![]() ![]() Her deadpan delivery is the opposite of what you’d expect from the character, which is what makes it work so well. Ramona Young as Eleanor, Devi’s aspiring actress friend, is another standout. She’s a natural on screen, filling the part with delightful sarcasm and sharp wit that feels easy and unscripted. This is the first professional role for Maitreyi, who was cast from 15,000 hopefuls, but you wouldn’t know it. By the end, it’s hard not to see these characters are real, flesh and blood people. At every turn, each character defies expectations, never quite making the decision you expect. What they do is create a world of real people. These characters aren’t significant, and these revelations don’t really add to the plot. We are given insight into the history teacher’s personal relationships and Paxton’s sisters’ goals and ambitions. Even relatively minor characters are given more substance than is usual on a half hour comedy series. Everyone is given a solid story arc and room to grow throughout the series. Incredible care has been given to all the characters and their backstories. ![]() The specifics might be different, but the dynamic is familiar. ![]() The relationship between Devi and her mum is one that anyone who’s ever been a teenaged girl will recognize. Never Have I Ever also features complex relationships between characters that grow and progress as the series unfolds. The storylines are handled with sensitivity, but also incredible insight into the complexities of losing someone who was central to your life and identity. While billed as a comedy (and it is definitely that) at its core, it is a nuanced portrait of grief and loss. I didn’t expect it to make me laugh out loud.Įven more surprising is the emotional depths that the show dives into. I expected Never Have I Ever to be funny. This show has taken all the best bits of The Mindy Project and built on them. I’ve always liked Mindy Kaling’s work and when she’s at her best, she is brilliant. As much time as Devi spends lusting over the six-pack abs of Paxton Hill-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), she also spends time sparring with her academic rival Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison), hanging out with her best friends Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), and fighting with her mother (Poorna Jagannathan). She might like boys (maybe even a little too much), but she is also obsessed with getting into an Ivy League school. She’s smart, driven, funny, impulsive, musical and sarcastic. Like with her work on The Mindy Project, Kaling leans right into the fact that straight girls like boys and often obsess over their looks, which is part of being a teenager, but not everything that they are.ĭevi is a full person. This is a show that could easily have devolved into yet another story about a boy crazy girl who spends all of her time obsessing over her latest crush, but thankfully doesn’t, which is the genius of Mindy Kaling. The main plot point that sets the series off is Devi’s determination to get a boyfriend. She is a high achieving student who dreams of getting into Princeton, loves to eat BBQ ribs, and prays to the Hindu gods to give her a boyfriend who’s a “stone-cold hottie who could rock all night long.” The specifics of Devi’s cultural background are central to her character and make her a fully realized and completely relatable teen. The show focuses on Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrisnan), a first-generation Indian-American high school sophomore with a habit of getting into difficult situations. This perfectly encapsulates Never Have I Ever, the latest creation from Mindy Kaling ( The Office, The Mindy Project). It is said that the best way to make something universal is to be specific. ![]()
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