It’s no secret that in television, rather than adding depth to young female characters, screenwriters typically use a platitudinous checklist of overworked tropes, bounded by traditional patriarchal gender roles. A teenage girl becomes reduced to the epitome of drama and hyper-emotionality, failing to be relatable to real teen girls.
With this in mind, I decided to watch the newest season of Never Have I Ever. Superficially, this show had always seemed stereotypical to me. While the activities Devi engaged in were not impossible to picture an average teen girl participating in, Devi appeared to me as nothing more than yet another overly simplified, dramatic depiction of a teenage girl: a convenient and thoughtless stereotype to slap across the small-screen, with no regard as to whether or not she was relatable to the average teen. In the show’s first season, Devi fixated on becoming popular and winning over the affections of a popular boy, Paxton. Devi’s obsession with these two things drove her to focus only upon herself. She ditched her best friend, Eleanor, after Eleanor had been abandoned by her mother in order to meet Paxton. She was barely there for her other best friend, Fabiola, who had just come out of the closet, and even perpetuated a false rumour that she had slept with Paxton in order to increase her social ranking. In the second season, Devi did not appear to have grown much, breaking into her mother’s boyfriend’s house, starting a rumour that new student, Anessa, had anorexia, and dating both Paxton and academic rival, Ben, simultaneously.
When I started season three, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new Devi, who had transformed into a well-rounded and confident individual that represents a more uplifting and realistic portrayal of the average teenage girl. The show’s target audience, teen girls, are treated with respect and consideration. Insecurity is portrayed as a natural part of growing up rather than a weakness of character.
The newest season begins with Devi once again spiralling out of control due to her insecurities and destructive need to be loved. After becoming Paxton’s girlfriend again, Devi’s popularity skyrockets. However, it comes at a cost. The weight of constantly feeling inferior to her boyfriend drives Devi mad but ultimately leads her to the realisation that Paxton may not be the idol she has made him out to be. Devi tracks down Hailey, a girl who has been severely wronged by Paxton. Hailey reveals to Devi that Paxton was once her close friend, but once their friendship culminated in a sexual encounter, Paxton completely blew her off. Once aware of this information, Devi takes an immediate step towards growth and maturity. She demands that Paxton apologise to Hailey. When he refuses, Devi adheres to her principles and tells Paxton that she wants a boyfriend who treats girls with respect, therefore, he can no longer be her boyfriend. For the first time, viewers see Devi overcome her insecurities around her boyfriend and pursue justice, rather than drama. When pondering whether or not to confront Paxton about his callous actions toward Hailey, she is faced with the dilemma of ignoring what Hailey has told her, or confronting Paxton on behalf of Hailey and all other women Paxton may have wronged. Devi chooses a feminist approach, reprimanding Paxton for his poor behaviour. This is a big step forward for Devi, who often placed her happiness over the happiness of others. It also sends a wonderful message of solidarity to young women.
Devi’s growth does not end there. Her maturity in dealing with her breakup with Paxton marks a healthy approach to grief and a great model for teens to follow in their relationships. It is obvious to the audience that Devi’s fixation on Paxton and being popular have always been a way of deflecting and coping with the rage and sadness that lingers within her due to her dad’s sudden death. Having Paxton as a boyfriend and being popular served as an unattainable goal, which allowed Devi to escape what she believed to be the tragedy of her life. Therefore, when her “dream” came true and then spiralled into ruin, I expected her to give way to rage or manipulation as she had in past seasons. However, rather than dwelling on unhealthy ideas that losing Paxton and subsequently popularity would somehow “destroy her,” Devi goes through normal phases of grief. By the time she begins dating again, she is confident in herself, and finally feels worthy of her new boyfriend Des’s affections.
When Des fails to treat Devi with the respect she deserves, by avoiding her and telling her that they can no longer date, because dating her isn’t worth pissing off his mother, Devi stands up for herself. She knows that she deserves better. Her former relationship has taught her to value herself, assert herself unapologetically, and to never tolerate demeaning behaviour. In season two, Devi agreed to date Paxton in secret because he was ashamed of her. She did not want to be his secret girlfriend, but she allowed it because she did not understand that she deserved better. By season three, Devi has matured and grown into a more confident character, a heroic advocate on behalf of girls to push for the respect they deserve from others.
Finally, when the season comes to a close, viewers can see Devi’s priorities have shifted. Despite still caring about her education and aiming to attend Princeton after graduation, Devi rejects an offer to attend a prestigious private high school for her senior year. She knows the school would help her gain an edge when applying to college and almost guarantee her dream of being popular. However, she chooses to spend her final high school year with her mother, family, and friends. Devi, herself, becomes conscious of the fact that she has fundamentally changed as an individual. She no longer craves shallow outside validation, but instead searches for meaningful connections between herself and others. She has become a better listener, a more supportive friend, and no longer feels jealousy towards the accomplishments of the people close to her. And with the show’s finale, where she rekindles her romance with Ben, an unpopular long time love interest who has always treated her with kindness and respect, Devi has come to understand that a compatible relationship is far superior to a fantasy one.
Devi of season three, is a refreshing antithesis of television’s stereotypical teen girl. Her growth within the season led me to re-examine the show from its start, and identify the positives I had not previously noticed. Never Have I Ever, while initially seeming to be a cliche depiction of high school, actually has merit. From the beginning Devi has never been portrayed as a typical model. She dresses like a normal high school girl and unlike most actors who play high schoolers, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who plays Devi began shooting the show at 17. She was only two years older than the character she was playing, and is therefore relatively similar in appearance and stature to girls of that age. Her character didn’t portray unrealistic body or beauty standards for young viewers. To look further than the representation of teenage girls , the show has always made a conscious effort to address real issues that people face and come to terms with during adolescence. The show highlights different ways of coming out, healthy and unhealthy approaches to coping with grief, abusive relationships; sexism and racism, coming to terms with whether or not you are ready for sex, awkwardness and imperfection, questioning your cultural identity, academic pressure, and the idea that someone can be a wonderful person but simply not a healthy or compatible match for you.
At first glance, Never Have I Ever appears like the shallow end of the pool, but once a viewer dives in and takes the time to notice its positive attributes, they will find that there is more depth to the show and its teenage depictions, than meets the eye.
