Never Have I Ever (Seasons 1/2) Review!

 Alright! Today I'm reviewing Never Have I Ever, a Netflix original TV show from Mindy Kaling. Never Have I Ever centers on high school sophomore Devi Vishwakumar, who, after her dad's death and temporary paralysis, is hell-bent on reinvigorating her social life and getting with popular kid Paxton Hall-Yoshida.

The second season was released last week and, after watching 0 trailers and reading the Wikipedia page, I decided I would watch it. On that Wikipedia page, I saw that it was a high school series co-created by Mindy Kaling based on her own experiences growing up as Indian American. Mindy Kaling gave it a lot of validation after I saw her Office credits, so I was real excited to watch it. 

And so I did. I saw the entire show in two days, which is 20 episodes that total around 10 hours. Funny enough, a 20 episode season is about the length of a regular season back before streaming standards. The pro is that means every episode is plot-driven and the entire series is easy to consume. The con is that it never has any breathing time. Every episode contains so much plot that an episodic balance is near impossible to hit.

It means I can't just watch one of these during lunch and not think about it again (As per Community). If I'm to randomly watch one of these, I'll probably end up watching the rest of the season as well. It keeps the momentum moving, but it sacrifices breathing room. For example, in season two of Never Have I Ever, they drop in a new girl whose arc changes drastically from episode to episode, but still encompasses four episodes. I would want to watch them all.

But that's just a thing nowadays with streaming seasons, que sera sera. Nothing can be done. One more thing before I move on to the show itself: F-bombs in TV-14 will never not throw me off guard. There are three in this series (One in the pilot, S1 finale, S2:E9). I get that it's allowed, it just throws me for a loop. 

This actor graduated high school in, like, 2009. 

I finally understand all of those Netflix stereotypes you see on the internet! The gay best friend for representation points and old high schoolers! I get it! I mean seriously though, the guy playing Paxton Hall-Yoshida is like, 30. It's honestly absolutely terrible to treat this guy as peak high schooler. Our physicality and vocals physically can't be like that. Kind of an unhealthy image to promote. 

Also, in most lightings you could see pronounces wrinkles on his face. It was actually kinda hilarious, like a recurring joke with myself. The age etched into his face. He's definitely not 16. But it could be worse. The main lead definitely looks the part and is about the right age.

The series earns brownie points for representation. Devi Vishwakumar's identity as Indian plays heavily into the overall plot of the show. Now, as a white straight dude, I can't really vouch for the accuracy of, like, anything in this, but it's nice to see other cultures and people taking the spotlight. So yeah, I'll totally take a show where all of the leads are biracial and that it plays into the show. 

"Halal as hell" is a phrase that really needs to be adopted into the modern lexicon.

I also like that the coming out arc of the best friend was treated with absolute acceptance. It's nice to have that side of the story be nearly absent of drama. And I liked the Muslim representation via Aneesa. It was unnecessary, but it was worked in seamlessly. I did notice that Aneesa's mother didn't wear a hijab in her one appearance, which I did find strange, but again. I'm not Muslim, so I can't really say if that was accurate or if I'm just stereotyping.

Something I'm a bit more sure about was the fact that Aneesa gained herself a boyfriend and they're seen making out heavily several times over the course of the show. Based off of my (limited) knowledge of Islam, dating isn't too halal. Or, more accurately, my Muslim crush soft rejected me and cited that, so... maybe she just didn't like me... 

I liked the character, but at some point, I think the writers dropped the Muslim part to give the show a massive love square.

Anyways... I'm not entirely sure if this is a comedy. The first episode is absolutely hilarious, but after that, it's fairly deluged by the standard high school clichés I'm sure you're all familiar with by now. As the series went on, I actually did compose a list of them:

• School balls are not big deals
• High schools have lounges with nice couches? Since when? 
• Teachers and students don't openly swear in front of each other, at least not to this extent
• Kids do not go to each other's homes and work on school projects
• Sying def. as an abbreviation of "definitely" isn't a thing.
• "Amazoned" isn't a verb
• Teachers do not have fun monologues at the beginning of class or this much awkward energy
• Dances are not cool and people do not care about them
• Only two teachers exist in the entire school?
• Every single time they want to show someone as cool or likable, they have them wear an opened button-up plaid shirt as a second layer.
• Everyone has perfect skin. This is not the case in real life.
• There is absolutely no circumstance under which a hookup tent is set up at a school event
• The glamorization of sex, alcohol, and relationships

That last point is actually a huge one for me. Maybe it's the Christian leaking from me, but I'm, like, 99% sure 90% of high schoolers aren't obsessed with sex, alcohol, and relationships. Or maybe the fact that I'm reading The Silmarillion and hang out with people who recognize that as an achievement warps my perception of a "regular" high school life.

I don't think any Hollywood writer has ever been to high school.

But to balance that out, I did write down some things I found uncannily accurate: 

• The English teacher mentions that he'll snap if he has to read about the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby... I actually remember writing about that light... 
• Slang (Bet, tight, slaps, yeeted)
• One episode almost revolves around a character showing how lonely they are, represented by how much time they spend on Reddit... I was dying when I saw that, that was accurate.

Moving on, Never Have I Ever utilized cringe humor as the chief weapon in their humor arsenal. I actually had to look away in some of these scenes, it was unbearable. Some scenes in here were like Scott's Tots x 10. 

That being said, it was still really enjoyable. Despite the well utilized and unbearable cringe, and despite all of the drama and regret that follows watching these characters exist, I still really enjoyed it. Never Have I Ever created a really enjoyable vibe to it. 

Speaking of that drama, the drama in this show always has consequences. On one hand, it's really nice to have constant consequences. Most shows brush them off. On the other hand, Devi gets into so much crap that the entire show feels like one huge consequence for her terrible actions, which isn't always fun to watch. I wanted to root for her, but she kept messing up in big ways. It's not often you see that much realism in TV. 

A lot of the show is spent watching her learn to grow and apologize, and yet she still keeps making these mistakes. Her mental issues don't just go away after a heartfelt hug, they stick with her. It's realistic, but it can become a big downer. 

Despite all of these consequences, the show still devolved into a bit of a reality show by the end. So many love triangles and perplex relationships and a marriage thrown in make it feel more generic than it should. The best way to describe it would probably be that the generic parts are super generic while the not generic parts are super unique. That seems like common sense, but it's the biggest problem with the show.

But I still really, really enjoyed it. All of the characters make mistakes, but it does make them endearing and more relatable. Transitional segue, but I absolutely loved the grandmother and Ben. They were excellent characters. 

They have a good thing going here with Ben.
Let's hope they don't ruin it in future seasons with unnecessary relationship drama.

I also absolutely loved the soundtrack of the show. It had a Stranger Things synth vibe and I loved it. The entire show had an amazing vibe, really. I was vibing with it the entire time, able to put away my real-world problems and be completely absorbed in the show. I love it when I can picture myself living in a fictional world. 

Going into my senior year was honestly the perfect time to watch it. I've experienced enough high school to not give me unrealistic expectations, but I'm also still in high school, so I can certainly compare and contrast. This series both glosses over and overblows aspects of high school. It's fun, but it definitely shouldn't be seen as the norm. It's like a funhouse mirror. 

Overall, I give Never Have I Ever an 8/10. "While high school tropes and an overemphasis on relationships make it more generic than it should be, Never Have I Ever's likable vibe and solid emotional core make it a worthwhile watch."

I hope Ms. Marvel can have this type of vibe.