“We’re finally seniors. Honestly, I think we are doing great.” –Devi Vishwakumar
It’s the end of an era. Devi Vishwakumar has been through a lot throughout high school, but that has prepared her for the next stage of her life. We met Devi as an overachieving sophomore who struggled with anger issues and the grief of losing her father. The first-generation American was constantly at odds with her Indian roots, pushing against tradition and not conforming to the “good Indian girl” image exemplified by her cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani). Devi has had many ups and downs–very low downs, to be clear–as she chased the teenage American dream of being popular and having a hot boyfriend but still killing it academically. Now, the final season will have us see Devi reach new highs as her years-long journey of maturing and personal growth brings us an emotional, heartwarming, and funny series finale.
This season on Never Have I Ever, Devi, Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Ben (Jaren Lewison) are gearing up for the next step after high school: college. Devi has her heart set on Princeton. Fabiola is undecided but is determined to find the best place to continue working on robotics. Eleanor is ready to take on the challenge of becoming a paid actress and attending Julliard. Finally, Ben, much like Devi, is set on one college: Columbia. The seniors are in for one last hurrah as their ambitions, friendships, and hearts lead them down unexpected paths and where they are destined to be. Along the way, the Vishakumar household welcomes an unexpected addition forcing the women of the household to look within themselves and finally choose the thing that makes them happy.
Simply put, season 4 wraps up everything nicely with a neat bow. Show creator Lang Fisher and assembled screenwriters for this season commit to one goal: finish what was started. The series never purported to be a dramatic, twist-filled teen drama with cliffhangers, unresolved plots or the dissipation of character arcs. When you break it down, Never Have I Ever is a simple show with a very clear yellow brick road. The series, which dealt with heavy themes, was always one rooted in humour, hope, and the comfort of a neat and tidy story that answered all the questions and tied up all loose ends. It is a miracle that Netflix even let the series get past its freshman season, primarily since they are known to be quite the slaughterhouse for fun and exciting shows. By giving it the space to close out character arcs and complete its thematic story over four seasons, Never Have I Ever ends on the right note.
The writing this season is tight and consistent. The jokes land when necessary (though the odd Mindy Kaling trademark humour threatens to derail some episodes). Impressively, the show does right by its central themes introduced in the first season and carried through to the end; namely Devi’s grief, her relationship with her culture, her academic goals, and of course, her romantic endeavours. The series expertly showcases how Devi has grown and changed as familiar and uncharted situations arise. Many Gilmore Girls fans have lamented how their protagonist Rory Gilmore has always been relentlessly annoying and self-absorbed. While Devi does echo Mindy Kaling’s titular character in The Mindy Project, she is the Rory Gilmore for a whole new generation in many ways. However, Never Have I Ever fans are treated with [insert the GIF of Natasha Rothwell in Insecure] growth. The lessons learned are applied. Devi stills has her quirks and anger, but her coping mechanisms and self-reflection are effectively conveyed through the writing, and its star, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
To say I am proud of Ramakrishnan is strange, given that I don’t know her, and she doesn’t know me. But one cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride and joy as they watch Ramakrishnan command the screen with perhaps one of the best-written characters in recent TV history. Devi was a beast of a role that has drawn equal amounts of awe and ire. Devi has not always been easy to root for, but Ramakrishnan’s talent is the perfect execution of her character’s journey. Wow, character arcs are fun, guys! Ramakrishnan is so dynamic, charismatic, and brilliant. This role was a gift as it gave the young actress the opportunity to show off her range, which she does. Season 4 is bittersweet because while it is great to see a show come to a natural conclusion, filled with hope, wisdom, and the promise that your favourite characters will be okay. The series finale means we will no longer see Ramakrishnan as Devi again. This is a good thing, but there is a great desire to see her continue into college and beyond. However, I say this with absolute certainty, Netflix, Fisher, Kaling, and the producers of this show should let this be it. There is no need for a sequel series or even a spinoff movie. As Ramakrishnan says goodbye to Devi, we too will say goodbye to her.
The final season is excellent; the writing is exemplary, the production value has stayed consistent since the beginning, and the ensemble cast brings it every time. Technically the show is very sturdy and has not been pushed out of its comfort zone. The show, in many ways, lives and dies in its writing. With that being said, a few glaring points can sour one’s experience.
The return of Paxton Hall-Yoshida and Aneesa Qureshi mainly illustrates this. Let’s start with Aneesa, as her inclusion in this season was disappointing. Aneesa is so rarely used in this season that it’s almost a jump scare when she does appear. Kaling has an interesting history of creating work that has a particular and sometimes limited view of South Asians; often, her characters seem to exist in a vacuum. One of the core tenants of Devi’s character arc is her move towards appreciating her Indian heritage and also embracing the South Asian community around her. After a tumultuous start to her friendship with Aneesa, one would think it wise to bring them closer to showcase how Devi is growing to love others like her. But the writing does not afford Devi or Aneesa the luxury of having two brown girls, who differ in religion, sexuality, and upbringing, bond and grow their friendship. It doesn’t have to be a multi-episode arc, but it could be a bit more than what little the show gives us.
Then there is Paxton, the opposite of Aneesa. His story was done. There was no need to bring him back and force him to overcome another hurdle as he became an adult. He graduated and went to college; his final moments in season 3 were the perfect sendoff. In season 4, we have too much of him. He takes up valuable real estate that could have been given to Aneesa, newcomer, Margot (Victoria Moroles), or better yet, Fabiola and Eleanor. There is no reason for Paxton to have yet another episode dedicated to him, narrated by Gigi Hadid, especially when neither Fabiola nor Eleanor have been given such a treat. They have arcs too, and while there is much to enjoy, there has always been a sense that more could have been done for Devi’s best friends. Or at least, the same consideration given to Devi’s suitors could have been given to her best friends, who have equally compelling stories to showcase.
Regardless of the minor missteps of the show, the series is a blast. Never Have I Ever has the advantage of being a solid show that delivers technically and perfectly balances the comedy and emotional core. Over the years, there have been tons of discussions over Kaling’s writing tendencies and how predictable she has become (no spoilers y’all, but you know what we are alluding to) and for better or worse, Never Have I Ever delivered on those expectations and then some. This is a Kaling production, but for all that comes with that, Never Have I Ever flourished and stuck the landing as it never lost sight of its central protagonist’s story.
Simply, there is no show like it. Very few TV shows have given us a brown-skinned, flawed young woman to merely exist, learn from her mistakes, make new ones, and continue growing. No show has a South Asian leading lady giving us comedy, drama, romance and the broad spectrum of human emotions in every single episode. There is no show like Never Have I Ever. It is groundbreaking, but better yet, it is a show worth revisiting time and time again. I am sad to see it go and I am especially sad to say goodbye to the fabulous Vishwakumar women with three generations of beautiful stories. I am sad to say goodbye to Sendhil Ramamurthy’s Mohan, the perfect TV dad. There are so many beautiful things about Never Have I Ever I wish to experience again.
With that said, I am thrilled with this conclusion. However, I do have some thoughts on a few choices that ultimately are of no consequence to Devi and her story. I will always cherish this series, and as long as Netflix deems it good enough to keep on its platform, I will recommend this show and revisit it repeatedly. The most amazing gift this show has given me and given us is Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who will continue to shine brighter and brighter as time passes.
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