Never Have I Ever: been a teenager

Overview: Never Have I Ever is an American comedy-drama series created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, which premiered on Netflix on April 27, 2020, lasting four seasons and aired on June 8, 2023. The characters of the show are, Devi Vishwakumar, Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar, Fabiola Torres, Eleonor Wong, Paxton Hall-Yoshida, Ben Gross, Kamala, Dr. and other starring characters in Season 2 and Season 3, Aneesa Qureshi and Des, respectively. 

It showcases an immigrant Indian-American student going through her non-desi high school life in a desi household. Her mother is a single mother, and as the 'Indian mother' saying goes, she was very strict with her daughter, and dating was surely off-limits for her. But when it comes to American culture, parenting, and off-bringing go quite differently. How is Devi supposed to deal with all of these along with being an academically driven person? That is for the show to reveal. 

The fascinating and less talked about aspect of this series, is the mixture of culture and races co-existing together. When it comes to immigrant people settling in another country, the co-existence or adjustment with another culture stands out to be the biggest factor. As per the teenage girl, irrespective of her roots, she obviously wanted to blend in. But being a brown girl and a nerd, she always found it difficult to appear pleasing to other white people. However, underestimating brown roots is always a mistake. 

Character Overview: The main character of the series, Devi is a straight A+ student with dreams of getting into the IVY League college, a dream of hers and her father. However, being a teenager is not always favorable, we make mistakes and make silly decisions, to laugh at it afterward. The situation of Devi is quite the same, just like any other teenager, she wants to date, go to parties, bunk classes, and get into her dream college until life decides something else for her. 

When talking about Devi, we can never forget to mention her mother, although how tough and strict she might appear, she is a sensible rock holding the family together, but as I said before, life doesn't always go as planned. She's a successful dermatologist and a proud mother. 

Amongst her family, Kamala deserves a special mention, the 'beautiful' and successful cousin of Devi, she had it all, at least that's what everyone in her family thought. But we all know it's not appropriate to "judge a book by its cover". However, flawless and perfect she might appear, every woman has her own flaws to worry about. 

Fabiola and Eleanor, the two nerds' best friends of Devi, have always been her support system at school. Although Eleanor is not much of a nerd like her other two friends, she is made for art. When it comes to Fabiola, she inspired every person to be like her, or at least made viewers jealous of her intelligence. 

Paxton Yoshida is the hottest guy in the entire school and the most popular one. Just like a typical popular guy in high school, he never cared about studying until he had to. His behavior concealed his smartness so much, he was just known for his hot looks and body, and who wouldn't get tired of such attention, he did too. 

Ben Gross, the forever academic rival of Devi, no one in the school didn't enjoy their quarrel. Born rich, he never had any problems and, apparently, had a great academic record, and a smooth ignorant life, until he lived the world outside the books. 

Dr Ryan, the therapist of Devi, played the most significant role throughout the series. She was not only a Dr to her, but everything a person dealing with trauma can ask for to heal. Even though she wasn't much talked about in the series, she deserves a special mention for just doing her job, but better. As Dr. said "You don't let somebody else define you. When you do that, you give them your power", she spoke on behalf of a lot. 

Coming to the starring characters, Aneesa Qureshi stole the show with her appearance in Season 2, where she eventually became friends with Devi. A great athlete, she seemed perfect in everything, although she had her own secrets too. Her character was short, just like Des, who wooed viewers with his face card, as well as Devi in Season 3. He was smart and intelligent, as well as competitive. 

Conclusion: Never Have I Ever, is more than just a teenager series, it is relatable to people of all ages going through changes or challenges in life, as this show highlights every character's background and point of view. It is packed up of romance, comedy, heartbreaks, and uh just life. So if you wanna watch something wholesome, this is the watch for you. 

Sources: Pinterest