#eleanor never have i ever

[editfandom]

Eleanor Wong - Never Have I Ever, S04

[blues-valentine]

Devi Vishwakumar is one of the best main female characters and I will deeply miss her.

I love how unapologetically messy and chaotic she was. It was a wild ride seeing her make some questionable decisions. It was great to see a woman of color allowed to be messy and entangled in romantic affairs. It was amazing to see Tamil representation and how it focuses on family relationships and how difficult it is to handle cultural and generational differences. Ultimately, NHIE is about a teenager navigating grief and such a traumatic event. Devi and Nalini’s relationship was extremely complicated but perfectly illustrates how difficult it is to raise your kid when you have been raised differently so seeing their relationship grow and evolve to such tender and supportive bond was such a beautiful journey to have witnessed.

Devi was messy, cringey, confused, frustrating but also funny, driven, smart, kind and deeply human. She was allowed to make mistakes and try again until she figures it out. Her growth this season was so brilliant to see and she’s going to make many more mistakes in the future but already has such great support system in her life. Has learned to value herself and her worth. I love she got to have her romantic ending, her dream school and loved for all of her messiness.

I will miss Devi and every character in NHIE, as a show is definitely one I will rewatch multiple times and I cannot wait to see what Maitreyi does with her future because she’s brilliant.

[livelaughsmut]

Ethan Morales One-shot

warnings: just smut fr‼️‼️‼️

I walked into the science lab because i left my textbook, as i look up i see ethan. damn he seems hotter everytime i see him.

“sup y/n” he said with a smirk on his face

“sup ethan what are you doing?” i said anxiously because just his presence made

me nervous.

i have liked ethan since we were young and we’ve definitely made out at a few house parties but i always was yearning for more than that.

“well i was about to skip my next class. what are you doing?” he looks me up and down and licks his lips. i could just pass out, i want him so bad.

“i just needed to grab my textbook” i stepped toward the lab table and began to pick my textbook up but ethan pushed it back down on the stack of books it was resting on. i looked at him confused. he put a finger under my chin and looked me deep in the eyes.

“i think maybe you should skip class with me” he starts tracing my jawline.

i gulp hard. “that’s bad, i’m trying to get a scholarship” ethan pulled away and walked towards the door closing it and locking it.

“one class won’t kill you” he says walking back to me. he puts his hand on the small of my back and pulls me close to him. he leans forward and whispers in my ear “i know deep down you like to be bad” i exhale slowly and put my hands on the back of his neck. he starts kissing down my neck and i gasp, i feel his smile on my skin.

i pull his shirt over his head and he is quick to help me take it off. he knocks all the books of the lab table and picks me up and puts me on it. he kisses me deeply and he pulls my tank top over my head and starts kissing down my boobs. he continues kissing down my stomach until he gets to the top of my jean shorts. he looks up at me while he’s practically on his knees and starts unbuttoning my shorts.

he pulls my shorts off my legs and starts kissing my thighs. it doesn’t take him long before he pulls down my panties and starts kissing my clit. he starts licking slowly and i gasp. i can just feel his amusement as he starts eating me out and i can’t help but start moaning super loud. “fuck ethan!!!” any other guy would prefer to not get caught but ethan doesn’t care.

i lock my fingers in his hair as he enters his fingers inside of me. my mouth hangs open and i am breathing heavily. i’m so close to cumming and ethan can tell by the way i’m clenching his fingers. he quickly pulls away and i get pissed.

“what the fuck” i sit up staring at him.

“i just wanna be fucking you while you cum” he says as he’s unbuckling his belt. he quickly pulls down his boxers and im shocked by his size. like actually shocked. he opens his condom with his teeth and puts it on. he steps forward and lines his dick up with my pussy. he starts rubbing my clit with his tip and i feel so on the edge i need him to fuck me.

i grab onto his back and pull him closer and he finally slides into me.

“fuck” i yell so loudly that someone had to have heard me.

he starts sliding in and out of me and i cant keep my composure. i start uncontrollably moaning and he starts groaning in my ear. it’s so hot. he picks up his pace and starts rubbing my clit with his thumb.

“im gonna cum oh my god” i scratch his back and he just keeps going faster.

“fuck fuck fuck” he says in my ear. “y/n im so close”

“me too” im holding onto him for dear life as he fucks the shit out of me.

i cum all over his dick and he cums inside the condom.

we’re both panting and are stuck in place. he pulls out of me and leans forward and kisses me deeply.

i pull away and our noses are touching and i can feel his breath on my face as i say “maybe i do like being bad”

he smiles “yeah you do” and starts kissing me again.

[asadfangirlbitxh]

My favorite sitcoms always have a couple with so much chemistry from the moment they meet and you can't help but fall in love with them

1) Amy and Jonah, Superstore

2) Jess and Nick, New Girl

3) Jake and Amy, B99

4) Chidi and Eleanor, The Good Place

5) Monica and Chandler, FRIENDS

6) Jim and Pam, The Office

7) Janine and Gregory, Abott Elementary

8) Cory and Topanga, Boy meets World

9) Dan and Mindy, The Mindy Project

10) Ben and Devi, Never have I ever

[femalegifsource]

NEVER HAVE I EVER (2020-2023)

[mellarkably]

decided to lay out a few theories that have been solidified for me after watching the trailer!

1) nirmala is getting married. according to an article she has a love interest this season, someone who makes sandwiches, and considering all three vishwakumar girls are sitting on the side for the wedding, i think it’s basically confirmed. also, it’s supposed to be unexpected. can’t think of anything else more unpredictable than pati giving love another chance.

2) the ethan storyline will fizzle out by 405, 406 or 407 maximum. apparently, according to the writers, he has quite a temper, a classic bad boy of sorts. i assume he has something to do with the crude vandalism written on devi’s car after they break up.

3) paxton will give university a chance and decide it’s not for him in 403. i wouldn’t consider this as being regressive, as uni is not the path for everyone. he will work as a swim coach and advisor back at sherman oaks, therefore bringing him back into the love triangle (and also making things easier for the writers to keep him in the story).

also, #trexton4life.

4) ben and margot break up early on. due to the still of ben and margot below, i theorize devi may accidentally start a scene during this, and bring attention to their conversation. how? i’m not sure. 

i’ve never pegged margot to be the type of girl who tolerates any level of bullshit. so i don’t doubt she’ll take herself out of the relationship if there is ex mess involved. either way, don’t think they’re lasting in any way shape or form. mildly sucks because i loved her friendship with ben in s3 but whatever

5) ben and devi will not be on talking terms until 405. regarding why they’re still icing each other out, i’m assuming whatever incident happens in theory 4 above is why ben appears to be ignoring devi, and she is equally mad at him. the still below is from 403.

they patch things up during 405, specifically the scene at the bar when ben sees devi being harassed (?) and helps her out. maybe we’ll get a moment of devi icing ben’s bruise while they finally reconcile. they will NOT get together romantically this early, but will be back on bestie terms. refer to most of s3 benvi for dynamic.

6) eleanor pursues acting in new york and succeeds, which may drive a wedge into her relationship with trent. however, they will last. i also have a slight suspicion this is an eleanor pov episode.

she might also run into her mother due to that scene in the teaser where she is very visibly upset in the same outfit.

7) swimming will be the connection between devi and paxton, as maybe devi gives it another try. she’s said to be in her speedos in a leak during the middle of the season which i assume means she’ll join the swim team again.

this still below is in 407. they might have a moment of rekindling romance here. however, considering how different devi and paxton’s paths are and also the fact that he is now a staff member and she is a student, it doesn’t quite make sense for them to work out realistically or enter a relationship, more on that later. won’t make any guesses further than that, though.

8) devi, fab, and el will not make it to prom. the car crashes. they’re sitting on it while it’s night. that insinuates that they either make it very late or not at all.

9) ben climbs through devi’s window after prom to comfort her. he knows very well how much prom has meant to devi since they were kids and probably understands how much this must suck for devi. he’s also not in a suit which may mean he also could not go to prom. i won’t speculate the reason but it could be related to the altercation at the club if it was during a school field trip, maybe not. either way, they will finally have a proper conversation about their feelings. 

however a) i don’t think they will say their i love you’s here but either way, b) i have a slight feeling they might have sex, this time doing it because they feel it’ll work out and out of love, without any sort of miscommunication. the awkwardness from 401 will not be there post coital antics.

there is also the chance that this entire scene is a dream. i wouldn’t put that past the show because ben has never been the type to climb through devi’s window. however, it is sweet considering how willing ben is to step out of his comfort zone when it comes to her, so i choose to believe it’s real for narrative sense.

10) ben and devi have some sort of prom retry in 410, maybe in the last few minutes of the show, and their final love confessions happen here. the last scene maitreyi and jaren filmed was in a library, and she had a corsage on her wrist after wrapping. as mentioned before, attending prom meant a lot to devi and ben knows of this fact. as for the place, probably their college library, assuming they both go to the same place for post secondary education.

EDIT: it's also possible the library scene is a timeskip into the future. we shall see.

shows do film out of order, and the corsage could have been unrelated to onscreen plot. so as of right now, it’s just speculation

it is important to note that i do not want to assume who is endgame, as i try not to set any expectations. but personally, i don’t understand how devi and paxton would work from here if devi is going to university and paxton is staying at sherman oaks. her future seems to align with ben’s more. writing wise, and just logically, it would make more sense.

anyway, if i think of any more i’ll add them! thanks for entertaining my delusions ideas.

[winnie-the-monster]

[bittergirlsworld]

my favorite thing about never have I ever is that it's not about a love triangle at all.

the whole show is about grief, loss and loneliness. the emptiness left by the death of a loved one. the trauma that watch someone who's your whole world die before your eyes. the fact that your pain is not only yours, it's shared with your mother and your cousin and his mother and everyone is drinking from the same fountain of endless despair, everyone copes in their own ways but the pain is so paradoxically individual and collective that your coping affects other's lives too.

she never really loved paxton, but dreamed of him to distract herself from the pain she felt when mohan passed and because the show starts with him already gone, we never know who devi was before that happened, we just know that she was not that "unhinged". she loves her friends but they suddenly does not understand her even though eleanor never sees her mother who actively chose leave her behind. she loves ben but howard is never there and his mother is always away and he's so lonely that she doesn't see him as a dreamy fit because it's her mirror, he lonely as she is and she can't deal with that.

she choose to make all the sort of bad decisions and deal with it consequences later just to during one moment in a party a coyote appears and she thinks it's her father a boy plays with her dad tennis racket her new boyfriend watch her play in the orchestra and she sees her father in the audience but he's not there and her mother is grieving too without never know how to deal with her and now she's so in pain and everyone says she's too much for them her pain is too much a inconvenience her sorrow is too messy and they leave they leave they leave she's alone she's too much she's replaceable shes embarrassing she's jealous she craves love that she once had and now it's not there and she's empty looking for anything to fill the void that he left

but you laugh at her bad decisions and root for her all along the way we want her to feel something other than the pain she deals with

and then, someday, she's not so mad anymore. she's okay with her mother finding love. she's breaking up bad relationships and supporting her friends even tho it hurts her. she's not harming herself just to feel something, she's not rejecting her mirror in form a lover, she's not so confused or empty. she survived. honestly, how beautiful is that?

[inthehoneymoonwithconnorrk800]

washing machine heart

Tw: mentions of domestic abuse, bad use of english.

You blinked when you saw another message from Devi. You smiled and didn't hesitate to answer her, she replied instantly and you continued with the topic of this year's goals because Devi didn't want to say a word, the most you managed to get was that it's a surprise. You mumbled defeated and looked at your beloved pet who returned your discouragement. "I'm coming, Dido." You sneaked up and walked over to your turtle's little makeshift pond. You'd had her since you were nine years old when you and your younger sisters asked for a puppy, but after your father's scream, the most you could get was Dido. You adored Dido and you were sure she adored you. Or at least she had to because you was the only one who cared for her. "Good morning, sweetheart."

You almost jumped with surprise when you heard your father. It was very rare to saw him in the early morning, you usually only met him for about five minutes at breakfast before you left for school. "Good morning, dad. " You headed to the small yard where you threw the garbage. Your father smiled at you like he did when he wasn't angry and went to the refrigerator, he was wearing sweatpants and his classic white bividi. "Would you like a salad?" he pointed to the apples they had gotten from a contest at the grocery market. "Sure, let me get dressed." Apparently you wouldn't eat at school today. Much better, breakfast food wasn't very delicious and ended up leaving you hungrier. You pulled out your backpack and put away your cell phone. For a moment, you thought about Ben. Your nemesis. You'd see him in most of the classes today, but that's the good thing, they would be exciting classes, and besides, you'd prepared in advance for the courses. "So early? "your father asked with a distracted air, as if you didn't usually leave at this hour. You were about to answer, but your sister Liana appeared, a curious thing because she was the sleepiest. "Will you two please stop making noise?" she growled. "You won't let me sleep."

"Okay, my life." She left just as she came. Your progenitor passed the plate and silverware, apparently, he had taken the matter of keeping quiet lightly. "How's school going?" "Pretty good, although today is the first day. " You pinned your gaze on his hair, he was balding and gray hair was starting to appear. You moved your legs anxiously, he'll soon be too old…. You shook your head at your dark thoughts. "Much better, let's not lose focus on the studio." You agreed. "Do you know what we're going to have for dinner?" "No idea, that's your mother's business." You mentally cursed, they were still fighting. "Well, whatever," you said hurriedly, "I'll be leaving in a few minutes. "Don't you want me to come with you?" "Uh…, no, thanks. I'm a big girl now." "It's dangerous to go out at this hour, we don't live in the safest place in the world…" "I wouldn't worry about that "you insisted. "I've been out several times and, besides, I know self-defense." You walke quickly to the door, preventing from saying anything else to antagonize you. "Goodbye!"

You were thankful it was still dawn and jogged out of the building. You could hear barking from the street and some sounds of cars, the usual. You relaxed for a moment. You hated being late, the thought alone made you nauseous. Often as a child you would start crying when you were late somewhere and your face would turn so red they would call you tomato. You raised your arm towards a bus and decided to distract yourself for a moment by the window, you didn't want to invade your first morning with unpleasant memories. The sky was blue when you ran into Eleanor. "Hi!" you kissed her cheek. You expected some new theatrical greeting and so it was because she brought her hand up to her chest. "How's that?" "It's hello! in Malaysia, I'm practicing for a role at the club." "You don't even need to practice, you're the president." "Aww, stop it." "It's just the truth, you're the best. What's with the earring?" "You like it? I picked it out at a Cherokee store." "In a Cherokee store? "you asked with interest. You were of native Latino ancestry and were glad to know that you always hear from other Native Americans. "Yes it is! It's near my house, if you come by on Friday I can show it to you. I brought you some sweet min paos, my stepmother loved how you complimented her baked goods." "She's an excellent cook…and wow, thank you" happily, you stowed the small cardboard container in your backpack. "Wait a minute, isn't that Fabiola?" "Let's both say hello to her at the same time! " Both of you headed for the entrance to the technology room. However, you collided with the undesirable. "What's with that zombie face, (Y/n)?" he smirked presumptuously, he was right, you rarely slept well." Nervous because you'll come in second place?" "Oh, please "you teased. "I could take you down single-handedly." "Oh, really? Just like I did with you in Karate class?"

"Just so you know, I got brown belt. I'm going to take your place this year." "Yeah, right," he replied as if what you said was a silly joke. "Remember I beat you by two extracurriculars." "Don't claim victory! " you exclaimed. "I negotiated with Devi and now I'll be in the same number of classes as you. Who knows, maybe I'll overshadow you in some. "You wouldn't dare!" he looked at you with indignation. "Well yes I do" you pointed at his chest. "(Y/N)" Eleanor called out to you. "This isn't over!" "No doubt about it! " you gave him a mean look and went to Eleanor. You ran to catch up with Fabiola, who was unusually distracted, her afro hair was quite shiny, apparently she had slathered on some lotion. Dramatically, Eleanor put her hand to her chest and you mimicked her, though not with as much expression. "Did I miss something?" "It's a greeting in Malaysia "you casually commented. "I greet them too " she imitated you. "Have you seen Devi?" "Not a sign of her." For some reason, you had a feeling she would sweep them off their feet to some madness. That was what you liked about her, she could do things you wouldn't dare me to do. "Girls!"you heard Devi's excited voice. "Devi!" "Everything okay?" you raised an eyebrow. In the distance, you could see the silhouette of annoying Ben. "Yes! I have a plan that will change our lives." Her bright gaze told you that you would unite in madness, as you were used to since elementary school.

@leossmoonn

@babyxbunnyx

@benpaxfab

@photoboothphotos

@aaml2704

@neverhaveievergiffed

@bengrossart-blog

@bengrossart-blog

[girllookingoutwindow]

"And if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on my mom while I'm gone, I would really appreciate it."

[wonder-worker]

people really do not know what they're talking about when it comes to Elizabeth Woodville's social status, huh?

[vani-is-typing]

Devi Vishwakumar's journey has been a wacky one with statistically there being more downs than ups for her, but I believe I don't regret being there for all of it.

Yes there were a shockingly stupid number of moments when I wanted to drown in a pail or choke myself or wished to be put into a medically-induced coma so I wouldn't have to deal with the sheer second-hand embarrassment that came from seeing her high school years play out before me; but these moments are also the ones that have kept me entertained and always anticipating for what will happen next season.

It's bittersweet to see the chaos of Devi's life, and that of her friends and family and foes, come to an end. It's also hopeful. I mean, if Devi can manage to figure her shit out, so can I.

Right?

[nsain25]

Any Daxton fan who has been severely traumatized after watching S4 please do know that it's alright to cry and scream to your heart's content...

I am saying this with experience

[ben-vishwakumar]

[basiltonpitch]

get ready for a banging ending! 💥 It's senior year, baby. never have i ever's final season premieres june 8 only on netflix [x]

[hamliet]

Never Have I Ever... Been So Grateful For a Show

Well, NHIE finished strong after the fourth season got off to a rocky start. The first three episodes were... messy, honestly, but then the story picked up steam. By the time we got to the final two episodes I was bawling pretty much the full way through.

NHIE also continued to flex its mature understanding of nuance, its appreciation for cultural differences, and its determination to keep its characters flawed and realistic. And including a game of Never Have I Ever in the finale? Fab.

All in all, it's a great ending to a great show. I loved it.

Ben and Devi

I've seen people complaining that the end relationship was predictable, or that Devi should be single, and kindly: no. <3

It fit Devi's character to end up in romantic love with someone, because the entire show has been about love for her. Love for her family, love for those who have died, love for her friends, love for her mentors, and yes, romantic love in all the aspects that entails (physical, intellectual, emotional).

The other thing that I think is beautiful about their relationship is that they both push each other in all these ways--physical (obviously), emotionally (Ben's final realization in New York was chef's kiss), and intellectual. They both get to go to their dream schools in part because of each other. Not only have they been pushing each other to excel since before the show started, but Devi helps Ben finish his schoolwork, and Ben encourages Devi to write that final letter to get into Princeton.

Ben's early acceptance to Columbia, which seemed a given given, well, his father and nepotism (I appreciated the show behind upfront about this), ultimately still almost gets sabotaged by his own repressing of other aspects of his life (which parallels Paxton, Blair Quan, and more, and isn't exactly new--see Ben's physical issues last season). This contrasts him with Devi, whose self-sabotage is always doing too much too suddenly. She's been trying so hard all along, but sometimes you need a final cheer to push you over the finish line.

Ben and Devi, Ethan and Margot

Ethan is dark!Ben. Margot is dark!Devi. On paper it's great.

Except... Margot was really, really annoying. I'm sorry, I found nothing remotely redeeming about her. Ethan at least served a purpose. The reason I think the first three episodes are so rough is that they focus on Margot but seem to not know what to do with her. But more about that later on.

Ben's speech about why he chooses to be with Margot in the first episode is well done and shows how much growth he still has to do. Because an essential part of love--of a mature kind of love and relationship--is that you are challenged to become a better version of yourself. Ben and Trent, in episode 2, shy away from this. Trent breaks up with Eleanor because he's afraid she'll break up with him, and he wants to do it first. Ben stays with Margot because she offers him superficial challenges, but nothing substantial in terms of his flaws.

That said, Devi making peace with Margot (numerous times) was narratively necessary because, of course, Margot's kind of a literary shadow (just not really well done). It also showed how much Devi's grown.

Trent + Eleanor

Trent's character is also really well done. That's how you deepen a comedic character. (Ethan was also dark!Trent in some ways; hence, Eleanor's crush on him.) Yeah, Trent's a stoner and not so bright. But, he loves Eleanor. He adores her, and he wholeheartedly believes in her. It's heartwarming to see.

I wasn't surprised they broke up early on, but was relieved they got back together. I think it was a funny inversion of what you'd expect, because El moving on to bigger and better things seemed like a natural progression. Yet, as the scene with El's mom showed... that's not what bigger and better is for Eleanor.

Yes, Eleanor still wants to grow. Yes, she still wants to be an actress and a director, and she's good at it.

But she doesn't want to leave her family and loved ones behind.

Eleanor knows what it's like to be left behind. And obviously it's not the same to leave a teenage boyfriend as to leave your own child like her mom. But, Eleanor ending up back with Trent was, frankly, narratively perfect for both their characters. Because Trent was helping her in her growth, and always had been from Season 3.

I also think they handled Eleanor's dreams and her complicated mother relationship well. The dream itself, even if it is far-fetched, even if it is unlikely to happen, is not bad. Pursuing it also is, in fact, positive (they paralleled this with Devi's dreams of Princeton). But, one of the best parts of dreams? Is the people you meet along the way, the people who cheer you on. It's a metaphor for life.

Paxton (and Lindsay)

Paxton's arc I think is one of the best in the series. I loved his journey from boy who was considered "hot guy" who sucked at school to the point where it was comic becoming a teacher. The episode where he helped Eric join the swim team was actually really powerful.

And, I didn't even roll my eyes when Devi told him he was an even better friend than boyfriend. On paper it's a cliche line, but it totally works within the characters' arcs (and of course the actors' portrayals!). Lindsay also seemed like much more than just a consolation prize to the guy who ends up outside the triangle--their relationship paralleled his with Devi, and quickly got me invested.

His final advice to Devi: "don't reinvent anything" also fits really well, because when Paxton at first refused to be Devi's boyfriend it was because Devi's image wasn't acceptable after the two-timing thing. Then, Devi's anxiety during their public relationship, the anxiety that actually ruined their romance, was because she didn't think she fit with Paxton or "made any sense" with him. But, she does fit with him. As a friend, and as herself.

Blair Quan + College

Blair Quan was also dark!Paxton--someone who lost themselves because they were always the Best in high school. The best student, the most popular. And then at college, everyone was the Best. And suddenly you're nothing.

The situation with Blair Quan was really realistic for how college can be for people, and in how the show (admittedly briefly) addressed the fundamental unfairness of college admissions. I work in higher ed, and... it's not fair. Nothing about it is fair. Professor Warner telling Devi outright that she "should have" gotten into all the Ivies actually meant a lot to me, because it's true.

For any readers of this who are applying to schools, there's a degree to which your merit matters, and there's a degree to which it's up to sheer luck. If they reject you, it's almost certainly not because you're not on par with other applicants. Hard work does not get you into prestigious schools. That's a lie. It gets you to a point, but it also gets a lot of other people to that same point, and then there is nothing at all you can do. It's up to luck.

Fab (and Addison. Kind of).

Fab's arc was interesting, but I feel like it peaked in season 2. I did like her conflict this season though, particularly with messing up about lying to Devi. The scene where she and Devi reconcile was beautiful, and the show handled it really well--giving empathy for Fab as for why she kept it a secret, while also pointing out that the lying was the fact greater problem than the initial applying.

The negative is that... I like Addison, but I wanted more. It kind of sucks that the queer character is the one whose romance doesn't come with two complex characters getting development. And sure, Fab isn't as important as Devi, Ben, or Paxton, but the fact that they wrote a compelling romance between Trent and Eleanor and gave Trent some damn deep character development despite him being a comedic character shows they were more than capable of writing a complex character romance for Fab. Addison is really just... kinda there, and we get no development for them at all.  Which sucks because I would like to have learned more about them! They had potential, especially as a parallel to Trent!

Nalini and Andres

Nalini and Andres were a little more out of left field... that said, Nalini clearly has a type! She likes guys whom she argues with first. I still preferred the hot doctor from Season 2, but that had less to do with Andres and more to do with the fact that I found Margot so irredeemably annoying. Still, I appreciated Andres' growth in realizing that he'd been spoiling Margot by catering to her every whim. This was itself a nice contrast to Nalini, who hurts Devi by being too hard on her.

That was especially a flaw in the early seasons, but Season 4 really showed how much Nalini has grown. She does mess up with her response to the college debacle, so her flaws are still there, but she's so much better than in Season 1. For example, Devi lashing out at her mom after she got deferred was irrational; Nalini really didn't deserve any of that, and yet Nalini still met Devi where she was at: with a chip salad, addressing her fears. It was heartwarming.

Even when Nalini then does mess up with the "stupid" comment, we know she didn't mean it in the same way Devi fears she did (that that's all she can be, rather than that yes, Devi did a dumb thing). When she comes to help Devi pack, it's genuinely heartwarming. I honestly think Nalini and Devi's relationship is one of the best in the show, if not the beating heart at the center of it.

Pati and Len

Now, Pati. Pati and Lens' relationship parallels Kamala's romantic drama--not just with Manish in Season 3, but also with Steve in Season 1. Pati is also very clearly where Devi gets her drama from, and I stan.

I also liked the parallels between Len and Pati and Ben and Devi. They are both Indian-Jewish couples, and Pati and Len's wedding of course marks a grand romance for them... and a grand romantic gesture for Ben, who arrives to tell Devi he loves her.

Kamala (and Manish)

Kamala's arc this season was good as well; I just wish we had seen more Manish than just in the finale. Still, at least Manish did have an arc in the previous season. Though, it was a nice twist to have Kamala's arc be not about romance, but about her career.

Where Art Thou?

I also missed some other side characters, like Rebecca Hall-Yoshida and Jonah.

Margot & Aneesa

The overall show was filled with callbacks to past seasons that were really well utilized, in that they showed the character's growth. Unfortunately, in one instance, this came back for the worse when they repeated one of their biggest writing mistakes from Season 2.

Devi is, simply put, absolutely not morally responsible for reporting Margot to have lied about her alibi for vandalism. Yeah, Margot ultimately didn't do it--but Devi didn't do anything wrong by reporting that. In fact, the principal should have actually done her job and checked the alibi with the teacher; it's like 101 common sense.

Clearly this is a callback to Aneesa (the episode even has Devi reclaiming the nickname "crazy Devi," which started there). However, the shame is that the writers didn't learn from how they bungled the Aneesa plotline, and they did. Here again they hold Devi responsible for something she frankly is not morally in the wrong for. The show also mentions the Aneesa incident and calls Devi "a liar and a bully" for it, but she objectively didn't lie? And frankly Aneesa bullied Devi more than Devi bullied her and was never called out for it.

While I think it's a flaw, it COULD theoretically work from a psychoanalytic theory in that really all that Devi can control is herself. She can't force others to do what she wants, even if it's unfair. And that's part of maturing is realizing that (and it's not the same thing as selfish focus). You can't control the world, even when it's unfair and even when other people are frankly wrong.

I did like more or less how Margot was resolved in the end; namely, that she was not there among Devi's friends at the end. I also liked that Aneesa did defend Devi in the final episode from someone mocking her about the Clean Sweep. It just would've matter more if Aneesa's actions had ever been addressed.

The Principal + Professor Warner

Also, while in general the show is great in its portrayal of teachers and satire of other teachers, the principal sucks and she's not actually funny. She acts like another teenager, but unlike some of the other teachers/adults who are framed well, she's framed as being more or less fine instead of with the critical lens of the others. And she isn't.

Professor Warner stands in stark contrast, because she is wise even though flawed. The principal is just... awful. I'd never liked her, but this season made me hate her.

The Therapist + Grief

Now that I've gotten my salt out of the way, let's end with a positive and a theme.

The therapist's final session with Devi in the penultimate episode--I bawled.

“When I first met you, you were a closed-off, angry little thing... But look at you. Look how far you’ve come. You faced your trauma, and you came out on the other side.” 

They used this to emphasize the show's main theme: grief. Despite how this quote makes it sound, the show doesn't actually frame grief as something to move on from. Instead, it's something that accompanies you.

Grief is like chasing a dream. Grief is part of life. It is love itself, but a painful part of it, and grief never, ever stops. You never "get over" someone's loss. You never stop loving them.

But, you learn to see them around you, and in you. In the dreams you planted together, like Devi's dad telling her about Princeton. In the loved ones you shared, like how Devi yells at her imagination of her father that he's not here, but then Nalini arrives to help her pack.

Just because someone's gone doesn't mean they stop influencing you, or stop being a part of your life.

There will always be moments of pain, like Devi in the final episode with the imagination of her dad. But, there will also be moments of feeling them again.