![]() The romantic relationships in the show are just so entertaining, the balance between being sweet and awkward is perfect! The teenage boys really feel like teenage boys, albeit definitely more lovable than the ones I’ve had to deal with.īut it’s not just the romantic interests that are fleshed out, it’s clear that Kaling respected each character and took the time to make them more than just two-dimensional sidekicks. ![]() Mindy Kaling really tapped into the buried desire Indian-American gals have to kiss their Model UN rivals. The flirtation-ship that Devi has with the absolute babe that is cool guy Paxton Hall-Yoshida felt like an uncanny amalgamation of many similar dynamics I’ve had with boys who also think that I’m “weird, in a good way.” And don’t get me started on Ben! Now, all I want is a rich, lonely, nerd who cries at the dermatologist and can’t drive on the freeway to spend time with. First of all, can I just say that it was nice to see myself as a romantic protagonist for once in my life instead of the sassy best friend character who cheers the pretty white girl on? Second of all, I most definitely have spent my time pining for a boyfriend who would swoop in and save me from my sadness (and virginity). Netflixīen gives Devi the tour of his house at his birthday party.īut the show also reflects some of the fun parts of my life, including the romantic plots. Devi and Mohan’s relationship, captured in flashback, feels real, her loss is real, and the way her grief affects everything she does is even more real. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable with people who don’t fully get it is really hard, and that was also something I saw in Devi. To see Devi on screen dealing with triggers, nights trying to think of anything else, and impulsive behavior to push it down, it reminded me a lot of my own grieving experience. I don’t think anything has changed me as much as that did. Last year I lost one of my closest friends in a car accident. Grief is something that I have a relationship with. The emotional core of Devi processing her dad’s death, for example, was spot on. No, really, while watching the show, I saw one million different aspects of myself throughout my life represented. Netflixĭevi asks her late father, Mohan, for advice in a dream. Devi is written as so genuinely fifteen years old and so real in everything she thinks and feels, she could be me. She’s raunchy, smart, angry, self-obsessed, and fundamentally bold. ![]() This girl was exactly the character I had inadvertently been waiting for my entire life for. It features fifteen year old Devi Vishwakumar, who’s dealing with the death of her father, figuring out how her Indian culture fits into her identity and, of course, the drama of high school boys. And then, 44 days into quarantine, 33 days before I virtually graduate from high school, Never Have I Ever arrived. A show about an Indian teenage girl was something that I’ve always dreamt of. To say that I love film and television and all things representation oriented would be an understatement. I recently ended my senior Speech and Debate season where the topic of my speech was the same. ![]() In March of 2019 I saw a tweet that Mindy Kaling was releasing a “coming-of-age series about the complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl.” I had just spent the first semester of the school year doing research for my AP Seminar class on the impacts of media representation for people of color.
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