Devi Vishwakumar and the Sherman Oaks gang are back, as Never Have I Ever returns for its much-anticipated fourth season. But it’s a bittersweet return as season four is its last.
★★★★✰
Since 2020, Never Have I Ever has tackled important topics, like grief and discovering your sexuality. Centring an Indian narrative and the depiction of a realistic teenage experience, the show has quietly broken new ground. And for long-time fans of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series, this final season won’t be a disappointment. Rather, it’s a fitting farewell to the much-loved show.
At the end of the last season, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) showed up at the house of frenemy Ben (Jaren Lewison), where they had sex and she lost her virginity. The first episode of season four kicks off right where season three left us, with Devi and Ben lying in bed, unsure what to do next. All of this is hilariously narrated by tennis icon John McEnroe—a voiceover that continues to give the show a fun meta quality. Awkward is perhaps an understatement, with Ben not able to say anything except, “Can I call you an Uber?” Needless to say, things are far from straight-forward between the pair at the start of senior year, but Devi has much bigger things on her mind—including her all-important application to her dream college, Princeton.
Meanwhile, Devi’s former flame Paxton (Darren Barnet) is in Arizona, but isn’t adjusting well to college life. So, it isn’t long before he finds himself back at Sherman Oaks. All in all, Paxton has quite a different role this season, and at first it feels like he’s regressed from the boy that gave an inspirational speech on his graduation day. Though, his journey is far from over as he discovers what he wants his future to look like. There’s even one more Paxton-centred episode, narrated by Gigi Hadid, where he works on finding his purpose, with a helping hand from the most unlikely of people. His story this season makes Never Have I Ever a more well-rounded show, with Paxton becoming much more than just one of Devi’s love interests and moving firmly away from his role as the stereotypical jock back in season one.
Devi’s friends have their own problems this year: Eleanor (Ramona Young) struggles with her relationship with Trent (Benjamin Norris) and applies to acting conservatories, while Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) attempts to change the toxic culture of the robotics club, and makes a big decision which tests her friendships more than ever before. Regardless, this core relationship between the three girls has been constant and unconditional and is arguably the true love story of the series, and their scenes in the final season are a testament to this. Amongst Devi’s family, drama ensues: Nirmala (Ranjuta Chakravarty) has a secret she is trying to keep to herself, Kamala (Richae Moorjani) gets an exciting offer, and Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) finds company in an unexpected place.
Although there was clearly a lot going on across Never Have I Ever season four, some characters from former seasons, for example fellow senior Aneesa (Megan Suri) and Kamala’s boyfriend Manish (Utkarsh Ambudkar), sadly fell under the radar. This could be as a result of scheduling conflicts for the actors. After all, Suri has a lead role in upcoming horror film It Lives Inside, while Ambudkar is busy in the US remake of sitcom Ghosts. However, it was a shame to see characters who played crucial parts in previous seasons be sidelined at the end of the show.
As for Devi herself, she definitely makes a lot of questionable decisions this season (it’s Devi, did we expect anything less?) and she tests our loyalty as viewers more than ever. However, it is clear she has matured and developed over the course of the series, as highlighted in a particularly moving scene with her therapist Dr Ryan towards the end of the season. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has been an incredibly strong lead across the four seasons, playing Devi with such heart and humanity, and whatever she does next, she is bound to have a bright future.
Though Devi is commanding as the main protagonist, a lot of the conversation surrounding Never Have I Ever revolves around Devi’s love life—more specifically, whether you are ‘Team Paxton’ or ‘Team Ben’. Both of these relationships are explored further, with a new love interest in the form of bad boy Ethan (Michael Cimino) adding another layer to the final season, whilst making Devi’s life even more complicated. It means not everyone will be happy with the show’s ending, but it feels a satisfying conclusion that makes sense for Devi’s character and her growth over the series.
At some points, the plot gets a bit too carried away with Devi’s boy drama, particularly in her rivalry with Ben’s new girlfriend Margot (Victoria Moroles). But Never Have I Ever is, more than anything, a study in grief, with the recurring focus being Devi’s relationship with her late father (Mohan played by Sendhil Ramamurthy), as well as with her mother as they attempt to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives after his death. The end of the season reflects this, and even though not physically present in Devi’s life, her dad plays an important role in the final few episodes. Devi and Nalini’s bond has always been crafted so beautifully, but their scenes this season are particularly poignant, as Devi prepares to start a new chapter of her life.
It’s an eventful season, with a prom, a wedding, a trip to New York, and, fittingly, an actual game of Never Have I Ever. Plus there’s still lots of comedy and funny lines, such as Nalini telling her daughter that “this is a prayer Devi, not DJ Khalid intro-ing a new song”, or Nirmala calling Paxton a multitude of incorrect names including ‘Carfax’ or ‘Chex Mix’. But there is also a very emotional final episode, as the characters we know and love begin to move on with their lives. Many are already calling for a fifth season or a spin off series as a result. However, season four feels like the right ending point. The final season of Never Have I Ever sees Devi grow up and finish high school, and we get a touching glimpse into her future, as well as the futures of her family and friends. It’s the perfect way to say goodbye.
As always, the writing is both fun and compelling, and is elevated further by the heart of the core performances, which are particularly strong this season. If you’ve enjoyed Never Have I Ever over the last few years, you’ll be sure to love this final outing.
You can stream Never Have I Ever season one to four on Netflix.
Words by Erin Zammitt
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