The main characters may be the reason you start watching a show, but the supporting ones are often the reason why you finish it. Released last Thursday on Netflix, the third season of “Nobody Wants This” perfectly illustrates this phenomenon.
While the majority of the new season focuses on Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Rabbi Noah Roklov’s (Adam Brody) love story, their respective siblings Morgan (Justine Lupe) and Sasha (Timothy Simons) ultimately steal the show by building on the connection they formed in the first two — somewhat repetitive — seasons. Their chemistry-filled romantic subplot reaches its climax in a compelling episode seven, but the season’s inconclusive ending leaves viewers disappointed.
On first watch, the new episodes seem to escape the circular storylines of the first two seasons, which ended with Noah’s brother Sasha’s longstanding marriage to Esther (Jackie Tohn) falling apart. This sets the stage for season three’s most interesting arc.
Throughout the new season, Joanne and Noah seem to be successfully moving forward as a couple after Joanne converts to Judaism, and Bell and Brody portray an unexpected, but ultimately well-matched, couple. The two present a stability unseen in previous seasons.
While satisfying for fans of the unlikely couple, Joanne and Noah’s honeymoon stage is not sufficiently entertaining to propel forward eight episodes of television. The focus soon shifts to the burgeoning, tumultuous romance between their siblings. Joanne and Noah’s stable happiness juxtaposes with the bitterness of their siblings’ chaotic anticlimax.
Sasha and Morgan have historically provided the show with pleasant comedic relief. But the third season’s writing gives the characters a newfound vulnerability that better introduces viewers to the self-proclaimed “loser siblings.” This emotional depth is seen in Morgan’s confession to Sasha where she says that she “just (wants) to be with someone who sees (her).”
The blossoming of Morgan and Sasha’s relationship was well-complemented by the show’s soundtrack, with a feature of “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” by LDC Soundsystem in episode seven to capture the romantic tension between the two.
Other songs on the season’s soundtrack reinforce the show’s position as a modern, all-age friendly series. Notably, the placement of Sombr’s “Homewrecker” during Bina’s dramatic reaction to Sasha and Esther’s separation added a humoristic layer; the song’s popularity outside of the show was a comedic juxtaposition to the gravity of the moment.
Still, the last three episodes leave viewers waiting for more, and the script is unsatisfyingly predictable. The last episode’s revelation is ultimately a foreseeable one — what started as a compelling love story between two misunderstood characters quickly turns into yet another repetitive love triangle trope.
Despite the underwhelming ending, “Nobody Wants This” continues to show viewers that imperfect people can find a love perfect for them — and that Joanne and Noah’s families are always more dysfunctional than ours.
