All ‘Nobody Wants This’ episodes ranked by charm

Nobody Wants This is a Netflix romantic comedy series that’s got every woman envious of Kristen Bell’s Joanne for finding a green flag that can “handle” her like Adam Brody’s Hot Rabbi Noah Roklov. The series by Erin Foster is quite the study of emotionally mature relationships, and while the first season (oh yes, there’s a season 2 coming!) spans 10 episodes, if we had to play favorites, the episodes that would rank the highest would be the ones that had Joanne and Noah being open about their feelings instead of indulging in silly mind games.

That, or where their “loser siblings,” Morgan (Justine Lupe) and Sasha (Timothy Simons), were displaying some unexpectedly great chemistry. We decided to take a quick reckoning of Nobody Wants This season 1 episodes, and here’s our ranking from the worst to the best!

10. Episode 9: “My Girl Bina”

This was a funny episode and Tovah Feldshuh as Bina Roklov, Noah’s mom, was a riot. But there were so many silly clichés about Jews embedded in here, that it doesn’t stand a chance against the other, more nuanced episodes. I particularly found it unconvincing that Joanne wouldn’t know about prosciutto. I am a vegetarian, and I know!

9. Episode 8: “Rebecca’s Box”

There’s a lot to love about episode 8 that tests every character’s faith in some way. Noah wants to share the Jewish tradition of Havdalah with Joanne, hoping she’d be open to convert and he wouldn’t have to choose between love and being a Head Rabbi at his temple. Meanwhile, Morgan thinks she’s getting dirt on Noah by tricking his ex, Rebecca (Emily Arlook), into a conversation at the bar as an empathetic stranger. And Joanne being obsessed with Rebecca almost jeopardises her relationship with Noah, and causes a rift between the sisters. But compared to other episodes, this one offers little headway and a fight that I wasn’t too fond of.

8. Episode 3: “Either Aura”

This episode begins and ends in a rather dreamy way, with Joanne gushing about the kiss with Noah that “made her pregnant” and then finding him at her doorstep, after she had a day of wondering whether they could even date. And the girl talk she got as she tried to figure it out was fun; but not so much the whole drama with Rebecca and the Roklovs!

7. Episode 10: “Bat Mitzvah Crashers”

The finale of Nobody Wants This left me a bit high and dry, because while it was great that Noah chose Joanne, I still think it’s not going to mean much because their problem still persists. But everything that happened before? Joanne and Morgan’s entry to the Bat Mitzvah to Soulja Boy, the vibes between Morgan and Sasha, the scene between Esther (Jackie Tohn) and her daughter, Noah being an amazing rabbi so you can see just what is at stake, and the heartbreak of it all is just so good.

6. Episode 7: “WAGS”

I know we’re supposed to dislike Morgan and Esther for being against Joanne and Noah’s union, but WAGs, where the girls get drunk and haze their boyfriends and husbands as Noah’s team loses, was hilarious, a great bonding exercise, and made me want to be a part of their girl gang. This episode is so important in making both Morgan and Esther appear as just normal, relatable people and not be painted solely as villains.

5. Episode 4: “Obliterated”

Yes, sure, this episode has Noah helping Joanne pick a sex toy on their first date and running into someone from work, complicating things. But that bit was quite cliché if you ask me. No, what makes this episode great is Sasha helping his daughter Miriam avoid embarrassment with her crush. Simons is so naturally funny and I love his relationship with Miriam and even his wife, Esther. She’s dominating, but they are so great together. And as much as some fans want Sasha and Morgan to get together, I love these two together.

4. Episode 5:  “My Friend Joanne”

Noah is so fantastic at big gestures, and this episode where he takes Joanne to Jewish camp and tries to hide his girlfriend the entire time requires him to pull one out big time, which he does at the end of the episode. The interactions between Joanne and the teenage girls are hilarious because don’t we all seek validation from the younger generation, as they teach us so much about respect in relationships?

3. Episode 2: “A Shiksa Walks Into A Temple”

Two words: The Kiss! This episode starts off as funny, with Joanne, Morgan, Noah, and Sasha leaving Noah’s temple to get drinks at a bar and talk, only for the date to be crashed by Esther. As perfect as Noah and Joanne’s meet-cute was, this one is a disaster, but way to come back, Hot Rabbi! When he commands Joanne to put her ice cream down so he can kiss her? Everything about that date had us screaming!

2. Episode 1: “Pilot”

The introduction to Joanne and Noah in the pilot is pitch-perfect. It’s the first episode of the series and does a fantastic job to reel you in. Joanne and Noah’s meet-cute in this episode, being normally introduced at a common friend’s party instead of some silly dating app is a treat for millennials and probably a breath of fresh air for the younger generations! But it is the banter, oh the banter, between these two that makes this an absolute masterclass in how to write chemistry!

1. Episode 6:  “The Ick”

You probably saw this coming, but “The Ick” is easily the best episode of the lot. We’ve all gotten the Ick in a new relationship or even an old one, and that illusion shattering could mean instant death for a relationship. But green flag Noah comes back from The Ick with four words—I can handle you. We women know what a man saying those words means to us, the freedom it gives us to be ourselves in a relationship instead of constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s a well-written, well-acted episode, with the perfect green flag, and a balance of humor and emotions!