. Yep — he’s leaving Temple Chai. It’s time to find his next chapter. I love Noah bringing in some chaos!
The wins
Hearing Tovah Feldshuh sing Jewish prayers is always moving, and also I love that Noah talks about the idea of faith existing in times of uncertainty. I also love Dr. Andy not being a Jewish therapist.
The icks
Not loving that Bina’s lack of boundaries seem to have paid off in the Sasha/Esther/baby plot?!
