everybody wants this

the resurgence of nice men and adam brody

There’s a thing about Joanne (Kristen Bell) that’s a little too familiar, a lot like home— she wears her independence and empowerment on her sleeve, deflects fleeting relationships that just didn’t work with humor just to try to make things at ease, and then there goes the fear: the sudden wave of anxiety hitting you when you meet somebody who actually seems so right that it clicks.

Why is this person so good? And do I even really deserve it? We’ve all seen a little piece of ourselves in Joanne throughout the whole series and seeing that on screen was in many ways, a breath of fresh air.

But nothing is as fresh, surprising yet equally charming as the classified hot rabbi Noah (Adam Brody), whose warmth radiates just right through. For the first time in such a long time here is a nice man— a genuinely good guy who barely “engages in gossip”, opens car doors for his girlfriend, and communicates his feelings in a topnotch manner without raising his voice or triggering a toxic let’s breakup-let’s makeup fight. Such good qualities are exactly what a partner should be but something not many of us are used to. In the harsh realities of this world, many are accustomed to thoughtless, unintentional dating lifestyles and some are even stuck in relationships that we think are good for us but are actually doing the exact opposite.

When Joanne unconsciously puts her worries and hesitations front and center, Noah handles them with fragility and for a second, I felt a discomfort watching the two because my nervous system insists that this is something that would typically lead to an outburst of male ego but lo and behold, there was no angry rebuttal from Noah’s end; he just ends up lowering his voice gently to meet her right where she’s at and then that’s it. Noah just took her in, in a much-needed embrace.

So upon seeing Joanne deal with her fair share of anxieties and Noah facing those head-on too, there’s a tiny spark of hope that something, even though it may never really be perfect as relationships do, can be good. And something just as good and healthy does exist and could truly happen to you too.