never have I ever
Producers: Mindy Kaling, Fisher
Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Jaren Levinson, Darren Barnett
Before the first season of Never Have I Ever, producer Mindy Kaling had to ask too many questions about the show just about sex. Our first introduction to Devi Vishwakumar was to pray for her to lose her virginity and dream of having sex with her crush. However, when the show aired, we came to know that it was much more than that. It was also a breath of fresh air, because why couldn’t an Indian-American teenager talk about sex? Not that people have ever complained about teenagers in Riverdale.
In season one, we saw an Indian-American teenager go to high school while dealing with the sudden departure of her father. We saw her grapple with her Indian culture and her complicated, borderline toxic relationship with her mother. And we’ve seen a growing interest in sex, resulting in a lot of weird things that happen to real teens.
The show had already shown us most of the cards for the season. We knew about the tone of the show, what a surprise it was, how the characters acted and the kind of drama that followed them. We knew season two wouldn’t be as much of a revelation as season one was, but it was fun to imagine what new things could happen in Devi’s life, especially now that she’s had two love affairs.
In all honesty, Never Have I Ever season two isn’t much different from season one. In fact, it picks up right where it left off last season. That means there’s less room for the characters to grow, or for that matter, be different than they were a year ago (in audience time).
However, that doesn’t mean that season two isn’t as good as season one. While there are moments when it looks like some jokes are written by adults pretending to be Gen Z, it still retains its sharp and witty sense of humor from the first installment. The love triangle between Devi, Ben (Jaren Levison) and Paxton (Darren Barnett) keeps things interesting without distracting Devi.
In terms of drama, Never Have I Ever season two incorporates important issues such as sexism at the workplace and eating disorders into its story, just as it did last time (along with various issues). There’s also the classic Devi and Nalini dynamic, which is a lot more functional at the moment, but still a gift that keeps on giving. I am personally glad that Poorna Jagannathan’s character has been humanized in season two, as Nalini was subjected to a lot of emotional abuse to fit the strict Indian mother stereotype.
For that matter, a lot of the stereotypes have ended from season one this season. Many fans expressed their discontent that Kamala (Richa Moorjani) would choose an arranged marriage set-up over her boyfriend. This season, however, (kind of) redeems him. We actually see her on her way to becoming a scientist, which is much better than her arc as Devi’s handsome cousin in the first season.
The only crime in season two is that there is little Senthil Ramamurthy as Devi’s dead father Mohan. He was a big part of season one and a true comfort character. He also broke the image of a typical Indian father that we see in cinema. A lot of season two needed a Mohan Vishwakumar touch.
Another shortcoming of this season is that much less is talked about sex and puberty than in season one. It was fun watching Devi and her best friends Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) first learn about female anatomy. This spawned a lot of teen slang, which made for hilarious content. Season two was a lot about matters of the heart, which brought a lot of drama, but we’ve seen this happen before. It’s almost like playing it safe in the second season.
Still, Never Have I Ever is a show that grows on you after a few episodes. This is mainly due to the writing, but also because of the performance. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a much-loved actress who can go from being angry as a goddess to utterly adorable. Even when she is making the most terrible decision, you still root for her. This is because of how relatable Maitreyi makes her character. It’s still hard to believe that this is his first show ever.
Another cool addition this year is Megan Suri, whose character Anisa has a complicated arc on the show. While it seems like the character’s sole purpose is to add drama to Devi’s life, Megan actually brings a lot of color to Anissa.
Has Never Have I Ever lived up to the season two hype? While it doesn’t bring much to the table compared to the first season, it still answers most of our questions. It’s also quite the binge, with five hours passing by pretty quickly. You want to know who the goddess ends up with, so it doesn’t hurt to watch it.
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