Never Have I Ever season 4 fails to live up to show's legacy
Never Have I Ever season four spoilers follow
It's fair to say that the Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) we meet in season four of Never Have I Ever is not the same excitable drama queen of the pilot episode: the one whose fantasies she shoe-horned into reality, often with drastic consequences. That Devi was on a mission.
Her desperation to safeguard a future at Princeton created an over-competitive scholastic drive that saw her go to battle with her nemesis Ben (Jaren Lewison), whose ambitions were equally, scarily combative.
Her social mission to land a boyfriend received the same determined, tooth-and-nail treatment. While she busied herself in chasing these external highs of gratification just to outrun the grief-shaped hole carved by her late dad's passing, we (the audience) knew what she didn't.
Neither the boy, nor the dream college were going to fix her pain. It would take the classic balm of hard work, patience and growth to scoop the real prize, her emotional wellbeing.
That has been the crux of Devi's journey throughout the show's run, not the admittedly juicy Paxton-Devi-Ben love triangle or her friendship struggles with Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young).
It was the desire to see Devi heal and to watch as that new-found wholeness filtered into her relationships with those around her.
Well, it only took four seasons but finally this 2.0 version of Devi has arrived and she is impressive. No more loaded grenade in her back pocket to deal with the smallest of arguments, she's got her ish together (sort of).
While she still makes an inordinate amount of mistakes she's learnt to channel that cocktail of fiery emotions, so that what would have charged out as a catastrophic bang is now a soft fizzle.
Doctor Ryan (Niecy Nash) would be so proud.
However, while we collectively rooted for this, her milder response to situations results in an absence of drama, and let's face it, that drama deserved its own place in the end credits.
On its own this isn't a problem. We certainly don't need Devi to blow up her life solely for our entertainment.
Unfortunately though, the show fails to take the effervescent excitement she once brought with her mayhem and channel into new areas to create that dramatic tension and so season four feels comparatively flat.
The swift resolution of conflicts lowers the stakes and so we are left craving more impact.
*Mild spoilers follow*
Never Have I Ever also undercuts the tension with the removal of one of the main guys (Paxton or Ben) as any real contender for Devi's heart.
Despite arriving at Ben's door in the season-three finale ready to lose her virginity, many still felt that a Paxton (Darren Barnet) and Devi pairing was on the cards. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that Devi has switched romantic courses.
It does, however, become crystal clear which way things are pointing early on with the show's heavy implications.
Never Have I Ever firmly pushes a certain someone (no spoilers) out of the running, save for one misplaced kiss that feels a little forced.
The creators then signpost their decision for Devi's love life further by focusing all the attention on one guy in particular.
It therefore became irrelevant what fall-outs occur between them, or whether either are in relationships with steamy bad boys or moody artistics. It was going to end in one of two ways, with Devi choosing to focus on herself or ending up with said guy.
While this still could have an enticing 'either/or' choice, the show is obvious in its intentions, which takes all surprise out of the outcome.
This same level of predictability can be seen in Devi's attempts to get into college.
It was momentarily exciting when Devi botched her interview with the Princeton rep and when Fabiola became her unexpected competitor in pursuit for an early acceptance spot.
Devi's ballsy decision to apply to Ivy colleges, however, yields surprising results that ironically take the narrative down a very unsurprising direction ahead of the finale. As a result we lose that emotional connection to the story.
Thankfully what we don't lose is our love for Devi and her inner circle.
The characters' quirks and idiosyncrasies make them just as loveable and relatable as they have been since we were first introduced to them in season one.
Their individual journeys are still meaningful and fit with their personalities and ultimately where they end up feels satisfying. It's how they got there that feels underwhelming thanks to the lack of tension to help the emotional beats land with a little more oomph.
Never Have I Ever seasons 1-4 are available to watch on Netflix.
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