![]() McEnroe’s place in the series gets an explanation sooner rather than later, but McEnroe’s flat affect doesn’t have half the spark that Devi does. In fact, Ramakrishnan is so good in the part that the show’s baffling decision to have her life narrated by John McEnroe quickly becomes downright frustrating. She’s a complete teenage girl who, over 10 sharp and compact episodes, proves more than capable of anchoring her own series. And even though Devi’s rage is one of the more fascinating things about her, it isn’t the entirety of her, either. ![]() Devi is, as so many 15-year-old girls are, a restless storm of contradictions that doesn’t completely understand her own power even as she unleashes it. When she inevitably lashes out, she’s quick and vicious as she pinpoints her chosen enemy’s weakness and mercilessly exploits it. She isn’t just sad about her father dying she’s absolutely furious. As played with bracing confidence by Ramakrishnan (in her debut role no less), Devi is confident and funny, guarded and fearless, selfish and vulnerable. ![]() Devi and the show alike viscerally hate the idea of using her trauma for bonus points. As one white-guy college counselor tells her halfway through the season, her college essay could center on the facts of her being an Indian-American teenager whose father dropped dead in the middle of her orchestra concert, leading to a grief-stricken Devi losing the use of her legs for a solid three months. It’s a familiar formula for anyone who’s experienced even a minute of YA entertainment, but “Never Have I Ever,” created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, moves forward by twisting it into way more interesting shapes.Ī huge part of the new Netflix comedy’s success is thanks to Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), its 15-year-old protagonist and the show’s magnetic center of gravity. All she wants is to stride through her sophomore year of high school with more flair than she did as a freshman, have some new experiences, mess up, and most importantly, be normal. ![]() Its plucky heroine has an overbearing mother, two meeker best friends, a nemesis, and a debilitating crush on a popular jock with a secret heart of gold. “Never Have I Ever” has a keen awareness of the teen comedies that came before it. ![]()
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