Post written by contributor Charlie Sawers
The time has come to say goodbye to the hit series Never Have I Ever as the fourth and final season landed on Netflix in June. As we’ve followed Devi Vishwakumar’s (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) high school experience whilst dealing with the grief of losing her father before Freshman year, we now see her entering Senior year and ready to take a step into adulthood. Like previous seasons, Season 4 has been an emotional rollercoaster filled with tears, laughter, and love.
We left Devi about to lose her virginity to Ben (Jaren Lewison), a long-awaited moment for fans who ship the pair together. Unfortunately, doing the deed doesn’t prove to be everything Devi and Ben hoped for and an awkward atmosphere leads to Ben asking Devi to leave—possibly ruining any chance of the will-they, won’t-they couple happening.
With a flash-forward to the start of Senior year, Devi and her quirky yet ambitious best friends Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young) and Fabiola Torres (Lee Rodriguez) get themselves prepared for the next stage in their life. Despite all the girls having a set plan for the future in place, they all learn the messy realities of life and that everything doesn’t come as easily as they assumed.
With her eyes set on making her college application for Princeton stand out, Devi also has to grapple with the fact that Ben has a new girlfriend, Margot (Victoria Moroles), despite being ignored by Ben since they popped each other’s cherries. To make things even more complicated, the new “Hot Pocket” bad-boy Ethan captures the attention of Devi and Eleanor, and Paxton (Darren Barnet) returns to Sherman Oaks as a faculty member, after college turns out not as he hoped.
Growth and adaptability seem to be recurring themes throughout this season, particularly when there are unexpected changes that influence each character’s future. It’s refreshing to see from a high school series that there is no set clear path or traditional route after graduation, which is one of the reasons Never Have I Ever is valued as an impactful coming-of-age series.
All the characters go on their own self-reflective journey which is wonderful to see, but it’s Devi’s development which is so heartwarming. She’s still the girl who has meltdowns and unhinged moments, but there’s a maturity she expresses which signifies that she’s a lot more understanding than “Crazy Devi” from Season 1.
Surprisingly, it’s Paxton that has the most evolution within the series. Returning to his high school to seek comfort after feeling like an outcast at college, he wonders if he has made a mistake and failed at life. He has his own centric episode, with Gigi Hadid returning as narrator, which explores all his inner turmoil and the responsibilities that come with being an adult. While at first Paxton’s appearance in this season felt forced, this episode makes up for it and is one of the best episodes from the season.
Alongside the high school antics, the Vishwakumar family are prevalent within this season. Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan), Devi’s mother, builds a close friendship with Andres Ramos (Ivan Hernandez), who is the father of Ben’s new girlfriend, Margot…you can imagine that this causes some conflict. The chemistry between the two is electric, but it is disappointing that we only witness the pair together a handful of times throughout the season, especially as Nalini’s arc has been integral in the overall story.
Meanwhile, Nirmala (Ranjita Chakravarty) introduces her new boyfriend, Len, played by comedy legend Jeff Garlin, but this relationship causes Kamala (Richa Moorjani) to become suspicious of his intentions. While this storyline adds comic moments, it falls down flat and feels irrelevant to the overall plot. It’s saddening, given this is the last time we will see these beloved characters.
Still, the finale is a perfect send off for the series. With key highlight moments that remind us of the reasons this show is successful and why representation is so important. There are no surprises or twists for the ending, some would argue it is predictable, but if anything it’s wholesome and neatly rounded up.
Overall, Never Have I Ever has been a joy to watch and should be on everyone’s binge-watch list. There have been memorable laugh-out-loud scenes and times where it’s hard to stop sobbing your heart out. It’s not just another teen high school comedy, it’s a story about grief, family, friendship, and life which makes it accessible for all audiences.
