Some shows grow with every season. Never Have I Ever has grown a lot since the first time we met Devi, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and her teenage troubles. From struggling with the death of her father, not getting along with her mother to oscillating between Ben and Paxton, Devi has come a long way.
Produced by Mindy Kaling, the latest season of Netflix’s coming-of-age comedy is more heart than its earlier seasons. The cast is fabulous as ever with two new actors joining in, Rhyah and her handsome desi son, Nirdesh, played by Anirudh Pisharody.
There is additional voiceover by Andy Samberg that adds to the fun and chaos.
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Love, heartache and flings
“Oooh, wait a minute. Did we discover that being in a romantic relationship doesn’t necessarily solve all of our problems?” says Dr. Ryan, played by Niecy Nash in the first episode of this season. Devi dismisses the logical question only to arrive at it much later.
After much ado, Devi is finally with the man of her dreams, Paxton Hall-Yoshida, played by Darren Barnet. He is supportive and likes her, but that’s exactly Devi’s issue–why does a hot piece like Paxton her? From digging up an old girlfriend to constantly being haunted by trolls and the question of not being good enough, Devi almost spirals out, only to arrive at self-love.
Once she starts respecting and valuing herself, things change for her. She begins accepting her past and herself, failures, quirks and all, with a little help from her mother Nalini, played by Poorna Jagannathan, and her two friends, Fabiola Torres (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young) and even Ben Gross (Jaren Lewinson).
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The messy relationships in diaspora
Recently, in Ms Marvel, we watched a commendable representation of the Pakistani diaspora. It’s heartening to see Never Have I Ever carrying ahead the baton.
Inside Nalini’s household, Kamala, played by Richa Moorjani, finally knows what she wants, even though Pati is deeply upset about her choice of not marrying the perfect desi boy Prashant. Nalini is struggling to fight her loneliness and forms bonds outside of her house.
Nalini’s friendship with Rhyah documents both her loneliness and the need for new forms of companionship even as she mourns her much-loved husband.
The laughter, Navratri and even quirks of the family are worn on their sleeves, without apologies or exaggerations. The grief of losing loved ones looms heavy but life goes on, with the ones who love you selflessly.
The other characters in the show experience their own losses and new relationships, and prove amazingly mature in their handling of romantic relationships. Trent, played by Benjamin Norris, is a supportive boyfriend to Eleanor.
Even the bromance between Paxtom and Ben, where they discuss their insecurities and future, is a poignant part of the show.
The teenage characters may make you feel you aren’t adulting right, which is to say the way they are teenaging. A wonderful weekend binge watch.