S01.E01: Pilot

[AnimeMania]

Fresh off another unsuccessful date, Joanne sashays into a friend's party and meets Noah, an adorable rabbi who recently broke up with his girlfriend.

Premiere Date: September 26, 2024     Netflix     

[Dminches]

Very well done episode one. There is clearly chemistry between Bell and Brody.  It is funny, but not stupid, and there are serious parts which are real. I hope they keep up the energy built in the first episode.

 

[Paloma]

I was looking forward to this because I usually enjoy rom-coms and love Kristen Bell's work, but her character was a turnoff in this first episode and the comic situations with her family felt too broad. Also, I don't know Adam Brody but until the scene when he walked her to the car I didn't get the charm. However, I will keep watching because I'm hopeful it will get more interesting once his family finds out about her. 

[catherinejane]

They are so cute together. So I am in. 
and I like 30 min shows! 

[A.Ham]

I really loved this and am surprised this isn't getting more traffic here. I like the quick-witted banter and the show has a feeling of "realness" to it as well that I like. I have to admit to having binged it and will probably re-watch as well, which is not something I tend to do.

[Anela]

I’m just watching it now.  Started last night. 

[CinAZ]

I like it so far 

but I am afraid I will finish it all at once.

[MerBearHou]

I’ve had a huge crush on Adam Brody / Seth Cohen / Dave Rygalski for all these years, and he’s just as wonderful here.  I am IN.  It’s funny and quick and has lots of great moments.  

[PRgal]

Just watched the first episode.  Is it just me or is the exterior of the house (it's Joanne's place, correct?) similar to Casa Walsh in 90210?  

[Bruinsfan]

I like both the leads and it was refreshing that their characters both seem smart with a bit of edge, rather than the oblivious treacly types that I'm used to in Hallmark-style romcoms. Not that big a fan of how their families are being written so far—I like either very real-seeming supporting characters or complete campiness, though given Tovah Feldshuh's final line perhaps I shouldn't discount the latter possibility just yet.

[Milburn Stone]

I'm in. One thing bothered me a bit, though.

I'm Jewish. All the young women who were supposed to "read" as Jewish were noticeably less hot than Kristen Bell or Willa. (She'll always be Willa to me.) There are stunning Jewish women in the real world! I felt like I was being told that Jewish girls are unattractive. (Which is weird, since a number of those involved on the show BTS are Jewish.)

[possibilities]

Maybe they weren't your type? I'm Jewish, too (and female), and I didn't feel slighted.

[Addaiya]

On 10/1/2024 at 12:22 PM, PRgal said:

Just watched the first episode.  Is it just me or is the exterior of the house (it's Joanne's place, correct?) similar to Casa Walsh in 90210?  

I thought the exact same thing!

[retired watcher]

Very full of typical tropes. Annoying Jewish girl who is too pushy. Beautiful blade shiksa steals his heart. Sophisticated friends all non Jews. 

[possibilities]

But the Rabbi is hip and cool and sexy. They are not leaning into the "old orthodox rabbi" trope, or the "anti-sex, set in his ways, and not a real person with vulnerabilities" nonsense.  I appreciate that, because this show's rabbi is more like the ones around here. We have more than enough of the tropey portrayals.

And yes, some of his relatives are old school and conservative. But the local synagogue here is just that kind of mix. You have people who are very strict and try to keep the gentile spouses from being treated well by the congregation. And there are the intermarried congregants who are fighting to have their families included. I think this show is actually doing a pretty good job of navigating down the middle of what happens in congregations where there is one synagogue to serve a large community with a small Jewish population. 

I realize they are showing the place as being in a city that probably has enough Jews to support more than one, but it's more interesting and less stereotypical to portray what happens in most places these days, where there is intergenerational change and people are thrown together by lack of a large population that can self-select into the easy, no-conflict faction they fit best in.

I also think, later in the season, you see

other signs that not everyone, including not every rabbi or older congregant, is as stereotypical as Adam Brody's character's family is first shown to be

.

They want there to be tension and obstacles because that's how rom coms work, and this is basically a rom com. I think they actually are working pretty hard to make it credible but not without surprises and to give all the characters some dimension, if you stick with it.

[A.Ham]

On 10/3/2024 at 5:00 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I'm in. One thing bothered me a bit, though.

I'm Jewish. All the young women who were supposed to "read" as Jewish were noticeably less hot than Kristen Bell or Willa. (She'll always be Willa to me.) There are stunning Jewish women in the real world! I felt like I was being told that Jewish girls are unattractive

Wait, what? I don't notice a significant difference (or even an insignificant difference) in the actress' level of attractiveness. They are hollywood actresses and have hollywood looks, and for some of them that affords them the hollywood lifestyle, which allows them to have more resources dedicated to their looks... but I wouldn't draw a particular line on beauty. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder and subjective. But I would find it less than likely that it would be a purposeful move on the part of the producers.

[Milburn Stone]

15 hours ago, A.Ham said:

Wait, what? I don't notice a significant difference (or even an insignificant difference) in the actress' level of attractiveness.

As I've watched more episodes, I'm noticing it less. I think they were going for comic effect in that one scene in Ep. 1 where he's trying desperately to leave the temple and all the mothers are pushing their daughters on him. It would have been interesting if one of those daughters was as drop-dead cute as Kristen Bell or as drop-dead gorgeous as Justin Lupe--just so that he'd have had a moment's temptation to stay--but they went for the easy laugh. Just my opinion.

[buttersister]

You’re not wrong—and indicative of some of my issues with this thing.

[MamaMax]

And while I think Kristen Bell is cute, I thought both Becca and the sister-in-law (name??) were way prettier. 

 

[surfgirl]

Love Adam Brody but not a huge Bell fan. Didn't care for the trope of, 'he's so  unattainable because he's a rabbi so I want him even though I shouldn't pursue this.'

[A.Ham]

On 10/9/2024 at 8:02 AM, Milburn Stone said:

I think they were going for comic effect in that one scene in Ep. 1 where he's trying desperately to leave the temple and all the mothers are pushing their daughters on him

A good reason to rewatch! I did, and you may be right in that they were going for comic effect. I wouldn't necessarily call them ugly, but then again the older I get, the less interested in looks I become. It was one of those scenes to set the tone with a certain level of absurdity. I mean, one of the moms said that her daughter was getting over shingles. Like, why would you say that in public? 

[Bruinsfan]

I suppose the really attractive young ladies (and certainly the ones with the confidence to aggressively pursue dating themselves) aren't the ones whose mothers feel it necessary to corner a newly eligible rabbi after services and throw their daughters at him.

[Angeleyes]

We just watched the first episode tonight. I liked the comedy and the chemistry so far. The only weird thing that took me out of the story was Kristen’s character wearing the gigantic fur coat. It just seemed so dated. No one wears fur coats anymore. She seemed to be the only one wearing a big coat even though they gave the exposition of saying that it was cold. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I don’t know why I don’t like Kristen Bell, but I don’t. She comes across as bratty and predictable, in terms of her acting choices.

 

I like Brody. He’s very charismatic. 

Edited October 18, 2024 by hoodooznoodooz

[lovett1979]

I didn't pick up on a commentary that Jewish women are less attractive, and any discrepancy between Kristen Bell and the daughters at the temple would be that she is a star and they are basically extras. He was trying to get out of there because he had a woman waiting that he already knew he had chemistry and attraction with, but it was not about "avoiding the Jewish women."

I did feel the Jewish stereotypes (especially from his sister-in-law) were the offensive part. Pushy, insular, loud, etc

[arc]

On 10/1/2024 at 9:10 PM, Bruinsfan said:

though given Tovah Feldshuh's final line perhaps I shouldn't discount the latter possibility just yet.

"That shiksa," probably would have landed harder if they kept "Shiksa" as the name of the show. Does it count as a title drop if it was one during filming but then the title got changed before release?

[Milburn Stone]

On 10/16/2024 at 12:06 PM, lovett1979 said:

I didn't pick up on a commentary that Jewish women are less attractive

Just would add (since I was the one that said that) that Rebecca the ex-fiancée turns up in later episodes and is quite attractive, much more attractive than I found her in the pilot. Maybe I was influenced by her personality being somewhat unattractive in the pilot.