Before we get started on telling you how much we really enjoyed watching the show Mindy, when can we get the Season 3 please?
Last season told the story of Devi from the POV of an Indian American teenager experience, and it so resonated with our desi souls that we were dying to watch the next season. Like, seriously dying. And now that it is here, and we have devoured each episode into our karmic yogasutric bodies – we can tell you safely that is leaner, meaner, and funnier than Season one.
That is the 30K ft verdict folks. And enough to get your rollicking your way to that remote control to Netflix.
You do that because though it is a classic teenage drama, but it touches upon so many important topics that make total and complete sense to bring up growing up desi in America where you must balance the crazy expectations of our families at home with the insanity of our American way of life every single moment.
As does DeVi. And boy does she complicate things.
Season 2 of “Never Have I Ever” that mix of soul and satire with a little nip of the whole shebang. Season 2 has something special of its own and starts off where Season 1 left off – in Ben’s car with Devi and Ben kissing.
The story of Devi dealing with the grief of the absence of her father, concluding via a SWOT analysis that both Ben and Paxton were viable dating options, in conflicting rationales and outcomes of her teenage dilemmas of Devi’s continued troublesome life, her capacity to unprecedentedly walk into situations of unimaginable embarrassment.
The appearance of a new Indian girl named Aneesa in her class (Megan Suri) triggers Devi to make some extraordinarily harsh judgments, such bad mouthing about Aneesa flippantly causing a huge deal of hurt and agony to her. Snubbed by resentment over Aneesa’s attachment to Ben, Ramakrishna is brilliant as Devi with total control over her portrayal of the confused, hurting, grieving Devi.
But why only her, all the characters have their own arc of growth and that is what we love about this series. The balance that this story telling brings is really refreshing. We love the Nalini twist when she questions her own decision to move to India and introspects her family’s support. Jagannathan is just as terrific as Ramakrishnan in this series, and her character really gets some contemplation this season. Nalini starts to intermingle more with competitor dermatologist Chris Jackson (played so amiably by Common), and we start to see her as less of Devi’s mom and more as her own personality. Her own little fling in the making with the rival doc and Devi’s reaction to it was so real and relatable.
There is also an enhanced subplot for Richa Moorjani’s Kamala, Devi’s exquisite and brainy cousin, who is forever called KAAMAALA and mispronounced forever while she faces sexism and misogyny. Last season we did not see Kamala show off how crazy clever she is, but this season explores how womenfolk are undermined for their brains. Moorjani (a Miss India America, nevertheless – like our dear Shreya) has to “go H.A.M.” on somebody and it is scandalous and entertaining all at the same time.
Both Barnet and Lewison are fantastic, with Barnet disrupting the hot guy stereotype. Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young) also find their own personalities in relationships that make them feel constricted. Fabiola’s relationship with the pop esthetically motivated Eve (Christina Kartchner) puts her at a loss with her love of her own robots, while Eleanor is dating a toxic young actor. So, in conclusion, Season 2 is charming, hilarious, and oh so relevant.
