Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Nobody Wants This,’ an agnostic podcaster falls in love with a rabbi, which leads to the beginning of a very unusual romance. For Joanne, it had been about dating men off of dating apps and having some unusual experiences, giving her enough to talk about on the podcast she runs with her sister. While her dismal dating life is good for her business, it doesn’t do anything for her personal struggles, as she wishes to find some semblance of normalcy. Meanwhile, Noah breaks off a long-term relationship when he realizes that he has forced himself to stay in it because friends and family approve of it.
He collides with Joanne at a party, and an immediate connection is formed between them, which gets even more intriguing when Joanne discovers that Noah is a rabbi. While this makes for an interesting start to a thrilling relationship, it also brings the baggage of all the struggles that the couple has to go through. In the end, they both have to decide whether all the trouble is truly worth it. SPOILERS AHEAD
Joanne Decides to Walk Away in the End
Despite all the ups and downs in their relationship, the major point of contention in Joanne and Noah’s relationship remains the difference in their faith. She is agnostic and doesn’t give too much thought to God and the myriad religions in the world. Noah, however, is a rabbi, which means that his whole life revolves around God, which isn’t something he can just ignore when it comes to choosing a life partner for himself. When he is offered to become the head rabbi for his temple, he is also posed with a very difficult choice.
As the head rabbi, it falls on him to set the precedent for his people. He must live a life that cannot be questioned and must only be looked up to by the people of the temple; otherwise, how will they trust him enough to follow him? This means that when he marries, it must be to a Jewish girl. Had Noah still been with Rebecca, he wouldn’t have had to worry about anything. But with Joanne, things are different. Not only is she not Jewish, she is not religious at all. Still, he wants to be with her, so he asks her if converting is something she would consider.
At first, Joanne doesn’t know exactly what it would mean, but after a little thought, she decides that it’s worth doing if it means she can be with Noah. Converting would also solve a lot of her problems, especially with Noah’s mother, who wants her son to marry a Jewish girl. On the surface, it seems like just a simple thing to do and never think about again, but then, it is brought to her attention that it is much more than that. It will consume her life and lead her to give up certain things about herself. As Joanne considers this, she realizes that she is ready to convert just for Noah and doesn’t think about what she wants for herself. So, she decides to be truthful and tells Noah that she cannot convert, at least not in the near future, which means that they should call quits on their relationship.
Will Noah Become the Chief Rabbi? Will He Reject the Promotion?
Since his childhood, the only thing Noah ever wanted was to become a rabbi. While a lot of kids were still figuring out what they wanted, young Noah knew exactly what path his career would take. Sure enough, he became a rabbi, and considering that he turned out to be rather good at it, the only thing that remained was for him to eventually become the head rabbi and lead a temple of his own. When the talks of his boss’ retirement start to swirl around, Noah hopes that he gets the promotion that will set him up for life. He is encouraged when his boss tells him that there is a good possibility he will get the promotion, but for that, either he must break up with Joanne or find out if she would be interested in converting. For a moment there, it looks like she might convert, and he may have it all. But then, she changes her mind, leaving it to Noah to make a choice.
As he is congratulated by everyone about his promotion, he feels saddened by Joanne leaving his life, and this is where things get interesting. Instead of just letting her go, he finds her and tells her that he knows he cannot have both things. And then, he kisses her. This kiss could have two meanings. The first is that Noah has decided to give up on his dreams of the promotion and would rather live with Joanne. However, this seems a bit far-fetched, considering that being the chief rabbi is all he ever wanted. Even Joanne knew that it would be unfair to make him choose, which is why she decided to walk away. She knows how important it is for him and his family that he become the rabbi of the temple, which is why it seems rather unlikely that he would just throw away his entire life’s work just like that.
Considering this, the other possibility is that he has made his choice of going forward with the promotion, and the kiss is not a kiss of reunion but of goodbye. He is bidding farewell to Joanne before they part ways. But then, the gesture seems a bit too romantic and hopeful for that. If he was really ready to let go of Joanne, he wouldn’t have run after her after missing the shuttle. There was no hurry in saying something that was already evident between them, which means that goodbye isn’t an option for Noah. He has found a unique connection with Joanne and he isn’t ready to let go of it, especially when he knows that he might never find it again.
With all this in mind, it seems that Noah may have found a middle ground. Noah knows that it is all right for him to be with Joanne until he becomes the chief rabbi. While it’s clear that he is getting promoted, it doesn’t mean that the promotion will happen immediately. His boss is still in the process of retiring, and surely, there’s a lot that he needs to teach Noah before the reins are handed over for good. This allows Noah a breathing period where he and Joanne can take their time to figure out how to deal with things. More importantly, it can give Joanne the time to make her choice based on what she wants for herself, not simply because she wants it for Noah.
When she told him she wasn’t ready to convert, she didn’t say she would never convert. Even Noah knew that it was too early in their relationship for him to ask something so life-changing of her. Perhaps, if the promotion is suspended for a while, or if there is an extended waiting period before he actually gets the job, Joanne can get enough time to process her feelings and make a final decision, which will seal the deal for their relationship. Until then, Noah is not ready to give up, and this is what the kiss means.
Will Joanne Convert to Judaism?
At the end of the day, the fate of Noah and Joanne’s relationship depends on whether or not she would be open to converting. Noah’s whole career revolves around religion, which means he will not be giving up on his dream and is meant to become a chief rabbi sooner or later. At the same time, Joanne has her podcast and her own belief system to figure out. There are things that she knows she will have to give up, but she won’t know what exactly they are until she finds out exactly what the conversion entails. If it means giving up her way of life, especially her podcast, which she has worked so hard to build, there is a good chance she’d rather not convert. However, the entire picture is yet to come to light.
The story of ‘Nobody Wants This’ is loosely based on its creator Erin Foster’s life. Foster, a podcaster, among other things, did not fall in love with a rabbi, but she did fall in love with a man who knew that his wife, being Jewish, was very important to him. Foster decided to convert, and now, she is in a happy marriage while also having all the things she’d wanted for herself, including her podcast and all the other projects she has worked on since her marriage. Considering that Foster is the inspiration behind Joanne, we can see the blueprint for Joanne’s journey in her. If Foster found the balance between being herself while also being open to conversion, there is a good chance that this is where Joanne is heading as well, which makes sense, considering that we are supposed to be rooting for her and Noah.
Further, it would be more interesting to watch Joanne go on a journey of exploration and discovery while dealing with the questions surrounding her conversion rather than have her give up and part ways with Noah for good. It must also be noticed that she never said she was entirely opposed to conversion. She is open to it, but she realizes that she has made the decision in a hurry and completely overlooked the journey she must take to reach there. In hindsight, it was wise of her to step out before making the jump without having given it much thought. It would beat the purpose of the whole thing. However, now that she has more time on her hands, she can explore the idea more thoroughly. If her trajectory mirrors Foster’s, she will end up converting eventually. What matters more, however, is how she comes to that decision.
Read More: Nobody Wants This: Is Noah Based on Erin Foster’s Husband? Where is Simon Tikhman Now?
