Skip to main content

Never Have I Ever - A Refreshing Take on Teen Dramedy

 


I recently finished the first season of Never Have I Ever, and I must say, I was thoroughly captivated. This Netflix series, created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, strikes a delightful balance between humor, relatability, and emotional depth.

Breaking Free from Teen Show Clichés

The show breaks free from the typical teen show tropes, offering viewers a refreshing departure from the mundane. Here's why it stands out: A Different Cultural Perspective.

Our protagonist, Devi Vishwakumar (played brilliantly by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), hails from an Indian-American background. Seeing a character from this cultural context take center stage is refreshing. While the show doesn't delve too deeply into the intricacies of her heritage (after all, it's still a teen drama), it provides us with a glimpse into her world. From family dynamics to cultural celebrations, we get a taste of the richness that defines her life.

Imperfections Make for a Relatable Heroine

Devi isn't your typical goody-two-shoes protagonist. She's flawed, impulsive, and sometimes downright reckless. And you know what? That's what makes her so relatable. 

We've all made questionable choices, struggled with our identity, and faced the consequences. Devi's imperfections resonate with us because they mirror our own teenage years. Her journey isn't about being perfect but navigating life's messy terrain.

The Perfect Blend of Lightness and Depth

Never Have I Ever strikes a delicate balance between lighthearted humor and poignant moments. Yes, it's a teen show, but it doesn't shy away from addressing deeper themes. Whether it's grief, friendship, or first love, the series deftly weaves these threads into its narrative. And surprisingly, it appeals to viewers of all ages. You'll find something to connect with here even if, like me, you've outgrown your teen years.

It has it all

Never Have I Ever is more than just a teen drama—it's a delightful exploration of adolescence, culture, and the messy beauty of growing up. So, give this show a chance, whether you're a teenager navigating high school drama or an adult reminiscing about your own teenage escapades. You might find yourself hooked.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

This is not the sort of show which I usually talk about on this blog. However, as a psychologist, I’m usually quite curious in regards to criminals and their minds; and one of these days I started watching this documentary on Netflix . Taking into consideration the kind of thing this is, I can’t say I ‘liked’ it. I mean what you see in there is nothing to like, but I was rather terrified, which is probably the usual response. Nonetheless, it was definitely a good documentary. The eyes of a killer Everything displayed in this story was terrible. The descriptions, Bundy’s posture, everything seemed like some sort of horror show, putting into perspective what we may consider to be lucky or unlucky in this life. Before I even start watching it, I read somewhere that this was the kind of thing you shouldn’t watch alone. Sounds accurate right now. At the time, and considering my, mostly academic, experience, I didn’t think that this could actually be so upsetting.

The Mist (2017) - quick review

  A thick mist falls up a town, and something about it isn’t right - good premise. We would expect nothing less than good from a Stephen King’s book. Yet, as we all know, book adaptations can be quite disappointing.  It goes from good to terrible. I loved the plot and, in the beginning, I was very curious and interested - it was almost impossible to stop watching it. Yet, at some point, it started to get on my nerves, and not in the way that a good horror show should. As we got closer to the end of the season, many things stopped making sense. Some characters are simply… not believable. The explanations for whatever was happening were ridiculous and easily refutable. It all took away the feeling of “this could be real”. It killed my interest. Many changes were made to the original novel. Some of them were interesting and made the story better, yet others were… well, nonsense. Cast and production As I said before, the first episodes were good and made us want to keep watching, but I was

Show Review: Emily in Paris

  It took me a long time to give Emily in Paris a shot because I thought it would be a silly, shallow comedy about some sort of influencer. Well, it is a silly, shallow comedy about some sort of influencer, but to be honest, I liked it.  Emily is a young talent in a marketing career and has the opportunity of her life: working in Paris for a year! And since her boyfriend is an idiot, she can try the full experience of being a single woman in the city of love.  Unfortunately, she is not as good at managing her personal life as she is at work. In fact, she is frankly terrible at making decisions outside work. Cultural Differences Everyone who has been in a foreign country knows that sometimes we get ourselves into awkward situations due to cultural differences. So watching someone else go through the same is quite funny. I must admit that seeing an American trying to speak French is hilarious. Of course, I’m not French (and French people who hear me trying to speak French could have a s