My favorite genre has always been comedy. There is something so creative about getting people to laugh at fictional characters. A show that has been my happy place is The Office (US). My love for The Office has given me a deeper appreciation for the writers of comedic TV shows. One particular writer that I have become slightly obsessed with is Mindy Kaling. I have watched almost every show involving her, whether as an actor or writer. In her acting performances, she embodies strong and empowering leading ladies, and in her Netflix series Never Have I Ever, Kaling wrote a spectacular leading lady who is also a woman of color.
Never Have I Ever premiered on Netflix on April 27, 2020. The hit series has been described as a watershed moment for South Asian representation in Hollywood and has been praised for breaking Asian stereotypes. In July 2020, Netflix reported 40 million households had viewed the series since its release. The show was renewed and the second season of Never Have I Ever was just released on Netflix on July 15, 2021. Season 2 consists of 10 episodes, and I binged them in one day!
The series follows Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a 15-year-old Indian-American girl from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. The series starts after Devi’s father, Mohan (Sendhil Ramamurthy), passes away, and this trauma causes Devi to “lose” the use of her legs for three months. After a socially horrible freshman year, she wants to redeem her social status, but friends, family, and feelings do not make it easy.
The following year, she tries to deal with her grief, accept her Indian identity, and improve her school life. We are privy to her complicated relationships with her mother, Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan); her beautiful cousin, Kamala (Richa Moorjani); her two best friends, Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez); her high school crush, Paxton (Darren Barnet); and her nemesis, Ben (Jaren Lewison).
What is so compelling about this show is Mindy Kaling’s superb character development. It allows the audience to develop a connection with characters and root for specific relationships. The love triangle between Devi, Paxton, and Ben is so complex that it can be challenging to decide who to root for. During Season One, I was completely Team Ben, but after watching Season 2, my tune has completely changed and I am now Team Paxton! Season 2 starts off with Devi trying to date both Paxton and Ben at the same time, which obviously does not work out, but makes for some hilarious and cringy situations. The season explores the aftermath of her tormented relationships with both men.
The series also features several famous narrators: professional tennis player John McEnroe narrates for Devi (somehow this works!) , while one episode has Andy Samberg narrate for Ben and another has Gigi Hadid for Paxton.
The second season follows in a similar vein to the first season, although some characters and relationships are much more developed. For example, Paxton is given more complexity this season as he starts to understand his Japanese-American heritage. Kaling also does an excellent job writing the journey of one of Devi’s best friends—Fabiola—as she embraces her sexuality as a lesbian woman. The show follows Fabiola’s insecurities not only with her friends and family, but also with her girlfriend Eve, and all of Eve’s friends. Fabiola struggles to fit into the limited mold created for her, and to ultimately break free from other people’s expectations. Beyond Paxton and Fabiola, a main theme for all of the characters is their journey to become their most true selves.
I truly love this series, but I do have one slight problem. While I love the character Paxton Hall Yoshida, I cannot seem to get over his age compared to the other actors. The actor, Darren Barnet, is 30 years old, whereas leading lady Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is only 19 years old. I feel like there are other Japanese-American actors that would have been closer in age and worked just as well.
Regardless of casting, this show provided me with a day’s worth of entertainment that still has me excited. Thank you, Mindy Kaling, for writing and producing such an amazing show that has brought so many dynamic and complex POC voices into mainstream media. I hope you’ll join me in binging Never Have I Ever, even if you decide to savor it over more than a day! And don’t forget to let your friends know what episode you’re currently watching on BingeRoom.
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