Nobody Wants This is back, bringing with it many relationship-related debates as well as goals, along with its sun-bleached LA location and gorgeous cast. The first season was a 2024 hit amongst millennials in particular, as we watched Noughties TV stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody play a fated couple from opposite sides of the tracks – namely the world of a rabbi and the life of an agnostic sex podcaster.

For those who didn’t immediately watch as soon as the new episodes dropped, the very beginning of the much-awaited second season sees protagonist couple Noah (Brody) and Joanne (Bell) throw a dinner party, with a mission of merging their friendship groups. It’s made obvious from the outset that this is a huge milestone in their relationship, in order to make it legit, built to last.

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In the opening scene of the episode we see Joanne and her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) discussing Joanne’s “perfect” new relationship on their podcast, with Morgan offering some more cynical analysis. “A relationship isn’t solid until you’re out of the honeymoon phase,” she says. “The real test is when you merge your lives and you blend your friends.”

In an interview with Nobody Wants This star Justine Lupe, we asked her about this storyline, specifically if merging friendship groups was a red, beige or green flag, and she referred to the concept as a “choose your own adventure” mission. “I understand people wanting to dip into their separate friendship groups, but I also think it’s great to combine and see how different people get along with different vibes of other people,” she added.

Introducing your partner to your friends is a long-held milestone for a serious relationship. Will they pass the friend test? Will they build their own bonds with your friend’s partners, leading to double date heaven? But, like anything that involves matchmaking and good chemistry, the success of this endeavour can definitely vary. The picture-perfect idea of your best pal having the exact same interests and taste in wine and food as your partner could happen, or it might not.

While watching this Nobody Wants This dinner party scene, the “merging friendship groups” scene felt to me like undue pressure. It made me uncomfortable. Not that it’s not a lovely and important thing to do for some couples, but that it’s seen as a pass or fail when it comes to whether your friendship groups mesh well. The question of Joanne’s conversion to Judaism has been put on ice (for now, but not for long), so the couple’s quest to build a serious relationship continues in the form of attempting to mix together their friends and family. Of course, this doesn’t go to plan. In fact, the dinner is derailed not by any of the invitees, but Joanne and Noah’s own lack of communication.