After 2 Seasons of Never Have I Ever: Still Not Satisfied
Start writing a post
Entertainment

After 2 Seasons of Never Have I Ever: Still Not Satisfied

Never have I ever been so inclined to write about a TV show

1224
After 2 Seasons of Never Have I Ever: Still Not Satisfied

By now, we've all seen at least one season of Netflix's Never Have I Ever. Or as I like to call it, Devi's Rage Fest. Don't get me wrong, Indian representation is great and all. But I certainly think it could be, well, different. For starters, (and this is applicable to a lot of shows) the dialogue. The cheesiness is quite ridiculous, and the references to what's known as "Gen-Z humor" isn't as well done as they might like to think, given that it was written by a bunch of people in their 40's. Sometimes I wonder if they just watch a bunch of Tiktoks and paraphrase the humor on there.

And then you have the ridiculous situations. Also applicable to a lot of other shows, so no hate to Mindy Kaling there. Is it really necessary to have a girl lose her father and then also be paralyzed, only to be freed from her prison by a "dreamy guy?" And then, of course, the love triangles, rivals, and LGBTQ side characters (ironic that there's a cliche in a show that's meant to be unique). But this show goes above and beyond, with multiple car crashes, extensive levels of stalking, and people that seem to have a very high tolerance for crazy (aka everyone that knows Devi).

However, I'm not here to disparage the plot line of Never Have I Ever. Granted I've been doing that for 2 paragraphs, but I swear that's not the goal. The basic idea of the show is putting an Indian-American at the forefront, and showing that they lead lives worth talking about, worth filming, and worth idolizing as we do so many Caucasian film characters: Regina George, etc. etc. The problem is, I don't think the show does that effectively. And honestly, causes more problems than it solves.

For one, Devi's mindless antics and social dilemmas are meant to reflect "normal" problems that every teenager goes through. But, they don't. Can someone, Indian or not, tell me the last time they stalked their parent's coworker by climbing into a roof? Or tried to date two people who were in the same class as you? I've heard a lot of "Devi is just every teenager's thoughts spelled out into a character." Well, there's a reason they remain thoughts. And promoting this level of insanity as normal is probably not the best message.

Now for the blatant stereotypes. The show has both Devi's mom, dad, and cousin with thick Indian accents that first-generation immigrant parents don't always have. It also exemplifies her as the typical nerd, which is sometimes true: Indians are known to prioritize academics over other activities and socializing. Believe me, as an Indian-American, I'm familiar with the household. However, I do think that exaggerating her interest in academics just alienates the average Indian-American even further. Aren't there Indian students who might also like sports, like music, more than academics? Can't an Indian-American be the life of the party, instead of a wannabe? Sure, you could argue that you have Aneesa for that, but she really serves to emphasize the Indian rituals and niceties that are supposedly observed in every such household. I can tell you, my mother does not care if my friends compliment the house or not.

Then comes the flawed interpretation of Hinduism. One of the very first scenes showed Devi praying for good grades and a good social life, (mixed up the order of importance of those two) and her mother very distressed about a textbook falling to the ground. It's not ideal, but all Indian-Americans don't get their textbooks blessed.

In fact, one of the few aspects I would have thought this show would try and get right is the religion of Hinduism and the role it plays in the lives of those that follow it. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the NASA tweet, and the backlash it received just because of an intern whose desk had multiple statues of Hindu gods and goddesses. The comments were filled with "Science and mythology don't mix," and "why do Hindu's believe more in God than in science?" The fact is, if you go up to a random person and asked them what they know about Hinduism, they'll probably mention the Kama Sutra, or vaguely reference Buddha. It's one of the least understood religions, because it's not always in the limelight like Islam, Judaism, and Christianity tend to be.

I'm not going to go on a discourse of Hinduism, but I will say that Never Have I Ever had great opportunity to enlighten more of the population, but instead they propagated stereotypes that only make Indian-Americans and their ancestors seem even more removed.

Feminism is the real, (and only) good part of this show. Devi's headstrong attitude, Kamala's beauty and brains, and her mother's independence with her practice and decisions are what anyone can take from these 2 seasons.

Hopefully there will be more from the 3rd, but it's a long shot. Although, that's what Devi thought her chances were with Paxton, so who knows?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Allison Fishman

1. Why is Wilson Hall so complicated to navigate? Even as a senior, I still get lost in Wilson. As a freshman, I was warned about the unnecessary complexity of the building, was laughed at by upperclassman for my confused looks on the first day of school and walked and rewalked the whole hall before finding my classroom. #annoying.

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Blair Waldorf For governor of new york

What life would be like if the people were led by Queen B.

1667
Blair Waldorf For governor of new york

Cynthia Nixon, a.k.a Miranda from Sex and the City, is running for governor of New York. I think that this would be the best decision that has been made in a while solely based off of the fact that almost no one knows New York like the cast of Sex and the City. This got me thinking about who else would be a good candidate to take over the city of dreams. Then I realized that Blair Waldorf, if she were a real person, would be my number one choice for governor. Here are five reasons why Queen B would be an excellent ruler.

Keep Reading... Show less
Student Life

Why Littles Rock

Who doesn't want to be an awesome big?

1401

We see ourselves getting further into the semester.

Keep Reading... Show less
Student Life

10 Things To NEVER Do In College, EVER

Just a little advice for the start of a new semester.

89262
Wikimedia Commons

College — a new place with new people and a new you! You're ready to get a fresh start on a new campus; before you start, however, there are some social rules that you should know. These are suggestions that you are not required to follow, but they are highly recommended. Here are ten things you probably should not do from now on.

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

America's biggest party schools

These are known for their lively party scenes

1816
America's biggest party schools
Determining which schools are the biggest party schools is often subjective, but a some statistical factors you could use to make a judgement include (1) consumption, (2) drug usage, (3) strong greek life presence, (4) campus police records etc.

When a student at Auburn was recently asked, she explained: "These schools usually have, like, a super vibrant social scene, lots of Greek life (like my amazing sorority, duh!), and tons of exciting events happening all the time. I mean, we're talking about tailgates, themed parties, mixers with fraternities, and just, like, so much fun. But don't get me wrong, we still, like, study and go to class and all that. It's just that at a party school, the social life and having a good time are, like, major priorities for students."

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments