It’s the end.
Ending a show as iconic as Never Have I Ever is always hard, and one cannot envy the writers who have to figure out a proper ending.
Yet, Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 10 was a full circle moment that delivered on its four-year-long promise and its recent expectations.
Everything was tied nicely, and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.
Devi finally got her acceptance letter into Princeton, and while it was a joyous occasion, she had been working towards this her entire life. A bigger surprise would have been if they had rejected her after that essay.
Devi bared it all in the essay, which couldn’t have been easy.
The therapeutic essay gave her some perspective on what she wanted. Even though Princeton was tied to her memory of her dad, it was also a great opportunity for her to achieve her dreams.
Once she could relieve herself from the self-inflicted pressure of keeping her dad alive in her dreams, she could pursue those dreams freely.
Devi acts out. She does wild stuff. Sometimes she’s unbelievable. And that’s good. Because Devi feels, she feels grief, pain, anxiety, suffering, uncertainty, and love.
And for as long as she had known Ben, she’d loved him even though their competitive spirits were quite strong and would sometimes win the battle.
But there was no battle any longer.
They had made it. Graduated and were looking towards a better future.
Fighting how much they had through the years, it was reasonable that they had injured each other, and some wounds had healed, leaving scars, but the most recent ones were still fresh.
Instead of confronting their feelings for each other, they retreated inside themselves.
Ben ran to New York while Devi kept busy with her friends. All that while, Devi denied that she felt something for Ben and he might feel the same.
But wherever they went, they still carried their feelings with them. And after distracting themselves the entire day, it came a time when there would be nothing else left except them and their feelings.
Ben and Devi needed to spend that time apart to let their souls heal, and they’d then allow themselves to feel clear.
We didn’t get a big prom celebration on Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 9, and while the story’s direction was great, it was still disappointing.
Pati’s wedding was a chance to recapture the magic of having the whole group together as they tried to embark on new adventures.
The wedding was everything.
It was such an Indian wedding, and they are always fun.
Devi and Kamala’s dance was actually great for two Indian women who grew up in the West and had no training in Bollywood.
Even if we didn’t taste the food, I’m sure it was great.
It felt like what prom should have been like, with people deciding who they wanted to be with and dancing the night away.
It was a bitter-sweet night for Devi when she contemplated the fact that she would be leaving her home. The only safe place she had known her entire life.
On the one hand, she was finally getting to live her dream, but on the other, she would be losing the only life she’d known. It was a valid fear. But with such fears, you can only brave through them; if you have gods you pray to, it can help.
Nalini would be losing her only child. She had dedicated her life to raising that kid, and now the grown woman would be leaving. She thought making her leave faster would hurt less, but sometimes you have to endure the pain. Feel and acknowledge it.
With a clear purpose in my mind, Paxton was heading back to college. He had also gotten the girl.
Things between Devi and Paxton started on a purely physical note, but over the years, they had grown to appreciate one another. Sometimes two people were meant to be friends.
The wedding was punctuated by Ben flying from New York to confess. I guess spending time with red pill bros gave him the clarity he needed.
Guy 1: Uh… Yo, look what I texted that girl, Chelsea. I’m being so rude to her.
Ben: Wait, I thought you liked her.
Guy 1: I do. But that’s why I’m negging her.
Ben: Aren’t you worried that she’ll move on to someone who’s nice to her?
Guy 1: Nah. That’s not how it works. Dude, trust me. I know what I’m talking about.
Ben: If you know what you’re talking about, then why is it always just the four of us every weekend with no girls in sight?
They got a second chance at a makeover and didn’t waste it.
While their first time having sex was a disaster on Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 1, their first time making love was everything they thought it would be.
And no one made awkward comments. In fact, what needed to be said was said, and what was wanted to be heard was heard.
Guy 1: Uh… Yo, look what I texted that girl, Chelsea. I’m being so rude to her.
Ben: Wait, I thought you liked her.
Guy 1: I do. But that’s why I’m negging her.
Ben: Aren’t you worried that she’ll move on to someone who’s nice to her?
Guy 1: Nah. That’s not how it works. Dude, trust me. I know what I’m talking about.
Ben: If you know what you’re talking about, then why is it always just the four of us every weekend with no girls in sight?
It had been a long and difficult journey, but Devi had made it.
Mature Devi took the time to thank her gods for everything good in her life. She had learned not to take it for granted. She stopped focusing on demanding superficial stuff and appreciated the real things.
What’s poppin’, gods? You’ve probably heard, but it’s a big day. I’m finally headed East. I know when we normally talk, I usually ask for stuff like smaller pores, or a boyfriend who can do one-arm push-ups, but this morning, I really just wanna say… thank you. I feel really, really grateful.
Devi
Eleanor and Trent made it. Even when the school system couldn’t find anywhere to utilize his crazy, the real world needed people to blow things on television production sets.
Ben and Devi’s long distance was going great.
“…said goodbye” was a great series finale. It concluded the story in an expected yet exciting way.
I started this review by saying it’s the end. But is it?
So this is John McEnroe live from Princeton, New Jersey, signing off. For now.
McEnroe
How the show signed off insinuated strongly that it might be getting a spinoff. I had this feeling after seeing Never Have I Ever in the Tudum 2023 lineup, which never happens for shows that have ended.
Maybe I’m reading too deep into this, but I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of a spinoff.
I’m not sure what more can be said, but the show’s format is too good to end with it. The characters are great, and I would watch them in another stage of their lives.
Would you watch a spinoff?
I would say goodbye, and it’s been a pleasure these four years, but never have I ever said goodbye.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.