![]() ![]() A stern but caring parent, Nalini is intent on seeing Devi follow in the footsteps of her older, beautiful cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) who is working on her doctorate and preparing for an arranged marriage. Upon moving to America, Devi’s parents clung tightly to their roots while Devi, as the show explains, is “Indian” but not “Indian Indian.” A highlight of the series is her ongoing conflict with her overprotective mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan, who juggles her character well). ![]() Never Have I Ever does well with both bringing in aspects of Devi’s culture-something that Kaling struggled with on The Mindy Project, an inferior show-and with portraying the typical concerns of an awkward teenager. (The show’s approach to sex is also notable, neither ignoring it nor ramping it up to soap opera levels. Devi is like many teenagers: both obsessed with and apprehensive about having sex for the first time.) In short: Devi is a teenage girl, all driven by moodiness and hormones. We’re on her side during her inappropriate asks of her therapists, her quick-tempered retort to her cousin, her boldly marching up to Paxton and asking, in no uncertain terms, for sex. But the key is that we never hate her-Ramakrishnan plays Devi with a level of charm that makes her lovable and well-rounded. Devi is prone to anger (“a straight-up psycho”), she blurts out the wrong things, and she makes mistakes that frustrate the viewer even as she tries to justify them. She’s perfectly cast as Devi, a character who feels far more realistic and lived-in than many teens on ridiculously heightened dramas. Netflixįortunately, Never Have I Ever does improve as it moves along (and, unlike many streaming shows lately, you don’t have to wait too long for the good stuff) which is largely due to the performance of newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever. Now, the show proclaims, Devi will be much cooler now that she’s no longer that girl in the wheelchair. But this narrative approach is executed awkwardly when she’s able to walk again, thanks to seeing her crush Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), her brief paralysis is only brought up in reference to how it made her even more unpopular. It’s a peculiar choice for Never to take, particularly because the rest of the series promotes casual and necessary inclusivity throughout its characters. (She frequently sees a therapist, played by Niecy Nash, although Devi prefers to talk more about her friends and crushes than her trauma.) Unfortunately, it’s here that Never Have I Ever immediately stumbles: right after her father’s death, Devi’s legs “stopped working” and she ends up temporarily-and psychosomatically-paralyzed, using a wheelchair. It gives the show an added urgency, something huge that Devi is still dealing with. The two had a close relationship-he appears in flashbacks-and his death causes more tension between Devi and her mother. Shortly before the series begins, Devi’s father suddenly dies (during one of her recitals). SEE ALSO: Why Some People Hate ‘The Walking Dead’-According to FCC Complaints ![]()
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