Cover art by @leelasluvs on Instagram
by Frankie Fanelli
Never Have I Ever is a new Netflix original series that was released on April 27, 2020. From creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, the show follows the story of Indian-American teen Devi Vishwakumar starting her sophomore year of high school and attempting to live a normal life after the sudden death of her father and inexplicably losing the use of her legs (and later regaining it just as inexplicably) all before the end of freshman year. The series tells the story of Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her two best friends as they navigate grief, growing up, and- oh yeah- Devi’s plans to return to school with a bang by losing her virginity to Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), the cutest boy in her school.
The beginning of the series’ pilot episode flashes back and forth between the main character Devi’s present day and flashbacks to the recent past where Devi faced challenges and losses she is still attempting to deal with and overcome when we meet her on her first day of sophomore year. This is a stylistic choice I appreciated because it allows us to see into Devi’s cultural background, family dynamic, and get a sense of her personality which makes it easier to sympathise with Devi and her struggles. The show elected to have the narrator and omniscient guide through these flashbacks be voiced by famous tennis player John McEnroe, a stylistic choice which admittedly at first seems like a sonsequitor within the show but later proves to be a touching detail. John McEnroe’s disembodied voice itself even promises, “It’ll make sense later, I promise.”
I easily fell in love with the main characters: not only Devi but her two best friends Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young). They’re endearing and funny and heartfelt, albeit awkward and a bit misguided at times. (But I mean, who wasn’t struggling to figure themselves out in their sophomore year of high school?) They support one another and are a good example of unconditional friendship and camaraderie for the younger generations who may be watching.
One of the few complaints I have about this show is that every now and then an attempt for the show to be witty and ironic falls flat. This typically happened during interaction between the characters; there were times where I felt that the show was reaching for a Sex Education style banter and irony in their dialogue and pacing but just weren’t able to execute it.
The show has a great grasp on its portrayal of a young teen girl grappling with grief and the tragic loss of a loved one. While it may not be something everyone has experienced or can relate to, it will likely be well-depicted and comforting for someone who has and can also serve as a guide book for others who may one day need to support a friend or relative through challenging times. That’s an example of something Never Have I Ever does stunningly: representation. It has already garnered praise for being both an empathetic exploration of grief and a series that works to bust down a plethora of Asian stereotypes and religious stigmas. Not only are all of the main characters racially and culturally diverse, there is also representation for a spectrum of sexualities and religious beliefs as well. The show addresses this, too, and does so creatively through the lens of high school students who bully our trio of leading ladies, calling their friend group “The UN.” But this only serves as an opportunity for the lead characters to assert that they’re proud of their cultures and not afraid to express who they truly are.
Never Have I Ever is definitely a hit in my opinion, a teen comedy series that is continually funny and enjoyable. The cast of young actors is definitely one with a bright future ahead of them, who succeeded in building a group of likeable and relatable characters to bring this series to life.
If you want to hear more from the star of Never Have I Ever be sure to check out TV Wasteland’s exclusive interview with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
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