Back in 2020, when Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher created an Indian-American teen drama, Never Have I Ever with a very relatable Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), little did we know that she’d impact us, so much so that four years later when we see her all grown up and taking her journey ahead, we’d be teary-eyed. Most of us will agree, that one has learnt a lot and had those emotional rumbles, whenever she picked herself up, despite all the goof-ups she did on a daily basis. The fourth and final season of the show, which releases today was a mixed bundle of happiness, making us feel a million emotions only to come back and watch it all over again.
The fourth season of Never Have I Ever picks up exactly where Season 3 ends. Devi and Ben have an awkward sex. But what happens next is exactly where the writers do an excellent job. Things actually keep getting interesting with Ben’s newfound love triangle with Devi as well as the lesser-known school kid Margot.
Remember Devi’s ex-boyfriend Paxton? In the trailer we see, Paxton comes back to school, but what made him come back? Of course, the writers have always ensured to bring in an interesting angle in his character arc, which makes one realise that he is much more than a pretty face to fawn over. Paxton’s commendable character growth is what makes you root for him till the end. While he navigates his life and relationships, makes bad decisions, realises, regrets and fixes, he also sends out a very important message to every GenZ. It would be safe to say, Mindy Kaling has treated Paxton (Darren Barnet) as one of her best writing projects. Also, Devi and Paxton shippers, there’s something super sweet and interesting for you all, as they get their much-needed closure.
Coming next to Devi’s mom Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan ), she has to be one of the biggest examples in setting out a different outlook towards South Asian parenting and exploring mother-daughter relationships.
Cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani), on the other hand, beautifully navigates the challenges of cultural expectations and personal ambitions. Despite feeling secure in her choices, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, searching for what truly fulfils her. Granny Nirmala also welcomes new feelings at ease. Devi’s two best friends Eleanor and Fabiola grow, look out for themselves, embrace new learnings and get the perfect happy ending to themselves.
This time we do get to see a different side of Devi’s nemesis and ex-lover Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). In Season 1, Ben was hard on academically challenging himself, In Season 4 Ben learns to let things lose, by making sure that his focus stays intact. Overall Ben is actually a beautifully written character.
In season 4, Devi is a lot more sensible, despite making horrible decisions. You’d empathise with her, let her make those mistakes, and even get attracted to the red flag Ethan. She learns to navigate her feelings beautifully, makes the best decisions for herself, and isn’t much in pain too with her emotions. According to her therapist’s words, she is truly living a life that is emotionally rich and really beautiful.
The only drawbacks that season 4 has are there is very little of Sendhil Ramamoorthy as Devi’s deceased father Mohan. He was a big part of the previous seasons and brought in a comforting element in the show. Not just him, Megan Suri who plays Aneesa has very little screen time or no screen time at all this season. She played as a catalyst in encouraging healthy conversations about thought-provoking issues which seemed to look missing with her absence.
Like every other rom-com, the final few minutes of the last episode had a predictable ending. However, one gets to feel their heart racing as the Ben-Pax universe, finally gets the answer- Devi ending up with… No matter how predictable the plot looked, the warm fuzzy feeling of seeing their loved one reach out to them and confess their feelings never gets out of fashion.
All in all, Never Have I Ever is a delightful watch. And the final season has been created with much needed zeal. It’s not all disappointing. You can watch the show repeatedly. The show touches upon important issues like mental health, the importance of therapy, handling grief, bullying, dating, cat fishing and all things in between. Every character is well written, has gotten their dues and leaves an impact on their viewers. It’s truly a first-of-its-kind teen drama, which breaks typical stereotypes and has become an important part of encouraging conversations about healthy South Asian representation.
Go for it, binge it. You’d love, may cringe and have a wholesome ride watching all of it. It’s much more than a show, it’s an honest representation of not just South Asian culture, but also GenZ’s mindset with the perfect voice. Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher promise their viewers an emotional ride of all things sweet, nostalgic and create a sense of belonging.
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