As the much-awaited American-Indian coming of age series, Never Have I Ever recently made its debut on Netflix, desis from all across the globe have been raving about how relatable this progressive show is.
Co-created by Mindy Kaling, the story revolves around a first-gen Indian American teenager, Devi Vishwakumar and her struggles shuttling between two different cultures while trying to cope with the grief of her father’s sudden death.
From the struggles of fitting in, to voicing every Indian teenager’s unspoken opinions, here are a few impactful scenes that have stayed with us even after the season finale:
1.When Devi’s friend in college (who she thought would distance himself from the community) realises that he wants to embrace his culture and stay connected to his roots instead of being embarrassed of it.
2. Devi’s mom Nalini, snarkily dropping the bitter truth bombs about what is expected out of a sanskari Indian woman before she gets married is something that our society needs to reflect on.
3. Devi’s desi cousin Kamala getting a cultural shock watching and introspecting Riverdale is the best thing ever. Also a special mention to Devi’s sassy burn.
4. We found a scoop of advice we didn’t know we needed to hear when Devi’s therapist told her to focus on bettering herself instead of jumping into a commitment to distract herself from grieving.
5. Can we please take a minute to applaud Devi for breaking the stereotypes and normalising facial and body hair with the sassiest comeback? My desi lady mustache feels validated right now.
6. When Devi imagines her dad consoling her and guiding her to do the right thing after she’s had a tough day.
7. Watching Nalini deciding against selling her late husband’s scooter, giving herself some me-time to relive old memories by taking the two-wheeler out for a spin was liberating.
8. Fabiola mustering up the courage to come out of the closet to someone apart from the robot that she created was really heartwarming.
9. When Paxton-Hall Yoshida did the right thing, apologised to Devi and tried to explain to her why he did what he did.
10. Nalini very strictly emphasising on not showing up at someone’s house empty-handed is literally every Indian mother ever.
11. When Devi chooses not to confront her grief because she wasn’t ready to let go.
12. Watching Kamala’s adorable boyfriend stand by her and remind her of the kickass boss woman she is, is one of the most empowering scenes.
13. When Ben Gross takes the higher road and proves that arch nemesis don’t always have to be at each other’s throat.
14. Ben fact-checking Devi with statistical backing about the non-vegetarian culture in India is a mic drop moment
16. The way Fabiola’s mom comforted her after getting to know of her daughter’s sexuality was one of the warmest moments.
While we’re eagerly waiting to see what happens in the second season of Never Have I Ever, we’re not getting over these bitter-sweet moments anytime soon.