Alanya Smith
Mindy Kaling has written another knockout release of Never Have I Ever season three, which landed on Netflix on 12th August.
Combining romantic escapades, adolescent growth and developing friendships, the teen-comedy series has landed on the major streaming platform with a warm welcome from fans.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan returns as main character Devi Vishwakumar, who concluded season two by ending her dating triangle with Ben (Jaren Lewison) and beginning a relationship with Paxton (Darren Barnet). The plot of season three explores Devi’s love for herself and her relationships, skyrocketed by the entrance of cast-newcomer Anirudh Pisharody as romantic rival Des.
Serious Issues
Although Kaling fills the series with comedic one-liners, accompanied by the narrative voiceover of John McEnroe, Never Have I Ever delicately touches on the more serious issues which could influence audiences during their teenage years.
” a refreshingly accurate depiction of the high-stress challenges and experiences that many young audiences undergo at such a developmental age”
Devi’s continued path in navigating her father’s death and grieving her life without him consolidates lived feelings of loss, pain, and suffering. Her insecurities about new relationships and self-confidence, all whilst balancing applications for university and exploring what she wants to achieve in the future, is a refreshingly accurate depiction of the high-stress challenges and experiences that many young audiences undergo at such a developmental age.
This journey is something which Maitreyi Ramakrishnan wanted to emphasise in Devi’s character as a role model for young Asian girls as she has said: “I hope Devi has taught young brown women that it’s okay if they make mistakes, it’s okay to be imperfect, it’s okay to feel a lot of emotions and it’s okay to feel them very strongly because that only makes you you — and that only makes you more of an icon.”
Poorna Jagannathan as Nalini Vishwakumar (Devi’s Mother)
Special recognition should also be given to celebrate the performance of Poorna Jagannathan as Nalini Vishwakumar, Devi’s mother.
Whilst trying to support and encourage her daughter, she showcases her adult struggles of friendships echoing her daughter’s own anxieties. This is a reminder of her own grief and maturity which she attempts to protect her daughter from.
“brings a unique vibrance to the character which audiences have grown to love”
With the show pioneering in South Asian representation and visibility, the love between Devi and her mother radiates on screen and brings a unique vibrance to the characters which audiences have grown to know and love.
Lang Fisher, showrunner and co-creator, expressed that in season 3 of the show they “wanted to show that it doesn’t matter if you have everything you’ve ever wanted on the outside if you don’t believe in yourself on the inside. Devi’s greatest hurdle this season — like many teen girls’ — is to learn to love herself.”
Season four will be the final and conclusive ending to the show and is predicted to be released on Netflix in the Summer of 2023.
Featured image courtesy of Jenny Cestnik via Flickr. Image license found here. No edits were made to this image.
alanya
Alanya is a Journalism student at Cardiff University and Spotlight section editor at Quench Magazine.