'This Nobody Wants This season 2 storyline is painfully accurate. It made me feel seen.'

Nobody Wants This has returned for a highly-anticipated second season and, once again, we just can't get enough of the witty writing and the charming performances by our favourite millennial TV icons, Adam Brody and Kristen Bell. 

After choosing to stay together at the end of season one, despite the external objections, we pick up in season two with Noah and Joanne grappling with what's next. What happens after the happy ending? And how do you coexist when your lives are so vastly different? 

There's a lot to unpack and lots to talk about. But one storyline this season feels particularly important (to me, at least). And that's the exploration of the complexities of an intercultural relationship. 

Watch the trailer for Nobody Wants This season 2. Article continues after video.

While season one undoubtedly tackled some of the initial challenges of Joanne and Noah's interfaith relationship, season two takes a head-first dive into what that realistically looks like in a long-term relationship. 

The merging of friendship groups, the awkward family interactions and the complex process of trying to reconcile two very different lifestyles and upbringings. It's all very real. 

And watching this season, I couldn't help but reflect on how similar my own experiences are. In particular with Noah's story as a second generation immigrant, but also as someone who is in an interracial relationship myself. 

The show obviously has a lot to say about cultural differences within a relationship, but one example that stuck out to me was the conversation around suppression versus expression throughout the season. 

Image: Netflix

As we saw in season one, Noah and Joanne's ideologies, when it comes to sharing their inner thoughts with the world, are polar opposites. While Noah believes in keeping his private life, well… private, Joanne takes a much more open approach, sharing the intimate details of her dating life on her podcast for all to hear. 

And in season two, we see this value difference come to a head. From Noah asking Joanne not to reveal too much about their relationship on her podcast to Joanne's insistence on airing out her issues with Bina face-to-face, it's safe to say that the two of them have very different approaches. 

But after losing out on the position of senior rabbi — largely because of his relationship with Joanne — Noah is clearly holding in a lot of frustration that he's unable to express openly. 

After some back and forth (and a lot of convincing) Noah finally unleashes his true feelings, and you can see the enormous weight lift from his shoulders. 

While there's no right or wrong way to handle conflict — working through your feelings privately versus airing everything out — I deeply relate to Noah's struggle. Growing up in an immigrant household, it's not uncommon to learn to hold things in. 

Feelings of frustration or anger are often associated with shame, and expressing dissatisfaction can feel like betrayal or ingratitude. Watching Noah finally voice his concerns felt like watching someone break free from years of conditioning that taught him his own needs came second.

Image: Netflix

But the season also explores what it's like when two very different cultures come together. 

Take the Shabbat and birthday situation — Noah's family is mortified to find out that Joanne doesn't plan to see her mother on her birthday and in response, Noah tries to push his values onto Joanne's family, insisting they celebrate her mother's birthday with certain traditions.

You can feel the awkwardness as he genuinely believes he's being thoughtful, but sadly, it's not what Joanne's mother wants. It's that classic intercultural relationship moment where good intentions collide with different values, and nobody's really wrong, but everyone ends up feeling misunderstood. And I've been there before. 

My family is originally from Hong Kong and my husband's family is Sri Lankan. Two cultures that — while similar in many ways — can also be vastly different from one another in other ways. And while my husband and I are both Aussie born, when it comes to building a life together, there were and still are undoubtedly hurdles and challenges in bridging those cultural gaps. 

Whether it's managing contrasting familial expectations or trying to brief each side on what the opposing customs are, it's certainly a journey. 

Then there's the meeting of Noah and Joanne's parents at Purim — which they call "Jewish Halloween". There are missed jokes that fall flat, strange interactions where people are clearly trying too hard to connect, and those painful moments where you can see everyone desperately wanting to make a good impression but not quite knowing how.

But somehow, despite all the cringe-worthy exchanges, it actually works out better than expected. 

Image: Netflix

And that's so real — that's exactly how these family meetings go. You spend weeks dreading it, imagining worst-case scenarios, particularly between two families who are so different, but then, suddenly, everything figures itself out. And you wonder why you were so concerned to begin with. 

Seeing this kind of representation of intercultural relationships on screen may seem overdue — and it is. We've had glimpses of these dynamics, but to see it explored with this level of nuance and authenticity in a massive Netflix show is genuinely significant.

Nobody Wants This truly takes the time to show the real, messy, everyday negotiations that happen when two different worlds try to merge. It's representation that goes beyond surface-level diversity – it's about the actual lived experience of navigating family expectations, cultural traditions, and the constant code-switching that comes with loving someone from a different background.

Feature Image: Netflix.