But she believes that ‘blessed textbooks’ shouldn’t fall on the ground, says things like, “Indian parents want their children to marry their own mother,” but actively advocates the same behaviour. None of the other characters fare better. (Stray thought: Never have I ever heard a therapist recommend a patient ‘talk to a coyote’.) You would think that’s a fascinating detour, only it’s not hormones-induced but rather about 'social status'. She asks her therapists to buy thongs and is obsessed with sex. Oh, and she believes body hair is an ‘Indian thing’. She finds Vinayaga Chathurti lame, and all she wants to do is to get admitted to Princeton and never look back. Devi believes that doing household chores is being ‘forced to be a servant’. Of course, Devi Vishwakumar (Maithreyi) is a ‘nerd’, plays a musical instrument, is a high-school topper with an overbearing mother (Poorna Jagannathan), who hardly has a word for her apart from all the reprimanding. But the pleasure is shortlived, as the show rarely goes beyond representing them as caricatures. And honestly, it is refreshing to see Indian faces (even if they are anglicised). Never Have I Ever has a Tamil-Canadian, Maithreyi Ramakrishnan, playing the protagonist. There was a lot of talk about casting an Asian-American actor to play the lead in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Not only are both teen romance dramas, but they also have leads with Asian roots, both of whom struggle with the loss of a parent and have a parent who is a doctor. This Mindy Kaling show is eerily similar to one of Netflix’s earlier offerings, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Everweb review