Diksha Sundriyal
Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, ‘Never Have I Ever’ is a teen drama that follows the story of Devi. A smart and hot-tempered girl, she has been through a difficult time, and with the new school year, she wants to change everything about herself. We also witness the stories of her family, friends, and potential love interests, all of whom offer a broad spectrum of characters. It is a hilarious and heart-warming story, and the season ends on an exciting note for the protagonist. If you haven’t yet seen the show, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Plot Summary
Devi Vishwakumar has a list that she needs to check off to become one of the cool kids in school. She has her eyes set on the hot jock Paxton while focusing on her academic rivalry with Ben Gross. While trying to balance all of this, she has to deal with the recent death of her father and the increasing strictness of her mother.
The Ending
The feelings that Devi had been repressing for so long finally burst out. We discover that the night her father had died, she and Nalini had been in a huge fight. In her anger, Nalini said that she couldn’t raise Devi and that she was not her daughter. Devi overheard their conversation, and after Mohan’s death, she finds herself a burden on her mother. Because they never sorted out their issues of that night, Devi holds on to them, which makes her resent her mother even more.
When she discovers that Nalini has decided to shift back to India, Devi explodes. Reciprocating her mother’s anger, she says that she wishes Nalini had died that night. After saying the words that she can’t take back, Devi runs away from home and ends up in Ben’s place, contemplating emancipation.
After dealing with her anger, Nalini comes to Devi with an olive branch. She wants to spread Mohan’s ashes in Malibu, on his favorite spot, on his birthday. Devi takes it as her mother’s trick to get her home and refuses to join her. However, her friends convince her not to let go of this opportunity of saying goodbye to her father. She will not only regret it forever, but she will also not be able to say goodbye to her father ever again.
With Ben’s help, Devi makes it just in time on the beach and reconciles with her mother. Seeing how much Ben cares about her, she kisses him, while Paxton tries to call her from outside her house.
What does it mean for Devi?
‘Never Have I Ever’ started with Devi praying to the gods about making this year a good one for her. She asks for several things, most of which she gets. She also starts out with the issues that she does not want to acknowledge. By the end, however, she gets a clean slate on that front as well.
It would be foolish to say that Devi and Nalini will always be on good terms now. Even though they have set aside their differences, thanks once again to Mohan, there are still a lot of things about Devi that can raise Nalini’s temper. Devi also addresses the grief of losing her father, but that doesn’t mean she will stop missing him. With more complications on the horizon for her, we will surely find her going back to Mohan’s memories to sort out her problems.
Speaking of problems, the show leaves Devi’s love life on a cliffhanger. It had started with her hating Ben and infatuated with Paxton. Her story takes sharp turns with both of them. Ben realizes that he has feelings for her, and in the end, she too accepts that. But does that mean they are together now? Maybe not. It was just one kiss, after all. It doesn’t mean they have to get married, as Paxton said. But this also means that there are feelings between them.
This is complicated by Paxton’s realization that putting off Devi is not a smart move. From knowing her as the wheelchair girl to progressing her to the coyote girl to finally having feelings enough to kiss her, he has come a long way. Devi would have jumped at the chance of him wanting to hang out with her, but after kissing Ben, it wouldn’t be so easy for her to decide. This means that the second season will focus on her trying to figure out who’s the better match. But more importantly, trying to keep it all a secret from her mother.
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