Never Have I Ever Season 2 is an American coming of age television series created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher. The show is partially based on Kaling’s childhood in Boston Area. Season 2 premiered on July 15, 2021 consisting 10 episode and is available to watch on Netflix worldwide.
Never Have I Ever Season 2 Cast
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar,
- Richa Moorjani as Kamala Nandiwadal, Devi’s Cousin
- Jaren Lewison as Benjamin “Ben” Gross, Devi’s classmate and nemesis
- Darren Barnet as Paxton Hall-Yoshida, Devi’s classmate and crush
- John McEnroe as himself, the narrator
- Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar, Devi’s Mom
- Lee Rodriguez as Fabiola Torres, One of Devi’s best friends
- Ramona Young as Eleanor Wong, One of Devi’s best friends
- Megan Suri as Aneesa, New Indian student in Sherman Oaks
- Ranjita Chakravarty as Nirmala Vishwakumar, Devi’s Grandmother
Never Have I Ever Season 2 Plot
Never Have I Ever Season 2 follows Devi as she high school student in Sherman Oaks. Following Season 1 where Devi is stuck between Paxton and Ben and the same continues in Season 2, with a deeper look into the lives of the others characters in the show.
Never Have I Ever Season 2 Review
Never Have I Ever Season 2 is as enjoyable as Season 1. The show doesn’t lose its quality and theme going into Season 2 and keeps it consistent throughout the season. Devi’s life goes on with different scenarios and problems that she gets herself into each episode as she tries to resolve them.
Devi’s story doesn’t really change from Season 1 as she makes mistake just like she used to and then tries to make it all better by making up to everyone. With the addition of few new characters, the show puts more focus on the lives of others as they influence Devi’s life.
Season 2 is just an extension of Season 1 as there is nothing drastic that affects and change the story but it is carried forward in a classic sitcom fashion which is pretty good. The show tells what an Indian American teenager experiences in her day-to-day life but her thought process and the idea of her world is not so different from any other teenager, doesn’t matter if they are American or Indian.
The growth of Devi, how she understands her mistakes and tries to work out her life is what makes the show relatable to everyone as we have had some similar experiences during those years in our lives.
Just like Season 1, where the show has its minor traits, Season 2 does to and the show needs time to settle into. Even One episode is enough to get back into the mindset that the show follows and get sucked into the narrative. One of the most significant traits of the show is the long pause between conversations for the narrator voiced by John McEnroe to describes Devi’s thoughts.
Those long pauses feel unnatural to any conversation but it doesn’t take very long to get accustomed to it. And the narration of Paxton’s thoughts by Gigi Hadid feels similar with the pauses but still isn’t out of place. The show takes it time which is not really that long and then draws you into the story.
The introduction of new characters is a really good addition to the show. The character of Nirmala, Devi’s paternal grandmother has a minor significance to the show but feels as if it is necessary for the perspective that she offers. Aneesa played by Megan Suri is another addition to the cast who plays a crucial part in the show who is also an Indian American.
The show does an excellent job of displaying that even though Devi and Aneesa are from similar backgrounds as they are children of immigrants and might have shared similar experiences, they are very different with their ways of contemplating and going about with it.
Never Have I Ever Season 2: The Dynamic between Nalini and Devi
Talking about Nalini played by Poorna Jagannathan, she is for sure one of the best characters in the show. Nalini is the representation of an immigrant who made a life for herself and her kid in a new world. She had a support system who was taken away from her but she picked herself up as she had to, she knew that she can’t leave her daughter alone during such time and she had responsibilities.
A parent hiding her sorrow from her kid so her kid doesn’t lose hope is portrayed very well by Poorna and credit goes to Mindy Kaling and writers alike. Making a living in US was her husband’s dream which she embraced, the storyline where she wants to move back to India as she needs be with her family and eventually realising that even though US was not her dream, she built a life there and made it her own.
The dynamic between Devi and Nalini as mother and daughter after her father death is just beautiful. Nalini’s husband was closer to Devi and also acted as a bridge between them at times. After he was gone, they both only had each other which led to development of a better relationship where not both of them are perfect and always right but they understand each other.
Never Have I Ever Season 2 Critical Reception
Never Have I Ever Season 2 received positive reviews with 95% based on 21 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 8.25/10. On Metacritic, the show is at the score of 80 out of 100 based on 18 critics, stating “generally favorable reviews”.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Never Have I Ever is a show about an Indian American teenager but more so about a teenager who is obviously not perfect but finds ways to make go through with it. There are not many shows with Indian representation and Never Have I Ever does a good job.
As an Indian, I don’t relate with it at times because I feel like the show speaks more to the 2nd generation Indian Americans. Even though the show is about an American as Devi’s life has been influenced by their culture because she has lived there her whole life, it is a really good amalgamation of Indian and American culture.
