The first season of “Nobody Wants This” was, fortunately for a show with that title, a smash hit. Based on the life of show creator Erin Foster, who converted to Judaism for her now-husband, the show followed the unlikely interfaith love story between unfiltered podcaster Joanne (Kristin Bell) and hot rabbi Noah (nerdy millennial women’s fantasy boyfriend, Adam Brody). In the process, we and some other critics believed, the show fell into replicating some nasty stereotypes about Jewish women, while positioning Joanne and her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) as the blonde shiksa goddesses of every onscreen Jewish man’s dreams. But hey, at least the central couple shared banter, chemistry, and a searing first kiss that left its audience weak in the knees!

Recapturing the magic of Joanne and Noah’s meet-cute is a tall order for season 2. And while the season does get a lot right — fleshing out some of the ensemble characters, exploring a flaw or two in the almost too-perfect Noah — it seems to have been too tall of an order to fulfill. “Nobody Wants This” spends the entire season taking us in what feels like a perfect circle, rehashing the same fundamental conflict between Noah and Joanne: she doesn’t want to convert, and if she doesn’t, being in a relationship with her is damaging to his rabbinical reputation. In the repeated argument and tabling of the argument and reintroduction of the argument, the sizzle of their spark is a bit dampened. What’s more, Joanne’s resistance to truly considering conversion only underscores how mismatched they seem, how much he seems to be willing to sacrifice for her without receiving much in return. The struggle to like, or even enjoy hating, our heroine remains real — and that’s a real issue for a rom-com.

At least, in developing side characters like Noah’s sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn) (and, sadly, mostly dispensing with his mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh)), season 2 of “Nobody Wants This” dials back the cartoonish stereotypes of Jewish women and offers a more three-dimensional, sympathetic portrayal. But the walking-back and course-correcting of certain plots strains credulity — after a season of seeming sexually hypnotized by Morgan, Noah’s brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) is now a sincere wife guy who views Morgan as Just A Friend!!! — and results in a season that feels more like table-setting for next time around.

In this episode, we discuss the major plot points that stood out to us from this season, including the reveal that Noah really is such a Good Boyfriend that he actually becomes a Bad Boyfriend, Sasha’s attempts to reignite the spark with Esther, Morgan’s horrifying romance with her therapist, and Noah’s new job at a Reform temple so laissez-faire about, well, Judaism that it verges on the offensive. We also discuss the revealing (dare we say, telling?) Hollywood Reporter deep dive on the messy making of season 1, and we get into how the showrunners and creator have reacted to the criticisms of season 1’s portrayal of Jewish women — and how those portrayals has shifted in season 2. Hope you enjoy! xo

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