The teen romantic comedy was written and directed by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher. After two seasons of heartbreak and romantic misadventures, Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is finally with the (one of) boy(s) of her dreams at the beginning of Season 3 of Never Have I Ever on Netflix.
Our chaotic, lovable protagonist has ended up with Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) after a tumultuous second season, establishing a true, very public relationship with the boy she’s been enamored with since elementary school. The outcome is never specific for those familiar with the show’s tendency for romantic plot twists and questionable life choices.
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Priority was placed on exploring Devi’s unprocessed grief following her father’s death in Seasons 1 and 2, but this season is significantly more focused on love. This applies not only to our protagonist but also to the rest of the cast. Aneesa Qureshi (Megan Suri) and Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison) are in a relationship at the start of Season 3, while Fabiola Torres (Lee Rodriguez) and Eve Hjelm (Christina Kartchner) are still going strong. However, what follows is an emphasis on romance through an almost dizzying roller coaster of relationships.
A Quick Sneak Peak
Trent Harrison (Benjamin Norris) receives more screen time as he begins dating Eleanor Wong in one of the more recent relationships in Never Have I Ever. He starts dating Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young). It’s entertaining to observe cliche characters such as Trent build tales that go beyond classroom-winning one-liners. However, due to the vast number of relationships covered in Season 3, some, such as Trent and Eleanor, are treated with less conciseness and depth.
Due to the abundance of simultaneous events, plotlines are frequently dropped too fast before the meatier parts of the story. We learn enough about each tertiary character to cheer for them, recognizing who each person may be better partnered with. Still, the opportunity to develop these possible pivots is lost while trying to keep up.
However, Never Have I Ever develops in various ways during this season. With cousins Kamala Nandiwadal (Richa Moorjani) and Manish Kulkarni (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and their developing connection, the concept of “being Indian” is addressed in a subtle narrative. Nirmala, Kamala and Devi’s grandmother, objects to their marriage because of Manish’s Wikipedia-level knowledge of India, Indian culture, and Indian religion.
How linked we are to our culture is a universal concern for many diaspora children, which this narrative addresses. How interdependent do we wish to be? Similar talks are accomplished by introducing Des (Anirudh Pisharody) as Devi’s new love interest. Like Aneesa, who debuted in Season 1, Des joins the school as a South Asian child of Devi’s age, giving another dimension to the group she finds herself in.
Best Season Of All
This season, Never Have I Ever’s a mix of touching stories, awkward high school encounters, and hilarious moments. One would assume that this would result in some monotony or repetition. Ben defending Devi from herself, Paxton handling college admissions, and Kamala exploring a new romance are all instances that feel familiar. Moreover, the show could have slowed down at times. Nonetheless, the writers and characters have a marvelously original approach to each circumstance, which elevates the series. Never Have I Ever remains unwaveringly faithful to itself and its roots, maturing and making us fall in love with it even more.
