Netflix is home to some of the 21st century’s most popular shows, producing several smash hits over the last decade. But very few rival the quality of the expertly written, hilariously funny and consistently heartfelt series “Never Have I Ever.” The series was created and co-written by Mindy Kaling, former writer and actress on the American comedy, “The Office.” Backed by a dedicated fanbase, the coming-of-age comedy has been running since April 2020. But fans said goodbye to the beloved series after the fourth and final season aired a few short weeks ago. Though this series is not without its flaws (looking at you, Fabiola’s love interests with zero personality), viewers are unfortunate to see the journey end. So buckle up — there’s lots to discuss.
WARNING: Beyond this point, there are major spoilers. If you have not seen the show and want to watch it, stop reading now.
Devi Vishwakumar: The Lovable Psycho
Starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the series centers around Devi Vishwakumar, an Indian-American teenage girl from Sherman Oaks, California. The incident incited one of the show’s most central plotlines occurs before the pilot episode when Devi’s father tragically dies of a heart attack in the middle of her spring orchestra concert.
Overwhelmed by this unexpected catastrophe, Devi enters her sophomore year, and she is determined to turn her high school experience around. She quickly becomes obsessed with obtaining the perfect high school boyfriend and climbing up the social ladder, putting her father’s death as far back in her mind as possible. This series follows her journey over the next three years, in which Devi experiences every twist and turn possible — from learning how to be a better friend to being the center of a love triangle and finally confronting her grief.
Many 21st-century shows for young adults have become too invested in making their main characters likable. Writers want the audience to root for the protagonist so badly that they forget to make the character interesting. “Never Have I Ever” takes a different approach. The main character in this series is the messiest character in the show, yet somehow the most likable and relatable one. Devi is the main character that we didn’t ask for but we all needed.
Much of the show centers around Devi’s unhealthy fixation on status and hotheaded demeanor, both of which seem to land her in trouble quite a lot. She manages to hurt those who care about her a few times, by two-timing the boys interested in her to rebelling against her overprotective mother and lashing out at her best friends during these moments. Fueled by internalized anger and low self-esteem, Devi makes several wrong turns on her path to young adulthood. But this character taught us what growth and development of character is truly about — self-compassion and selflessness.
The death of her father forced Devi to encounter, at such a young age, one of the most difficult obstacles a person can face. The fifteen-year-old begins therapy with Dr. Ryan (Niecy Nash) to sort through her grief and find peace. At first, she is very reluctant to open up, telling her therapist,
“What’s there to talk about? He’s dead. It made me sad.” But when things start to fall apart in her personal life, her therapist tells her, “You are so desperate not to feel sad, you’ve made your whole world about this boy. I want you to allow yourself to acknowledge the pain you so clearly feel.”
After some more ups and downs, Devi finally shows her vulnerability to her mother and friends, admitting how much her grief has been affecting her. In the process, she discovers that falling apart was exactly what she needed to put her life back together.
Born with an overabundance of empathy and a broad emotional capacity, Devi grows into herself over the next couple of seasons, transitioning from a child into a strong young woman. Throughout the course of the show, Devi is forced to put aside her ego in order to make things right. Just as importantly, she provides herself with the love and compassion that is needed in order to take that step forward in her personal growth. Devi learns that it is impossible to face your flaws and own up to your mistakes without self-compassion, teaching viewers a vital lesson.
Devi Ben and Paxton: A Well-Written Love Triangle (Finally!)
From “Twilight” to “The Hunger Games,” love triangles have become a staple of 21st-century film and television. But over the years they’ve become tiring to watch, always having to sit through the same old back and forth. But “Never Have I Ever” offers a fresh take on the love triangle, by tying Devi’s two love interests to her character development over the series. The show also spends a lot of time developing both the boys’ characters, leaving it completely up to the audience to decide who they like better.
The love triangle begins in the very first episode. Devi has a crush on Paxton (Darren Barnet), the most popular boy in school who doesn’t know she exists. In the same episode, we are introduced to Ben (Jaren Lewinson), Devi’s arrogant and obnoxious arch-nemesis with whom she is battling for the top spot in their class.
Paxton and Devi are polar opposites, with Paxton being outgoing and easy-tempered and Devi being hot-headed and labeled as the school’s biggest nerd. Against all odds, the two end up falling for each other, discovering that they can help each other grow into better people. Devi helps Paxton become a more driven student and Paxton helps Devi become more confident.
Although though Devi and Ben get off to a rocky start in the series, they slowly find common ground and discover they are far more alike than they once believed. They both dream of attending Ivy League schools, have the same level of academic intelligence and are extremely lonely in life. The relationship dynamics between Devi and both partners keep viewers interested throughout all four seasons before coming to a conclusion.
It seemed pretty clear from the beginning that the writers intended for Devi to end up with Ben. At the beginning of the second season when Devi initially chooses Paxton, she explains that her reasoning is completely based on surface-level attraction to him. While Paxton and Devi were great friends to each other, the show didn’t dedicate any time towards making her romantic feelings for him make sense. But maybe that’s the point — they weren’t supposed to make sense.
At the end of the third season, Devi matured and moved past her initial expectations of what high school would be like. She realizes she no longer needs popularity or recognition to be happy. On her path to self-discovery, Devi saw Paxton as a distraction from the overwhelming grief she was feeling. But once she started to heal, she realized that the dreams she once had no longer served her, and it was time to let go.
In the same episode, Devi informs Paxton that he got her through her dad’s death by being a dream she could hold onto. Because of how closely the writers tied Devi’s fixation on Paxton to her immaturity, putting her with him in the end would have been an insult to her character growth.
However, the love triangle comes to a conclusion only at the end of the fourth season, when Paxton and Devi decide to remain friends and Devi finally makes her choice to be with Ben. He flies from New York City — where he was interning for the summer — to tell Devi that he is in love with her, which she reciprocates.
Either choice could have drawn the love triangle to a satisfying conclusion for the audience. But for the way the story was written, Ben was the obvious choice. Ben and Devi easily bond over their neurotic tendencies, competitive spirits and shared social awkwardness. Every time Devi pushed herself away from Ben, it was rooted in insecurity and immaturity. Her former self enjoyed the idea of being desirable to lots of boys more than she enjoyed the idea of forming a genuine connection. Choosing Ben represented Devi leaving her past self behind and taking a step forward into the future.
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