Never Have I Ever… been so disappointed in a character (hint: *Devi*). At this point, I would like to congratulate Nalini for staying sane despite having a daughter like Devi, whose world revolves around nothing (and perhaps juggling two boys) but herself. (Spoiler Alert!)
Mindy Kaling’s Netflix Original Never Have I Ever got a lot of nods for its unique insight into brown immigrant family life and a millennial young-adult raised in America, with all her teenage angst and high-intensity high school drama. Its season 1 came out in summer 2020, and immediately became Netflix’s favorite quarantine binge (it’s only 10 episodes!) The hype carried well into the Emmy nominations, which the show was left out of, for being a “niche” category; the fans, obviously, weren’t happy about it!
That prompted creator Mindy Kaling to address it on Twitter-“Thanks! We love our #neverhaveiever cast, are so proud of the reviews and the 40+ million people who watched and loved it worldwide. Sometimes a show like ours will always seem ethnic or niche to a certain group of people. ” With so much love and support pouring in, the show got picked up for a second season that (was) released on July 15, 2021, and it’s still all we can talk about!
Let’s recap a bit.
Remember how, at the end of season 1, Nalini caught Devi in a liplock with Ben, and Paxton had also called her cell at the same time? … Well, yeah. Who knew Nalini would cause her no consequences other than just a backhanded comment on how she was out there kissing boys and Devi… ended up dating both Paxton and Ben at the same time. Also, remember how Eleanor and Fabiola had broken up with Devi for being self-centered and insensitive and Ben had to patch them up? Well, Devi seems to have forgotten it quite quickly because she stops them mid-conversation yet again to discuss her “boy problems”-cute.
Moreover, Nalini left Devi and Kamala alone for a week to visit India. That’s right: she is every brown mom’s nightmare at this point. Nevertheless, the developments ensuing were even heavier, which we will slowly dive into.
First things first: Two boys, one Devi.
As Devi (Ramakrishnan), Paxton (Darren Barnet) and Ben (Jaren Lewison) became involved in a love triangle, her grief over her father’s death became more evident, with her constant need for validation, her growing tiffs with her mother and therapist, and the disconnection she felt from both Ben and Paxton, despite both of them being head over heels for her. There were also some new cast members, including Megan Suri (our new favorite brown girl)-Aneesa, a newly introduced Muslim Indian girl who turned the triangle into more of a square.
Now, I have no issues with Devi being poly-amorous, but I do believe in having consent from both of her boyfriends, right? Except, none of that happens and she basically keeps them in the dark, hoping they don’t find out somehow.
Two things happened:
- Eleanor and Fabiola decide that, with Nalini off to India (we’ll have to return to this part later), Devi should host a house party.
- At the party, Ben overhears Devi talking to another girl, calling herself Paxton’s girlfriend, while Paxton overhears Devi telling Ben she is his girlfriend. Paxton runs out into the street and breaks his arm in an accident.
Now, Devi doesn’t care to explain Ben about the revelation and runs out after Paxton- a very subtle, yet hurtful move, because Ben obviously and rightfully is entitled to an explanation after having won her over by taking her in at her worst, patching her with her friends, driving her to the coast to drop her father’s ashes AND waiting for her in the car while she was at it. Devi does come off as insensitive and ungrateful, especially since she was doubting Paxton (ironically) to still be a player. Hmmm… oh, did I mention Paxton gets his own post-breakup episode narrated by Gigi Hadid where we see how genuinely he liked Devi and how depressed he is and how close he is to his grandfather? No? Oops!
Nalini’s blood may not be thicker than water.
Poorna Jagannathan obviously gets 10/10 for her portrayal of Nalini, a recent widow and single mother, who’s also an ambitious doctor trying to pull off more than her plate can hold, because in a brown household, you’re no one if you’re not an overachiever. But even the iron lady seems to have to play herself down the moment she lands in India-oh yeah, remember how they were gonna move back to India? Well, to make the transition smoother, Nalini decides to take a trip home alone to visit her relatives, only to realize that the home she was looking for had been left behind in America.
I love how they did not downplay the character or show her trying to fit into her extremely patriarchal and unsupportive family. Rather, she found solace in her mother-in-law, further reinstating how much she, too, missed her husband, but she couldn’t weaken herself in front of Devi. The bond between Nalini and the woman she had been referring to as Nirmala Maami was revealed much later, and is explained in one plain dialogue: “You’re moving back here for your family’s support that you don’t even have?” Every expression of Nalini, from being cared for, to being vulnerable, to being more than Devi’s paranoid, overprotective mother, steals all the stars for characterization.
Pulling a Devi
When Devi realizes that they are not moving back to India after all, it dawns on her that she would eventually have to face the boys and regain her gym credits. She gets desperate for an escape and ends up at her therapist’s, who is impressed by the gesture, to say the least.
The character development seemed to have taken a backward route, reminding us yet again that she’s only a teenager who hasn’t got everything figured out. However, this message is only half-hearted, because Devi’s actions seem to have more consequences on others than they do on her, and she’s often fine with it. When Paxton’s chances of getting a sports scholarship are slim due to his new injury, Devi is appointed as his peer coach to help him improve his grades. Devi sees that as an opportunity to get him to soften up to her, but quickly forgets about it the moment a new entrant threatens to take Ben away from her. Aneesa is Devi’s counterpart in everything-smart, funny, Indian, a Muslim, and definitely a heartthrob, and she develops a relationship with Ben. And Devi’s immediate reaction? Jealousy, sabotage, revenge.
While Aneesa was just trying to fit in, not only was Devi resistant to being her friend, but the moment she had been getting attention from Ben, Devi (accidentally) started an insensitive rumpus about her being anorexic, which unfortunately turned out to be true! To top it off, she hides her involvement and gets others punished in her place.
On the other hand, Nalini develops a secret flirtation with her colleague Dr. Jackson (YAY), but the happiness is short-lived when Devi sneaks up on her, crashes the date and kills the budding romance at its first shoot! Her friends Fabiola and Eleanor fittingly name these actions of Devi as “pulling a Devi”. Although we see Devi redeeming her old “# BFFs”, Ivy League-targeting persona, it remains true that she crossed too many lines, and that would be “stretching a Devi”, if you will. You can’t help feeling bad for her when she breaks down at the therapist’s because everyone’s been calling her “crazy Devi”, but she still does not know what she’s been doing wrong.
The others: Eleanor, Fabiola, Aneesa, Kamala
This summer doesn’t seem too good for any relationships, with or without Devi’s interference. As Aneesa battles to hold her own amid the rumors, Devi’s failed attempts at apologies soon make it apparent that high school is merciless when it comes to newcomers, especially ones with skeletons in their closets. Another person who was having trouble with her newfound identity was Fabiola, who had been cutting out of robotics club duties to fit in with her new girlfriend and her friends; the journey out of the closet was already difficult enough for her, but the pressure of being accepted into the Queer community had been an added responsibility, which she was having trouble facing, but couldn’t express.
Eleanor, on the other hand, found herself in a manipulative, toxic situation with her new former-celebrity boyfriend, whose narcissistic, gaslighting nature separated her from her friends and, to some extent, her own identity. And our favourite cousin, Kamala, was being intellectually exploited at her work, only to realise she no longer wanted that job, nor did she want to get married. Despite Prashant being a sweetheart to her. She ran away from her possible engagement to escape the world of marriage she was being pushed into and we see her leaning slightly towards Devi’s cool teacher, Mr. K. Could this be a new thing?
Kudos to the creators of these moments:
I will be counting down to my favourite moments, so bear with me.
- We meet the vulnerable sides of each character equally.
- Paxton wins extra credits with the help of his grandfather, and honestly, I teared up a little!
- Devi owns up to being responsible for the rumour.
- Devi dumps Paxton when she finds out he’s embarrassed to be seen with her in public (I mean, can you blame him? Still,).
- Aneesa makes Devi get a nose piercing (IT LOOKS SO GOOD).
- Nalini kisses Dr. Jackson. No explanations, just palpable chemistry.
- Eleanor dumps her douche-y, dominating boyfriend.
- Kamala puts her name on the paper she was left out of.
- Fabiola claims her position back on the Robotics team at the homecoming dance, AND is named Homecoming Queen and Queen with her love, Eve!
- Devi gets smacked and put in her place by her grandmother, Nirmala, for being a nosy, disrespectful daughter who is interfering with her mother’s relationship.
Never have I ever… ranted so much about a protagonist! After giving so much away, holding off on who Devi ends up with seems a little hypocritical of me, but for the show’s sake, you’ll have to watch Never Have I Ever Season 2 on Netflix. Ciao!
