Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Never Have I Ever Season 3’ on Netflix, In Which Devi Navigates Her First Boyfriend

The coming of age series based on Mindy Kaling’s childhood has spent two rich seasons exploring the trials and tribulations of adolescence — from dealing with the complicated feelings of a crush to managing grief from the passing of a loved one. Season 3 returns to Netflix and promises to expand on those teenage emotions as Devi enters her first relationship.

NEVER HAVE I EVER SEASON 3: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Devi and Paxton walk into school holding hands, finally boyfriend and girlfriend much to the confusion of everyone else at school. A signature McEnroe voiceover accompanies their entrance.

The Gist: In Never Have I Ever Season 3, Devi has finally graduated to the big leagues and is officially dating the man of her dreams Paxton Hall-Yoshida. But not everything is going according to plan — Devi can’t get out of her own head and let herself enjoy the moment, and questions whether or not Paxton really likes her. Elsewhere, her friends are all in varying degrees of relationships (including Ben who may or may not still have a crush on her despite dating Aneesa), her cousin Kamala is coming around to the fact that she may never want to get married, and her mom Nalini is finally expanding her circle and making new friends.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The series has carved out its own niche in the teen comedy landscape, but finds new ways to find itself back in love triangle territory — not dissimilar to this summer’s The Summer I Turned Pretty (though the tone of the shows are notably different).

Our Take: Never Have I Ever is at its best when it leans into Devi’s (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) hard exterior, whether it’s her butting heads with her mom or acting selfishly towards her friends. Sure, it doesn’t make her the most likable character but it definitely makes her a realistic one. Season three continues this thread and gives Devi one of her hardest challenges yet: self love. Devi’s insecurities come to the forefront, providing a rich canvas for her growth.

The ensemble cast continues to shine, with Poorna Jagannathan continuing to bring the perfect amount of warmth and sternness to the widowed Nalini. Season 3 invites Sarayu Blue into the fold as a potential new friend for Nalini, who forces her to relax — something completely opposite of her natural demeanor. Kamala (Richa Moorjani) also has an important storyline in the aftermath of her broken engagement, as she comes to terms with the reality that she might not want to get married. For a culture so focused on marriage (especially for women), it’s great to see alternative lifestyles and options for women being showcased on screen.Season three also brings back Aneesa (Megan Suri) who is now dating Ben (Jaren Lewison), though both prove to have a wandering eye and some internal realizations to work through.

Similar to previous seasons, one of Never Have I Ever’s greatest strengths is that it doesn’t rely on stereotypical characterizations, allowing for nuanced and meaningful storytelling. As the series hurtles towards the finish line (season four will be the final season), it only builds on the strength of the previous seasons and continues to be one of the most heartfelt, funny, and meaningful shows about growing up.

Sex and Skin: Sex is a big topic in Season 3, as Devi decides whether or not she’s ready to take that next step in her relationship. But as far as actually seeing anything explicit, the show doesn’t go there.

Parting Shot: At the end of the first episode, Devi receives an anonymous DM forcing her to question whether she can trust Paxton.

Sleeper Star: Devi’s grandmother (Ranjita Chakravarty) continues to stay with the Vishwakumars, and is a riot – especially when she decides to ice out Kamala for breaking off her engagement at the end of season two.

Most Pilot-y Line: Nothing too pilot-y since it is a third season premiere, but the episode was penned by Mindy Kaling and features not only her particular brand of humor with pop culture references galore, but also creates moments of real connection and heart between the main characters.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The show continues to be a realistic and empathetic portrayal of what being a teenager looks like.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.