Never Have I Ever Season 2 Is as Dynamic, Challenging, and Entertaining as Its First
Photo Courtesy of Netflix
Mindy Kaling’s Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever debuted last year to near critical acclaim. The series centers on Indian-American high-schooler Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she navigates the drama of friends, boys, and grief after the loss of her father. Kaling loosely based the show on her own upbringing as a second-generation Indian without significant ties to her heritage, while also tapping into the feelings of loss she felt as an adult after her mother’s death. Never Have I Ever was a watershed moment for representation in Hollywood—not just because the main character had brown skin, but also because she was allowed to be impulsive and selfish and, at times, genuinely unlikeable.
The second season builds upon the solid foundation of the first season. Devi and her mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) are still at odds with one another, even after their moment of understanding at the end of the first season. Nalini, still unsure of how to raise Devi by herself, threatens to move the family back to India. In the midst of the chaos of her life, Devi decides that the only way to say goodbye to America is to live out the Hollywood life of her dreams. That is, to date two men at the same time. What could go wrong?
Well, it turns out, just about everything. Never Have I Ever thrives in the disarray of Devi’s decision making, which is often clouded by her inability to see the perspectives of others or understand that her actions have consequences. The second season doesn’t shy away from Devi’s need for growth, and in that it continues to be an honest portrayal of high school and the complications of growing up.
At the center of the show is the standout Ramakrishnan, who exudes even more confidence and charisma in the sophomore season than she did in her debut. Ramakrishnan embodies every emotion that a 15-year-old might go through: from jealousy to exuberance, defiance to vulnerability. The screen is especially electric when Ramakrishnan and Jagannathan are paired together, both bringing sensibility and care to their scenes as a warring mother-daughter duo who can’t seem to land on the same page as one another.