Devi Vishwakumar has had a tumultuous high school experience.
In her freshman year, Devi’s dad died suddenly—and at a school function, no less—making her the pity of all her classmates. Then, consumed by her grief, she experienced psychosomatic paralysis and wound up in a wheelchair for several months.
By her sophomore year, Devi had managed to regain the use of her limbs. But instead of focusing on school (as she always had previously), Devi chooses to focus on becoming popular. A string of bad behavior follows, which leads to an estrangement between Devi and her mother (and her two best friends, as well).
Devi reconciles those relationships before the start of her junior year, only to ruin others. She starts a rumor that another girl has anorexia. Then she winds up in a love triangle with Paxton (her longtime crush) and Ben (her academic rival). And when the guys find out, they both dump her.
Long story short, she and Paxton get back together for a bit before breaking up over jealousy problems. Then Devi and Ben have sex right as the school year ends (and proceed not to speak to each other all summer due to a miscommunication).
As Devi begins her senior year, her priorities are still a little shaky: She publicly calls Ben’s new girlfriend a slew of mean names, for instance. But instead of angling for a boyfriend, she asks the Hindu gods her family prays to for help with getting into Princeton, a much more admirable goal.
Devi’s best friends, Fabiola and Eleanor, have some relationship drama of their own. After coming out to her family and friends as gay, Fabiola starts dating (and having sex with) other girls. And Eleanor finds herself dating (again, and having sex with) Trent, a guy who, while certainly more popular than she is, is also significantly less academically gifted.
Devi’s therapist recognizes that much of the drama occupying Devi’s mind hides other things—such as the fact that Devi is still grieving over her dad’s death. But she stands by the teen, offering advice and reminding Devi that her value isn’t determined by who she’s dating or who she’s slept with.
And slowly, it seems that Devi starts to understand this, and even believe it, for herself.
As the show’s narrator—tennis great John McEnroe (and Devi’s dad’s hero)—observes sagely, it’s unlikely Devi will ever shed her old identity as “the paralyzed Indian girl whose dad dropped dead at a school function.” However, that doesn’t mean she won’t find a way to heal from her dad’s death and grow closer to the family and friends that she still has left.
Mindy Kaling (of The Mindy Project and The Office) co-created this coming-of-age comedy inspired by her own childhood. But for a show about a young girl embracing her family’s heritage and coming to terms with her grief, it’s unnecessarily rife with issues.
For starters, Devi and her classmates are obsessed with sex. Now, thankfully, we never see the act on screen. In an interview with tvline.com, Kaling said this was because she wanted to use actors who were believable as the age they were portraying (i.e., not adults).
“We literally have a scene where they’re reading up about sex and sex positions and Kegels and stuff, [but] they’re never in a situation where they can ever use it,” she said.
And she’s not wrong. Characters talk about sex, they kiss, and a few teens take their shirts off, but it’s nothing compared to say, The CW’s Riverdale. In fact, a teen couple actually has a healthy conversation about not having sex after the boy recognizes signs that his girlfriend is uncomfortable, and she admits she isn’t ready.
Still, most of the underage characters here become sexually active (even if we don’t see it). And what viewers do see and hear on camera isn’t necessarily wholesome, either. At one point, Devi essentially asks her therapist if she’s “bangable,” and the older woman refuses to answer, pointing out, “It’s creepy.” When Devi loses her virginity only to get ghosted by the guy, she’d deeply hurt by his actions and responds by lashing out at his new girlfriend.
Language is another issue. Devi in particular has a habit of misusing Christ’s name and pairing “d–mit” with God’s name. But there are also frequent uses of the f- and s-words. We hear a few sexist and racist jokes, too. And while these quips are meant to be more ironic than offensive considering the diversity of the cast, they could stir up some negative feelings.
Finally, Devi can be obnoxiously selfish. Throughout much of the show, she remains woefully ignorant of pretty much everyone else’s problems—such as the fact that her mom is struggling with grief just as much as Devi is and that Ben acts like a little jerk because his parents neglect him. She is increasingly rude to her mom for being overprotective, and she repeatedly hurts her friends by placing her own desires above their needs. And even though the show doesn’t excuse Devi’s selfishness, it’s still there.
What viewers are ultimately left with is a conundrum: Never Have I Ever delivers some nice messages about learning how to handle grief and figuring out what healthy relationships look like. But there’s a ton of content to wade through—especially given the audience age this show is aimed at.
After having sex with Ben and getting ghosted all summer, Devi lashes out at his new girlfriend right as her senior year begins.
Two teens lie in bed, post-coital, with blankets covering everything but their shoulders. (We see the girl in her bra as she dresses to leave.) Later, we hear about the complicated emotions associated with their actions since both are hurt that the other seemed disinterested afterward. (Really, they were both too awkward to explain how they felt). Some couples dance closely and kiss at a party. There are some detailed conversations about sex. Someone crudely describes a guy’s genitals. A second-year senior proposes to his high school girlfriend. We hear about a same-sex relationship. A guy says his roommate got mononucleosis (commonly referred to as the “kissing disease”). There’s objectification of teen boys by teen girls. Some boys place corncobs in their pants to make their genitals look larger.
A girl dresses modestly to impress a conservative teacher (and we see this teacher slap a teen for putting his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders). Adults try to give teenagers some sound relationship advice. A woman rightly tells her daughter that she can’t buy an inappropriate license plate for her car.
Underage college students drink at a party. Devi is shocked to learn that her school’s “burnouts” are popular now. (We hear these guys frequently smoke marijuana, drink during school hours and destroy property while performing skateboard tricks.) There’s a joke about drugs. Someone vomits on Paxton’s bed after drinking too much.
Devi prays to Hindu gods. People lie. A woman faints and falls to the floor. Someone spray paints a profanity on Devi’s car. There’s a singular use of the f-word, but the crudity is cut off or replaced two other times. We hear five uses each of the s-word, “a–,” “d–k” and “h—,” three uses of “d–n,” two uses of “b–ch” (with the word written out once as well), and one use each of “a–hole” and “p—y.” God’s name is abused six times. We also hear a variety of rude names geared towards women.
Some characters apologize for their wrong actions.
Devi worries that everyone thinks she is a “slut” after hearing that some girls have been spreading untrue rumors about her.
Fearing that Paxton will dump her if she doesn’t have sex with him, Devi decides to lose her virginity to him. She talks about this with several people. And while her friends encourage her, her cousin and her therapist (the only adults she discusses it with) both emphasize that sex is a serious thing with an emotional toll. And while they don’t tell her not to have sex, they do discourage her from participating in the act if she isn’t ready. (In a similar turn of events, Kamala decides not to go through with an arranged marriage after realizing she isn’t ready for it.)
Devi and Paxton make out in several scenes. Twice, Devi stops Paxton from groping her while kissing him in compromising positions. Another time they both remove their shirts (we see her bra), but Paxton stops things from going further when he sees that Devi is visibly uncomfortable. After this, they talk about waiting to have sex until Devi is emotionally ready. (A fantasy scene also shows them lying in bed, covered only by sheets, post-coital.)
Other couples kiss. We hear a girl cheated on her boyfriend. Several girls speculate that Paxton is only dating Devi because she is a “slut.” Fabiola breaks up with her long-distance girlfriend after it starts to affect her schoolwork. A woman tells a story about getting stuck half-naked on an escalator after her sari gets caught on it. Some women objectify a man. Devi tries to steal lingerie from her cousin after her friends make her feel self-conscious about her own underwear. Devi’s friends make a suggestive shirt for her as a joke.
We hear a guy got hit by a car. A woman waves a knife threateningly at her granddaughter. Later, she gives the younger woman the silent treatment and deprives her of food for “disgracing” their family. A boy hits his friend in the groin. A teacher accidentally spits on a student.
We hear that Devi cheated in school by doing Paxton’s homework for him. People lie. A girl admits to liking a boy because her parents disapprove of him. Some girls spread rumors to make themselves feel better. Devi ignores her therapist’s advice to take the high road and angrily confronts some mean girls. A teacher gives a politically charged lecture about the Vietnam War. A boy burps a girl’s name in an attempt to seduce her. Devi talks with her friends about cleaning her private parts. We hear a boy gave a girl marijuana as a present.
We hear about a handful of uses each of the s-word, “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—” and “p-ss.” A boy says he gives zero “F’s.” God’s name is abused seven times.
After kissing Ben at her father’s memorial, Devi is forced to make a choice between him and Paxton when the latter asks her out. Nalini (Devi’s mother) tries to sell her patient list to a successful dermatologist, and Kamala struggles during her first day in her new lab.
We see Devi making out with Ben in his car, picking up where the last season left off. She later kisses him again, as well as kissing Paxton (even though she had already agreed to date Ben).
Sexual references are frequent; Nalini, angry at Devi for kissing a guy at her father’s funeral, asks, “What are you going to do at my funeral? Just have sex on top of my grave?” Devi makes a pros-and-cons list comparing Ben and Paxton, one of Paxton’s pros being that he’s “prolly good at sex.” Ben talks about the size of his ex-girlfriend’s chest, and other verbal references are made to male genitalia. The narrator, John McEnroe, clarifies to the audience that Devi’s friends Eleanor and Fabiola are both virgins; he also refers to Devi as “formerly uneffable.” In a flashback, a young Devi drops a bag full of menstrual pads.
Fabiola is now officially dating Eve, one of her female classmates. We hear a clip from the television show The L Word, which Fabiola is watching in order to relate to her. Eleanor references the show Killing Eve and its lesbian characters.
Devi’s teacher describes the Hindu practice of spreading a loved one’s ashes to complete the “series of life cycle events.” Surprised at the fact that two boys are now interested in Devi, John McEnroe exclaims in narration, “Did hell freeze over in the last hour?”
The s-word is used five times, while “h—” and “d—n” are each used once. “D–k” is used twice as well as a derogatory term, and God’s name is misused three times.
After her mom announces that she plans to move the family back to India, Devi runs away from home and nearly misses the chance to spread her dad’s ashes with the rest of the family.
A woman chants in Sanskrit while spreading her husband’s ashes while two other women clasp their hands in prayer to their Hindu gods.
A teenage couple kisses. In a flashback, Devi’s dad wraps his arms around her mom and spins her around in circles. Two teenage couples (one a same-sex pairing) are referred to as “lovers.” A teenager says his family’s former foreign exchange student robbed them and attempted to seduce his mom. (We see a picture with the exchange student’s arms wrapped around the older woman). A teenager hits on an adult woman. A woman’s midriff is partially exposed.
We hear about a booze cruise with topless women. Someone makes a joke about child actor using meth. Ben tries to kiss Devi but when she stops him short, he blames his behavior on alcohol.
During an argument, Devi tells her mom that she wishes her mom had died instead of her dad. She later rejects her mom’s attempts to reconcile, accusing her of manipulation and insincerity. A Realtor upsets Devi’s mom when she doesn’t realize that Devi’s dad passed away. Devi has a flashback of ambulances from the night her dad died. A teenager drives a car without a license.
The f-word and s-word are both heard, as well as “h—,” “d—it,” “frickin’,” “suck” and several misuses of God’s and Jesus’ names. A girl with Down syndrome calls her brother a “douche” after realizing that he mistreated a girl for the sake of his own popularity. Devi’s mom makes a few untoward remarks about people of other races.
Lauren Cook is serving as a 2021 summer intern for the Parenting and Youth department at Focus on the Family. She is studying film and screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. You can get her talking for hours about anything from Star Wars to her family to how Inception was the best movie of the 2010s. But more than anything, she’s passionate about showing how every form of art in some way reflects the Gospel. Coffee is a close second.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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