Never have I ever related to an American Netflix character!
Never have I Ever Season 2 aired a couple of weeks back and soared to number 1 position in Netflix, not just in the US, not just in India but in many other countries. I binge-watched all the episodes of both seasons in a day. I wondered what was so intriguing apart from the interesting characters and screenplay. That's when it dawned on me how each one of us relates with Devi on different levels! As a brown girl from a brown household in India, it's impossible for me to emotionally relate to a character from an American sitcom. But there were some things that made me see a bit of myself in Devi.
Keeping it real
We have all watched shows where teenagers handle life like adults. It made me question whether I was dumb not to know all of it or this is how it is. Honestly, you don't have everything together when you're a teen. You make mistakes, wrong choices, learn from them and move on to become a better person. NHIE shows real problems and how Devi gets through them. I loved how she looked and dressed like an actual teenager. Not just her, all the characters! Many shows gave me body insecurities because of the cast's perfect hair and body which in real life is impossible to sport in high school or anywhere else. Thank you for showing realistic bodies! Err, let's keep Paxton out of this, he is an athlete so he gets a free pass :P
The South Indian touch
Yeah, I know you're going 'Duh, what else did you expect?' but that's not it. I could see my mom in Nalini. She is the exact depiction of every over-protective and conservative South Indian mom who can be a pain in the ass sometimes :P I lost it when the girls will be doing tik-tok on the porch, Nalini calls Devi inside, and asks her to wear a T-shirt beneath her tank top because she doesn't want her arms to be exposed. Yepp, mom, I see you here!
That one cute cousin
We have all been there! All of us have that one good-looking, smart cousin who will make our lives hell by being so amazing. Devi too has one and the relationship between those two is so cute!
On the whole, this is that one show I will relate to and enjoy at any point in my life. Thank you, Mindy Kaling and Lang Fischer ❤️ I really hope there's a Season 3 on cards. And yeah, most importantly, last but not the least, I'm TEAM BEN 😌