Diksha Sundriyal
Things get real and difficult for Joanne and Noah in the second season of Netflix’s ‘Nobody Wants This.’ As the rosy tint of the early days of romance fades, they have to confront the reality of their situation. In the midst of this, they also have to deal with some personal things that inadvertently lead them closer to one another. One of the episodes focuses on a character named Abby Caplan. She appears from Joanne’s past, and for whom the protagonist harbors deep-seated contempt since childhood. By the end, however, there turns out to be more to Abby than previously imagined. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Abby Caplan Renews Old Wounds For Joanne
The character of Abby Kaplan comes into the picture when Noah reveals that he has received his first job, post his resignation from Temple Chai. He is to serve as the rabbi at a brit bat for a couple. When he mentions that the couple are Kaplans, and the woman’s name is Abby, Joanne immediately makes a connection to the Abby from her childhood. She reveals that she and Abby used to go to the same middle school. Once they, along with other girls, had a sleepover, where Abby tried to get everyone to go to bed early. However, the others were watching a movie, so Joanne told her they won’t be going to bed. Abby got angry. She went to Joanne’s room and cut the hair of her Felicity American Girl doll.
What irks Joanne is that Abby never accepted cutting the doll’s hair, and the detesting feeling she has held for Abby persists even now. Despite Abby being the host, Joanne decides to join Noah for the ceremony. It turns out that now Abby has turned to Instagram and runs a page called “Abby Loves Smoothies.” She has become a “mummy influencer,” and it shows in the way she wants everything to be filmed correctly for the posts on social media. Joanne, though jealous of her success and her life, still doesn’t like her, and her feelings are compounded when Morgan joins the party.
Later, the sisters finally have their confrontation with Abby, where she expresses disappointment over how they lost touch over the years. She also confesses that she cut off Joanne’s doll’s hair, but explains that she was tired and wanted to go to sleep, and when Joanne said they couldn’t, she got angry. In her defense, she was eleven at the time and didn’t know better. But unlike Joanne and Morgan, she doesn’t seem to have carried any disdain to her current life. In fact, she reveals that she loves their podcast and tells people that she grew up with them. This, among other things, warms Joanne’s heart, crushing the hate and rivalry she’d felt for Abby, while also giving her perspective on her own relationship with Noah.
Leighton Meester Portrays the Bubbly Charm of Abby
Leighton Meester plays the role of Abby Kaplan in the second season of ‘Nobody Wants This.’ The actress is best known for playing Blair Waldorf in the teen drama series, ‘Gossip Girl.’ Her more recent appearances include shows like ‘Good Cop/Bad Cop,’ ‘Single Parents,’ ‘The Buccaneers,’ and ‘How I Met Your Father.’ Fans will also recognize her from movies like ‘The Weekend Away,’ ‘EXmas,’ and ‘River Wild.’ What adds another layer to Meester’s role in ‘Nobody Wants This’ is the fact that she is the real-life partner of Adam Brody (who plays Noah), with whom she has two children.
The idea of getting Meester to play Abby came from the Netflix series’ co-showrunner, Jenni Konner. The show’s creator, Erin Foster, revealed that at the time, the episode was already written, and they were on the lookout for actors to take on the role of Abby. When Foster met Meester, she loved the latter, which is when Konner proposed the idea of bringing the ‘Gossip Girl’ star on board. Once she became a part of the show, the episode featuring her was tweaked a little bit, which included putting her and Brody in scenes together. Foster revealed that Noah’s line, “She’s not my type,” which he says about Abby, was put in deliberately, as a way to reference their real-life relationship. Joining the show was great fun for her, since she already loved the show. It was also a way for her to explore a character that is quite different from her, but also challenges her.
Meester revealed that while picking new projects, her requirement is to look for the ones that she can enjoy while also getting to play a character of substance. In a conversation with Glamour, she said, “Every character I’ve played represents a part of me, a part of my life, and even a particular period of time for a lot of people.” Playing the role of Abby allowed her this opportunity. Outside of her professional life, she also engages in philanthropic endeavors by collaborating with organizations like CCHS Network and Feeding America. The actress also revealed that when she is not busy with work, she loves to unwind by going on long walks on the beach, listening to music, riding a bike, and most importantly, spending time with her children.
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