Never Have I Ever Season 1

When teen series go beyond just talking about romance and instead explore deeper themes like cultural fusion, the constraints of tradition on women, and embracing our individuality.

We are growing up in an era where beauty standards are very "linear": white! Thin! Society’s stereotypes of beauty have labeled so many things for girls. No matter your skin color, body type, whether you’re gay or asexual, we are all beautiful. Every girl should look in the mirror and say aloud to herself: "You are beautiful, your tan skin is beautiful, your muscular body is beautiful, your hijab looks beautiful, and your curly hair is beautiful! Most importantly, Devi! You look beautiful in that saree during Ganesh Pooja."

When Devi finally reconciles with herself, her mom, and her friends, I was so happy. Devi has the hardworking spirit of a traditional Indian girl, as well as the quirky charm of an American sweetheart. In my eyes, every girl in this show is beautiful!

My dear girls, we’ve all looked at ourselves and thought: my nose should be higher, my skin should be lighter, maybe if I were thinner, everything would be better. But those things we want to change are what made us who we are!! Just like Devi, who said she didn’t want to be Indian, but when spreading her father’s ashes, she prayed devoutly with the Sanskrit chants. She said she wanted to be a "cool kid", but she turned red-faced, passionately debating for Equatorial Guinea in Model UN.

Sisters, I want to say: you are beautiful just as you are, you are beautiful when you don’t care about what others think, you are beautiful when you are proud of your culture, you are beautiful when you show care for your friends and family, and you are even more beautiful when you work hard for your dreams! Don’t change yourself to fit into society or please others. Please lift your head, stand tall, and unapologetically be yourself！

This show is almost entirely made up of minority characters. Indian-American characters rarely get to be the main protagonists in TV and film, so this show does a great job portraying Devi as an Indian-American girl. She's the perfect daughter in front of her mom, but behind her back, she wants to behave like a typical American high schooler. All the Asian-American AB series are like the main character in this show—confused. Her family thinks she’s not Indian enough, while college admissions think she’s too Indian.

One thing I’m particularly happy about is that the Asian male characters in the show are all so positive!! This is something missing from American TV and even reality. The "school heartthrob," Devi’s dad, and her cousin’s boyfriend are all very sunny, handsome, and charming.

The jokes in this show are so funny! Devi’s mom arguing, “American kids don’t xxx anymore, and that’s why China is going to surpass us.” Also, the female principal wants to say that Ben is Jewish but can’t because of political correctness, and when Ben says it, the principal goes, “You said it!” After everything is resolved, she still tells them not to tell their parents (American teachers and principals are really scared of parents). The random fact that Indians love to fix fountains is a fun little tidbit. There are so many stereotypes that will make you laugh—Devi’s mom won’t let her use the dishwasher or air conditioning, cue the stereotype about Jewish people being rich, white girls putting mechanical pencils on Instagram to look smart, all the auntie gossip (just like us, haha).

Lastly, I have to stand with Ben!! Ben is just too cute—so thoughtful, well-behaved, and smart, but completely hopeless at anything outside of studying. He’s absolutely adorable!

In my view, the story of the first season is not about the first experience of love, but about Devi's desires—various desires, which are actually born out of fear and sadness. Behind the voices of “wanting to fall in love” and “wanting to be popular,” rather than rebellion, it is more about the disdain and dissatisfaction with her own life. It's more about being so frightened by life that she wants to run away, unable to stay for even a second longer.

I want to become someone else because I can no longer face my original life. I don't have the ability to deal with the complex issues in front of me, so I cowardly seek escape and a chance to breathe by rejecting the idea of continuing to exist as "myself." My life has a big hole in it, and I fill it with various desires to pretend that "everything is still fine," constantly reinforcing other feelings in my life to hypnotize myself into ignoring the huge impact of change, convincing myself, "Hey, I'm still just an ordinary person. I can continue to live my adolescence in an ordinary way." Behind all the actions to change myself and seek to highlight my existence is, in fact, the hope to exist as an “ordinary person,” accepted by everyone.

This fear is based on the fear of becoming an outsider in others' eyes (the identity of a minority, being at the bottom of the school food chain as a nerd, losing a father, the sudden disability), reflecting the search for external belonging (unable to bear more loneliness in the face of grief), while also containing a kind of self-judgment and criticism. It’s not the fear of becoming an outsider, but the fear of becoming a “machine” that doesn’t function properly. The release of emotions is the breakdown of the machine; the collapse of emotions is the disorder of life, even if this temporary chaos is meant to help one continue living. What I want to say is that Devi’s self-reflection is not only based on the judgments of her peers; it is also deeply influenced by the gaze of her mother embedded in her mind—“Am I still the good daughter in my mother’s eyes?”

In Devi's story, losing her father—does it feel like losing the one person in her life who would unconditionally love and embrace her? In Devi's desires, does her yearning for intimacy in some way include the search for someone to fill the void of her father’s role? She instinctively wants to replace the missing fatherly love with another form of love—not wanting to love someone but wanting to be loved by someone. So, in the first season, it doesn’t really matter whether she kisses Paxton or Ben. What matters is that she needs to confirm that she is loved—"As long as you love me, I will accept it." "Who I love" is the question that no one really cares about.

The classic stories we’re familiar with, like Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary, are all about two men falling in love with one woman. However, this mini-series, judging by the trailer, might seem like just another version of Sex Education. In reality, it tells the story of two pairs of two boys and one girl, and surprisingly, none of the boys are the "bad guys" or the typical playboys. As an audience member, I can't help but feel: "It must be such a tough choice..."

Let’s start with the protagonist, Devi. Unlike the conservative Indian women we might typically imagine, this 10th grader is what you could call "rebellious." While her parents are vegetarians, she munches on chicken legs; wearing short skirts and high heels to school is just part of her daily routine. At the end of the first episode, she straightforwardly asks the cool guy she likes out, which is a small breakthrough for her, considering that she often lacks self-confidence due to being teased for sitting in a wheelchair after losing her father. She even feels that finding a boyfriend might be a huge challenge.

At this point, another boy enters the scene: Ben, Devi’s long-time rival. Their grades have been neck-and-neck since elementary school, and Devi participates in activities that Ben firmly refuses to join. They constantly clash, both in class and outside of it. But how many couples throughout history have been formed by "love-hate" relationships? Clearly, Ben also has feelings for Devi, secretly feeling jealous.

Now let’s talk about another girl, Devi’s cousin Kamala. Like Devi’s mom, Kamala is more traditional, planning to marry an unknown Indian man arranged by her parents after graduation.

Devi’s mom says something here that, if you didn’t know better, you might think she’s talking about hiring a nanny… But Kamala initially agrees with or conforms to these words until her boyfriend and a TV show open her eyes. In the end, she decides to reconcile.

But her rebellion isn’t thorough enough. During a holiday, she meets a woman who severed ties with her family to marry the person she chose, only to end up divorced. This leaves a certain negative impact on Kamala. When her blind date arrives at her doorstep, she still hasn’t confessed everything to her family, which leads to a comedic situation: when she opens the door, the blind date turns out to be not the ugly, greasy guy she imagined, but actually a bit handsome. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, driven by jealousy and insecurity, sneaks through the window into her house. To everyone’s surprise, after everything is exposed, the blind date actually thinks Kamala is even more adorable, leaving her even more unsure of what to do.

Unfortunately, by the end of the first season, neither of the two girls has made a choice, and the director leaves plenty of suspense.

Crying by the cafeteria while watching the last episode, I’m so moved! Devi and her mom making up is just amazing. The beach that her dad loved most, his favorite song, the red roses, and having his ashes scattered by the person he loved the most—how romantic! I jokingly said it’s so cute that they passed by a beautiful woman’s yacht, help! Ben is really becoming more and more adorable. He’s slowly shedding his arrogant mask and can finally truly feel life. He lives in such a wealthy family but lacks warmth, which complements Devi so well. Devi is also finally able to let go of her obsession with her dad. Devi may be hot-headed and easily angered, but she’s also sincere and kind. What’s youth without a little white lie, right? Paxton is actually very kind too. He just hasn’t figured out his true feelings yet. What’s the use of all those hot girls? Deep down, he’s a warm person! But he and Devi just don’t seem to match. After all, her mom doesn’t approve, haha. I hope the hot sister can end up with that Indian guy, they seem to match so well! It’s not the kind of forced pairing, it’s natural. I also really hope that Devi’s mom can let go of her obsession and find a new husband? Haha. Her friends are great too! I’m looking forward to the development of her gay friend, she speaks so gently and slowly, which is such a contrast to her orientation, haha, so cute. And the other dramatic friend, I hope she bravely chases her dreams! As for her mom, well, that’s another story. She’s not exactly a great parent. Now on to the next one, hehe!