Never Have I Ever is a Netflix series that released on April 27th this year. It comprises of one season so far, and its renewal for a second season was confirmed on July 2nd. The show revolves around the story of an Indian-American teenage girl named Devi Vishwakumar, who navigates her journey of self-acceptance, as she struggles with coming into terms with her racial identity as a South-Indian woman. Devi is also grieving for her father, who died of a heart attack during her concert (Read more on here). The following year after her father’s death, she is determined to change her persona from a geeky-awkward teenager to a more attractive and daring personality.
Her best friend, Fabiola’s reaction to her outfit made me burst out laughing. She walks up to her and says, “Oh My God, You look like an Indian Kardashian.” Devi strikes off at first as quite intimidating – she’s short-tempered, a straight-A student, a debater at the Model UN, and most of all, an unapologetic sass-queen. Her best friends also happen to be eccentric nerds like her – Fabiola is a robotics enthusiast, and Eleanor is the president of the drama club.
However, it was only after watching Devi in her more intimate moments that I began to see her from a new light. Observing her conversations with the therapist, arguments with her mom, especially her hallucinations of her father made me realize how naïve and innocent Devi really is. I could relate with her at a certain point, in high school all I ever wanted to do was in fit in and do things that a normal teenager would do. Like Devi, I also found it difficult to embrace my South-Indian culture, and fell prey to peer pressure.
Watching Devi’s journey as a third-culture kid, I was finally able to connect someone who faced the same struggles as I did. What makes “Never Have I Ever” special is not only the fact that a South-Indian female is the lead for the first time in a Netflix show, but also its inclusion and diversity amongst the cast members – giving it more reason for all people, from different cultures and races, to watch the show in hopes of creating a bond with any of characters in a unique way.
While at first glance this description may seem like nothing new, as there have been several movies in recent years that have depicted experiences of first and second generation Asians, including The Big Sick, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Blinded by the Light, Never Have I Ever brought another much needed layer to the experiences of this historically underrepresented group on screen.
Shanelle Kandiah from tamilculture.com
P.S. What show do you guys bond with in a cultural sense? What characters (or character) from that show can you relate to the most?
Let me know in the comments!
Hahahah damn Devi’s character is interesting, so was that comebacks video! I like how you describe your connection to the show 🙂
Yess, I agree – her personality is so entertaining lol. I’m glad you liked my post, thank you so much 🙂
Wow…when I first saw the beginning of the trailer, it showed a guy coming into her room wanting to have sex, and I was like “great, another dumb teen show” so I scrolled down and forgot about it. But now I’m interested, mostly because I experience hallucinations on a daily basis from my schizoaffective disorder, and it’s nice to have a show that represents mental illness in a respectable way with no stigma. I might check out this show, actually…
Aw I’m so glad you got interested in the show, and yes it does look deeper into mental health as well as it shows flashbacks on Devi’s conversations with her dad and her hallucinations too. Also coincidentally, I found Never Have I Ever another regular teen show but after hearing so much about it and watching the whole the show made me rethink on my assumptions – I enjoyed it till the very end. Let me know your thoughts on the show afterwards!