Never Have I Ever Season 2 Review: Second Outing is Close to Perfect

Please note: This review includes spoilers for the second season of Never Have I Ever.

There’s always some trepidation about the second season of a show that had a promising first season.

Was the first season a fluke? Is it possible to capture lightning in a bottle in a second time? And most importantly, can the show continue to push its characters and narrative forward while maintaining what was special about it in the first place?

For all of you wondering whether Never Have I Ever‘s return outing flies or flops, breathe a sigh of relief: Devi and her pals are back and the second season is just as rich, hilarious, and insightful as the first and easily solidifies the show as one of the best coming-of-age shows today (if not the past decade).

I don’t give praise like that easily, but Never Have I Ever deserves it. There’s so much to praise and dissect, so let’s get the quibbles out of the way first.

Common appears as Devi’s mother, Nalini’s (Poona Jagannathan) professional rival turned love interest, Dr. Jackson. I’m sure Common is a lovely person but he’s uncommonly wooden as an actor.

The storyline he appears in, which follows Nalini’s exploration of what life and companionship look like after her husband’s death, is a worthy use of time (and yet another reminder that Jagannathan is the MVP of this show).

Common’s character even gives Nalini advice that leads to a breakthrough in her relationship with Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) but the two have no chemistry, and Common seems deeply out of place.

Nalini navigating life and forging an identity beyond “widow,” of which she’s reminded of over and over during the course of the season, is important, and frankly, there aren’t enough stories about this. But Jagannathan deserves a more equal scene partner.

In terms of other weaknesses, the John McEnroe voiceovers have grown tired and feel like a crutch and with so many new characters and established ones, the season sometimes feels stretched thin in terms of having enough time for everyone’s stories.

However, reviewing all of the storylines — Eleanor’s (Ramona Young) toxic relationship with an ex-Disney Channel star and her burgeoning relationship with her stepmother, Fabiola’s (Lee Rodriguez)’s struggle to balance her life on the robotics team and her new relationship, Paxton’s (Darren Barnet) earnest attempts to improve his grades and learn more about his background, Kamala’s (Richa Moorjani) struggle for acceptance and respect in her lab, Aneesa’s (Megan Suri) arrival into Devi’s circle — all of these stories are rich with complexity and comedy.

There’s not one story that deserves to be cut, but ten episodes simply isn’t enough to cover them all and do them justice.

Never Have I Ever would have benefitted from an additional 2-3 episodes to give everything more time to breathe (perfect example is Aneesa’s eating disorder which gets mentioned and dropped far too quickly).

But these are all small complaints when considering what Never Have I Ever gets undeniably right.

Plenty of young adult shows center around protagonists that are problematic but still portrayed as relatively untouchable heroes (I may be dating myself here but think Lucas on One Tree Hill or Dawson on Dawson’s Creek as illustrative examples.)

Never Have I Ever steers away from this impulse though and isn’t shy about showing how Devi’s recklessness and selfishness have real human consequences.

Ben (Jaren Lewison) and Paxton (Darren Barnet) both hold her accountable for lying and dating them both and later when Devi starts a harmful rumor about Aneesa, she experiences consequences and negative feedback from everyone in her life, including her friends, her school, and her therapist.

The fallout is the impetus for Devi’s development throughout the rest of the season, as she undergoes major self reflection and continues to unravel just how deep her grief and feelings of loss are and how they’re motivating her decisions and reactions.

Overall, the show’s grasp on grief continues to be one of its biggest assets and despite this being a show seemingly marketed as a teen comedy, it remains a meditation on grief.

Feelings of grief and loss are ongoing and ever present. Anyone who’s felt this knows this intimately. In Devi’s case, they rear their head in dysfunctional ways, often targeted outward, while Nalini’s grief is more aimed inward, as she struggles privately with how to raise her daughter without her husband and whether (and how!) she can move on with her life.

The show also understands the complex push-pull that surround your identity at this age (or any age, really). Besides being a romantic foil, Aneesa’s arrival challenges Devi in other ways. On one hand, Devi revels in the fact that she finally has an Indian friend who intimately understands the realities her family and culture.

However, it’s also clear that Aneesa challenges Devi’s sense of uniqueness being the only Indian person at school. The push-pull of finding a kindred spirit but also feeling a sense of competitiveness with them is very specific to the experience of being a teenage girl and is rarely portrayed this effectively.

And lastly, there’s the love triangle. This is a Mindy Kaling project, and Kaling has real affection and admiration for a well-done romantic subplot, so it’s no surprise that this plays a large role in the season, especially the first several episodes.

Rather notably, both objects of Devi’s affection, Paxton and Ben, are portrayed in a balanced way. Often, shows tip their hand too early, making it clear who the eventual endgame is or making one romantic lead a far more suitable or appealing match than the other.

But true to form, Never Have I Ever skirts the obvious, giving viewers plenty of swoon-worthy or heartwarming moments with whomever is their boyfriend of choice (cough, Team Ben, cough).

Despite Paxton’s character development and grand gesture at the end of the season, I’d give a slight edge to Team Ben in the end, but the truth of the matter is this show makes it hard to guess exactly where things are heading, and that’s thrilling and rare in and of itself. 

Overall, if you loved Season 1 of Never Have I Ever, there’s even more to love in Season 2.

Devi shows tremendous growth by the end of the season and Ramakrishnan handles every nuance of her journey with command and skill far beyond her years. The supporting characters, particularly her mother, have numerous opportunities to shine and time after time, the show subverts expectations and stereotypes, never ever taking the obvious route.

It’s an absolute pleasure to watch: vibrant, soulful, funny, and uncomfortable…just like adolescence. So if you haven’t already, get to watching, nerds!

Stray observations:

• There are plenty of new characters this season but the undeniable, best new character is Devi’s grandmother and Nalini’s mother-in-law Nirmala (Ranjita Chakravarty). She’s responsible for such specific, unique comedic moments and her stern defense of Nalini is one of the best surprises of the season. MIL of the Year!
• Did not see the Trent/Eleanor revelation at the end but it weirdly works. Plus, does this mean we now get to see what Boyfriend Trent is like?
• After being the butt of rather cruel jokes last season, it’s nice to see Eric (Jack Seavor McDonald) get some major wins this time around. With that said, I want to yell at him that stealing a girl’s hat is not a valid form of flirting, but sadly, it is. Maybe this next generation can change that.
• Should Never Have I Ever return for a third season, which seems to be a solid bet, Utkarsh Ambudkar, a longtime favorite collaborator of Kaling’s, is bound to be back as a more serious love interest for Kamala and I am here for it.
• Niecy Nash is excellent in her return as Dr. Ryan, Devi’s therapist, and her modeling that being on Devi’s side sometimes means telling Devi when she’s doing something wrong or hurtful is incredibly important.
• Writing wise, this stylistically feels like it’s a millennial take on Gen Z culture, but a mostly loving one. 

What did you think of this season of Never Have I Ever? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Never Have I Ever is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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