Rachel’s Recommendation: Never Have I Ever on Netflix
By Rachel Pearson
For summer fun, I recommend seasons 1 and 2 of Never Have I Ever, a comedy-drama on Netflix. Created by the sparkly Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, it is the story of high schooler, Devi Vishwakumar, as written by Kaling, Fisher, and Justin Noble. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Devi, an academic superstar who is beyond ready for her first boyfriend and the other “firsts” that follow. As an aside, returning to high school is not something I would do for any amount of money. In today’s social media age, I’m quite sure I would have crumbled completely.
Each season features 10 fast-paced episodes, ranging from 25 to 30 minutes in length. Never Have I Ever wears its heart on its sleeve, and it is joyously human: love found, lost, and uncertain; insecurity; lust (see above pic of Paxton); forgiveness; big mistakes; ambition; death of a loved one; patriarchy; arranged marriage – it’s all there.
Other treats include John McEnroe, Common, the brilliant Poorna Jagannathan, and the gorgeous ballad Love Goes, sung by Sam Smith and Labrinth when dreams come true at the end of season 2. Just watch and this will all make sense.
In season 2, Devi asks her therapist, played by the awesome Neicy Nash, if she is crazy. To Devi, and to the rest of us viewers, she responds, “It means you’re human, Devi. You feel a lot, which means sometimes you’re gonna hurt a lot, but it also means you’re gonna live a life that is emotionally rich and really beautiful.” May it be so.
