With Season 4 of Never Have I Ever out, we say good bye to the endless drama of Devi Vishwakumar's love life as she and her troop of friends graduate high school. Starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the series revolves around Devi's pursuit of happiness which involves getting into Princeton, being popular, and having the perfect boyfriend, all while the trauma of losing her dad haunts her. She may not be the most mature person and can be infuriating most of the time, but her coming-of-age story has an undeniable authenticity, becoming a cultural milestone in the world of sitcoms. With a refreshingly diverse cast and the irreplaceable narration of John McEnroe, watching these graduates toss their caps and embark on new journeys will be bittersweet. But before we start diving into their senior year, let's recap the ups and downs of Season 3.
Devi's Perfect Relationship Takes a Turn
Devi struts into Junior year with her arm linked with the boy she has been obsessing over the whole series, dream-boy Paxton (Darren Barnet). However, after overhearing the snide remarks of slut-shaming mean girls, our anxious protagonist neglects to practice the art of restraint and blindly retaliates. After realizing she's not ready to take the next step in her relationship and that their comments are inconsequential to both them and her, Devi's fears quickly subside. But after watching two seasons of Devi's character development and relapses, we're not surprised when she engages with an online troll despite Paxton's reassurances. Turns out the anonymous whistleblower was Hailey (Alex Felix) from orchestra, a girl Paxton had shared an intimate moment with and then ghosted. This leads us to a heartfelt scene where Paxton apologizes to all the girls he had wronged in his past.
Aside from Devi's drama, Fabiola's (Lee Rodriguez) long-distance relationship is falling apart, and so is Aneesa (Megan Suri) and Ben's (Jaren Lewison) relationship, plus Kamala's (Richa Moorjani) engagement. The start of Junior year doesn't seem like a good time for relationships. With her schoolwork taking a toll, Fabiola decides to end her relationship and eventually ends up sharing a clandestine kiss in the girl's bathroom with Aneesa. Aneesa's own relationship with Ben is on the rocks as she doesn't feel seen or prioritized by him. Season 2 saw the end of Kamala's engagement, bringing up issues of reputation and respect that are intertwined with traditional East Asian culture. When Kamala attempts to remedy this, she realizes she wasn't ready for marriage and announces it to a shocked household, earning the silent treatment from her Grandma (Ranjita Chakravarty).
Valentine's Day offers up lies and heartbreaks instead of its promise of romance when a school-wide strange compatibility test that scientifically (apparently) matches students up leads to some mix-ups. Devi ends up matching with Eric Perkins and eventually finds out that her boyfriend switched his results with Eric to avoid Devi's predictable reaction. To make things worse, Paxton was matched with Hailey. The Valentine's Day episode ends with Devi and Paxton inevitably breaking up, with their trust being no match for her anxiety and insecurities.
New Relationships Begin To Blossom
Potential matches are on the horizon as Devi recovers from her breakup and is set up with her mother's friend's son, who turns out to not fit into Devi's stereotypes for Indian boys. The nerdy sea marine biology student turns out to be a steamy Des (Anirudh Pisharody) who manages to make sea slugs sound hot. In an attempt to make Paxton jealous at a party, Devi is swept away by her dance with Des but then subsequently ghosted by him in the following days. Meanwhile, Kamala begins to kindle a relationship with Devi's awkward English teacher Manish (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and struggles to get her Grandma to accept his American ways, particularly after he indirectly caused her frenemy to have a heart attack.
After their secret kiss, Fabiola and Aneesa carefully navigate their feelings for one another whilst remaining in a friendship. Eventually, they decide to become official, announcing it to their friend group, but it turns out the transition from a platonic to a romantic relationship can be awkward and difficult. Another new, albeit slightly unexpected, relationship emerges at this time: Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Trent (Benjamin Norris). The artistic and sensitive actress with the himbo laid-back skater seems like an unlikely match at first, but the more we see of them, the more perfect they seem. Although they hit a couple of bumps throughout the season, and at one point Eleanor even tries to break up with Trent, the two challenge each other to be better while somehow being perfectly in tune.
Ben's Well-Deserved Episode
Narrator Andy Samberg returns in another Ben-centric episode where we gain further insight into his home life. Ben's taking too many classes. So many that he doesn't have time to eat properly or go to the bathroom. Suffering from a severe stomach ache, Ben is taken to hospital by Paxton and learns that he is literally "full of shit" since he hasn't defecated in weeks. This leads to a much-needed bro-bonding moment with Paxton and another father-son "I'm proud of you" moment that encourages Ben to drop two classes and slow down. In turn, Ben helps Paxton write his college essay and is embraced by his school friends, leaving Ben with an entirely necessary shift of perspective on maintaining a work-life balance.
Once Again, Devi's Anxiety Strikes
Returning to our protagonist, Devi manages to sort things out with Des and even begins a secret relationship with him, hidden away from their mothers. Finding out they are competing against each other in an upcoming debate tournament, Devi's competitive nature and anxiety kick into overdrive. With the imbalances of resources between her public school and his private schools, Devi decides to cheat, throwing away one of their folders prepared by their paralegals (because apparently private schools have access to paralegals). Fortunately, Manish suspects something, and rather than calling her out, he decides to switch which side each team was arguing for. Although Sherman Oaks wins, Devi's sense of victory is short-lived as Manish takes her home and explains the situation to her family. Luckily for Kamala, the respectable way he handles the matter wins over her grandma, setting up their relationship for success.
Not long after, Devi and Des' moms find out about their relationship but astoundingly approve of it. Well...until the orchestra recital. It's Devi's first time performing since her dad passed away, and being on stage triggers her into reliving the memories, and she has a panic attack in the bathroom. Des' mother actually supports her through it but instantly turns around and forbids Des from dating her because she was "too much." Once Devi finds out about this conversation, she ends up throwing coffee in Des' face and there is a confrontation between both families, where Devi's mother stands up for her daughter and becomes the ultimate badass. It also helps Devi's journey for self-love when her mother consoles and supports her. Also, it was just iced coffee.
A Steamy Conclusion Sets Up Season 4
With Junior year coming to an end, Devi has to decide whether she wants to go to a prestigious boarding school in Colorado that would practically guarantee her a spot in Princeton (and a place where being a nerd is cool), or remain at Sherman Oaks where her friends and family were. A poignant scene between Devi and her mother reveals her decision to stay as she realizes she wanted one more year with the people she loved. We can only hope that Devi might be a bit more mature and a little bit wiser in her final year. There are also several romances to look forward to in the new season. With Trent being held back a year, we get to see more of his and Elenor's passionate and unpredictable relationship.
Fabiola and Aneesa decide to remain friends, making room for a certain funky shirt-wearing love interest in Fabiola's life. And finally, the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc is set in motion by the closing scene of the season. Devi decides to cash in her "One Free Boink" pass that Ben gave her when she was complaining about being the only virgin in her friendship group, ending the season with a closing door and the hint of a steamy kiss.