It’s hard not to hold your breath as the seconds tick down on Nobody Wants This Season 3, Episode 7. The installment sees Morgan (Justine Lupe) and freshly single Sasha (Timothy Simons) head to New York. The duo treks across the country purportedly so that Morgan can appear on Watch What Happens Live. But, the 3,000-mile trip also gives the Angelenos the space to explore their mounting attraction, which feels destined to ignite.
Simons says the Nobody Wants This team intended for the episode — which takes place over one day — to have the dreamy feel of Richard Linklater’s iconic romance Before Sunrise. The reality of Sasha’s separation and the impending marriage of their respective siblings Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) feel a world away. As Lupe explains, “It has that feeling where it’s this one moment of them being in this place together — like there’s something different that’s going on between them.”
The will they, won’t they tension explodes into “they definitely did” in the final moments of Episode 7, as they settle into their shared hotel room. Morgan has the sumptuous bed, while Sasha, and all of his expansive height, is camped out on the living room sofa. By this point in the evening, the duo has sworn to forgo sex for the good of their close friendship. But Morgan’s pacing across the suite — captured by a beautiful, anxiety-ridden tracking shot — suggests other, deeper, desires.
“They didn’t plan that. That was divine intervention,” Lupe says, explaining that the setup of the room allowed for the special shot. Simons lauds the episode’s director, Richard Shepard, for pulling off the scene.
“That’s a lot of credit to him,” he says. “We have a very tight shoot timeline and Richard really is always looking for ways to make things cinematic, or shoot something in a more interesting way.” Adding an extra dose of romance: Shepard, who also directs the dreamy Season 3 finale, is the husband of Nobody Wants This co-showrunner Jenni Konner.
Despite Morgan’s pacing, it’s Sasha’s appearance at her bedroom door that finally gets the pair to consummate their feelings. Their long-simmering attraction culminates in a kiss, but with their families about to become intertwined, the moment carries consequences far beyond their hotel suite. “Not only could their relationship be affected, it might cause some strife in both of their families,” Simons says. “It’s interesting to have Morgan walk by twice, but the final thing is Sasha. There’s a balance to that.”
In fact, pulling off Morgan and Sasha’s ever-evolving relationship is one big balancing act. Now, Lupe and Simons take you inside their characters’ trip to New York, that monumental kiss, and where Morgan and Sasha stand at the Season 3 finale.
The internet is always debating what constitutes a “bottle episode.” Do you consider it to be one?
Timothy Simons: I do, yeah.
Justine Lupe: It has some amazing stuff from Kristen and Adam as Joanne and Noah. But it does feel like it’s a departure. It feels like something different. And that, I guess, is making me call it a bottle episode.
How did you feel when you learned Sasha and Morgan would get their own romantic episode?
Lupe: Neither of us have ever been cast as romantic leads, at least not in something that feels so concentrated.
Simons: I would make this joke with Justine that every time I’ve been cast to kiss someone in something prior to this, the desired result was, “Oh, that's funny,” or, “Oh, that’s gross.”
Lupe: We were deeply concerned that we would look like muppets looking out with just a bunch of limbs. But it worked out!
Why do you think the kiss finally feels so exciting?
Lupe: They’re clearly aching for it. And I think it’s also just been a long run of both of them feeling some sort of magnetic curiosity towards each other.
Simons: If they weren’t staying in the same room, it probably wouldn’t happen.
Lupe: It works because Morgan does that walk back and forth so many times that I think it’s very clear that she’s trying to do something. But she can’t quite get there on her own. So she needs that extra push from Sasha to tip it over the line.
When did you start rooting for Sasha and Morgan?
Lupe: I think once Esther decided she wanted to leave this version of their relationship and try something new. Prior to that, I was actually deeply against them getting together. There’s not much that’s very sexy or comedic about the aftermath of destroying a family. So once Esther made the decision that she wanted to do something else, I felt safe letting Sasha and Morgan see what was going on between them. And I was curious to play it out myself.
Simons: There is a maturity to the way the show tries to deal with adult relationships. The reason that Esther and Sasha are not together is actually a good and emotionally healthy reason. It sucks for Esther and it sucks for Sasha, but it’s not an icky thing. They’re trying to make the right decisions. Sasha doesn’t leave Esther because he’s interested in another person. He didn’t even want to leave his marriage.
Sasha wakes up to a note revealing Morgan has fled New York after their night together. Why does she leave without him?
Lupe: I think there’s the face value fear of “This is a mess.” She’s asking herself, “Am I really going to end up with my sister’s husband’s brother? Is that really where this is headed? Is that a serious proposition?” I also think that the thing that she says to Sasha is very earnest and real — she steps toward things and then she backs out. So, consequently, she does things quite half-baked.
She’s like, “This is scary. And instead of sitting here and talking out why it’s scary or working through this, I am running.” It’s like walking through the fire for Morgan to actually get to the point where she can tell Sasha, “I want to do this.” But then when he says, “I can’t do this.”
How is Sasha feeling at the end of Season 3? Esther learns about the hookup in the finale.
Simons: The one thing that I have thought about is if Morgan hadn’t left New York without him, I do think Sasha would have said yes to a relationship. Despite Esther finding out about it.
Lupe: I agree.
Simons: I do think it’s interesting that Sasha has a grown-up and emotionally healthy moment by being like, “This might be right, but it’s not the right time.” But I still think that feeling is in there. It’s just very complicated and very messy.
What do you have to say to fans of Sasha and Morgan?
Lupe: I encourage people to have any feelings, whether they’re like, “Go Esther and Sasha, screw Morgan and Sasha,” or, “Yay, Morgan and Sasha!” Isn’t that the kind of beauty of a story? And I’m sure plenty of people have very different feelings and very different reactions, and that’s excellent in my opinion. That’s when you're doing something that elicits a feeling.
Simons: I remember after Season 1, I got a lot of comments from people like, “Oh, I think Morgan and Sasha should get together.” And then after Season 2, I got a lot of comments about like, “Oh, I really think Esther and Sasha should work this out.” I feel like there is a pretty big balance of what people are rooting for.
Lupe: I’m curious to see how it all plays out.
