Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Nobody Wants This season 2 are ahead!
One character in Nobody Wants This season 1 was almost universally hated by fans, but season 2 has completely redeemed them. Last year, Netflix’s hit rom-com took the world by storm, winning over fans with its charming love story and lovably flawed characters.
Noah was deemed the “best TV boyfriend,” and Joanne was embraced for her relatability. They weren’t the only two to feel the love, though. Discussions after the first season heavily focused on whether Morgan and Sasha should get together, based on their chemistry.
Sadly, my favorite character in Nobody Wants This, Esther, was rejected by pretty much everyone. Esther was torn apart, getting labeled “mean,” “controlling,” and “aggressive.” Luckily, Nobody Wants This season 2 redeemed her, proving that she never actually deserved the intense hatred.
Esther’s Character Arc Is The Most Interesting Part Of In Nobody Wants This Season 2
Unfortunately, as much as I love Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, Noah and Joanne’s relationship became repetitive in Nobody Wants This season 2. This allowed other storylines and characters to really shine.
Morgan’s messy and unethical therapist romance was a wild ride, but it was entertaining in a very different way. It felt more like I couldn’t look away from a trainwreck, rather than being enjoyable. Dr. Andy is a manipulative and unethical creep, and I hate that he took advantage of her.
Meanwhile, Esther’s character arc is actually positive. She has been there since the beginning, so it’s easy to care about her. I think she was deeply misunderstood in the first season. Nobody Wants This season 2 shows her not only softening in her harshness but letting go of her need to always be in control.
It’s interesting to watch her try to figure out who she is and what she wants, as an individual, rather than viewing herself as just a mother, daughter-in-law, or wife. She sees the freedom Rebecca has and longs for the opportunity to travel and take on new hobbies. Ultimately, I was invested in her journey of self-exploration.
Esther’s Backstory Explains Why She Is So Harsh In Nobody Wants This
In Nobody Wants This season 2, we learn that Esther got pregnant at a young age and married Sasha because he was the baby’s father. This explains a lot about her. Esther is the quintessential woman who was forced into adulthood and parenthood too young, and the way she handles stress and change is a direct result of this.
Of course, she’s controlling and demanding because she had no choice but to step into that role before she even had a fully developed brain. She didn’t have the opportunity to be carefree or discover who she was as a young adult out on her own. Instead, she had to be a parent to essentially both her daughter and husband.
Sasha doesn’t seem to do anything when it comes to raising his daughter or taking care of the household. He treats her like his mother, and it feels good for her to finally call him out on this in Nobody Wants This season 2. I stand by the fact that Sasha is the worst character in Nobody Wants This (besides Dr. Andy).
Ultimately, Esther feels like she has the responsibility of keeping everything together, making it so she can never let loose and be the “fun one.” She’s going to be harsh when plans change and people make decisions she doesn’t approve of because it’s out of her control. It’s not okay or nice, but it makes sense.
Esther Proves That She’s A Really Great Friend In Nobody Wants This Season 2
Another way that Nobody Wants This season 2 redeems Esther is by proving that she is a really great friend. She might not accept others easily, but when she does, she gives them everything. This is shown in season 1 when it comes to Rebecca. However, the second season proves that the kindness and empathy weren’t just because it’s Rebecca.
Now that Esther is developing a connection with Joanne, she makes an effort to be a good friend. She helps with crafting the email to Bina. She opens up to Joanne at the bowling alley. She encourages Joanne to continue engaging with Judaism even if she and Noah break up, giving her a pep talk.
Actors Jackie Tohn and Kristen Bell, who play Esther and Joanne, are best friends in real life.
Being a good friend is probably Esther’s best trait, even when she takes it a little too far, like being hostile towards Joanne on Rebecca’s behalf. Ultimately, Nobody Wants This season 2 just proves that it doesn’t always present in a negative way.
Esther Breaking Up With Sasha To Figure Herself Out Makes Her Even More Lovable
I have never hidden my dislike of Sasha, and it only got more intense after Nobody Wants This season 2. After getting praised for the bare minimum in season 1 and lying to his wife about his friendship with Morgan, he spends most of the season trying to pressure Esther into having another baby. Then, he gets mad at her.
As such, I celebrated when she broke up with Sasha to figure herself out at the end of Nobody Wants This season 2. It seems to come from a place of self-respect and self-discovery, something she hasn’t shown previously in Nobody Wants This.
She deserves the chance to figure her stuff out without the pressure from her husband, especially since he doesn’t pull his weight as a partner and parent. Unfortunately, I don’t imagine she will get much support from Noah’s family. Still, that could bring Joanne and Esther even closer as friends.
Nobody Wants This Season 2 Proves Esther Didn’t Deserve All The Hate She Got
Ultimately, Nobody Wants This season 2 redeems Esther and proves that she didn’t deserve all the hate she got. Morgan and Joanne were allowed to make messy decisions and act poorly in the first season without getting hate. She should have been granted the same empathy.
What’s more, retroactively, most of her behaviors can be explained by her past in the same way that Joanne’s inability to trust and Morgan’s need for approval can be tied back to their upbringing. That doesn’t necessarily make them okay, but it does make them understandable.
What’s more, Nobody Wants This season 2 shows her taking steps to fix past wrongs (e.g., how she treated Joanne and Morgan, and her control over Sasha’s friendship) and becoming a better person. At this point, out of every Nobody Wants This character, she has grown the most.
- Release Date
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September 26, 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Jenni Konner, Bruce Eric Kaplan
