3/4 stars
Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever tells the tale of Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Devi Vishwakumar, a crude yet charming high school student who embarks on a quest for a boyfriend and popularity. In addition to romance with boys, she deals with drama involving a strict mother, a deceased father, and close friendships.
Never Have I Ever does not take itself too seriously when it comes to dialogue, allowing it to dish out original jokes, many of them hilarious one-liners. However, the show is disciplined in terms of keeping its quirky characters consistent.
Devi breaks the standard rules of decorum. Her straightforwardness and her unhindered emotional expression are entertaining to the audience. She keeps the company of her two lovable misfit friends, revealing that she is non-judgmental at heart, making her comfortably disarming despite her racy personality.
Devi’s cousin Kamala, played by Richa Moorjani, is painfully ditzy. Poorna Jagannathan, despite being an excellent actress, is unfortunately cast as a character of the mother, Nalini, who is unlikeable and exhausting. However, Nalini’s presence plays a vital role in helping Kaling express the cultural and social pressures on Devi and Kamala that come with being first-generation Indian Hindus.
The deceased father, played by Sendhil Ramamurthy, is foil to the mother, and adds a unique element of nostalgia. His past cheerfulness contrasting with his present non-existence parallels the human tendency to feel lukewarm about the present while idealizing the past. The film ends with a powerful impression when the past and the present finally converge.
Devi’s love life, the center of the show, consists of her interactions with her attractive crush Paxton Hall-Yoshida, played by Darren Barnet. Despite being cool and composed, his attitude towards her ranges from indifferent to affectionate. Yet, Devi’s puppy love for Paxton eventually succumbs to a shocking substitute.
Never Have I Ever Season One’s laugh-out-loud comedy combined with its eye-opening cultural awareness and exaggerated depiction of teen romance makes it a worthwhile and delightful binge.
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