Welcome back everyone! We apologize for being away for so long, and we understand this is a long overdue post. We miss The Pasupu just as much as you all do! Today we are reviewing Season 3 of Never Have I Ever! We have a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
*DISCLAIMER*
This post contains spoilers! If you haven’t watched the new season yet, come back after you’re done watching!
South Asian Representation
We enjoyed seeing that Never Have I Ever continues to include more South Indian Representation every season. First of all, we really liked how “non-typical” Indian food was mentioned in the show. When a non-South Asian thinks of Indian Food, they usually think of Butter Chicken, “Naan Bread,” and Rice. Never Have I Ever mentioned Idli and Sambar, and sure, these are probably the most basic South Indian dishes, but it’s a dish that isn’t Butter Chicken, and it expands non-South Asian’s views of our ethnic food. Additionally, Butter Chicken is considered a North Indian dish, so mentioning Idli and Sambar gives viewers a taste of the South, and may inspire them to try something a little more out of the ordinary.
Navratri is a very important holiday in many Hindu households, however, it is mostly portrayed with Garba. Although Garba is very fun and beautiful, many people, including other South Asians, don’t know about the diverse ways other Hindus celebrate Navratri. Many Tamilians celebrate Navratri by displaying a Golu, which includes beautiful religious ornaments and figures on the steps of the Golu. We absolutely loved that NHIE decided to include this South Indian tradition, as many people don’t know much about it.
Additionally, in episode 10, a Tamil song is played and we loved this inclusion! A lot of non-South Asians tend to generalize all of South Asian media as Bollywood, when it is simply much more diverse. Obviously, we can’t blame them for this assumption; they don’t know because other regional industries are not as popular as Bollywood. However, playing a Tamil song and then telling the audience “hey this is a Tamil song” allows them to come to the realization that South Asia is much more than just Bollywood.
We loved that there were more South Asian outfits throughout the show; there’s just something about seeing Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Richa Moorjani, and Poorna Jagannanthan in cultural attire! We also loved how the show had the girls put their used bindi on the mirror!
Aneesa
This season, Aneesa had some feelings for Fabiola, which definitely made things interesting. We loved that Aneesa is queer because many South Asian face difficulty coming to terms with their sexuality. It’s something that isn’t talked about enough. However, it would’ve been eye-opening to see Aneesa maybe have a conversation with her family about her sexuality. We felt that her being queer was very forced and that it is her only reason for being on the show. After her relationship ended with Ben, and after things were patched up with Devi, it’s almost as if Aneesa has no purpose left on the show. But the NHIE team should grow her character and focus on her relationship with Devi.
Rhyah
Rhyah was condescending at first, and would silently judge Nalini’s lifestyle choices. However, Nalini looked past all of that and it ultimately led them to becoming good friends. Or so we all thought.
Rhyah would make many choices on Des’s behalf, such as forcing him to break up with Devi. Rhyah is ultimately what The Pasupu defines as a Toxic Aunty. Devi had a meltdown in the bathroom before her concert because she thought she saw her father in the audience. Rhyah helped her out with that situation and calmed her down, but was silently judging her the whole time. When she had told her son what she had witnessed, she ordered him to break up with him. Instead, she could’ve talked to him differently, like how to handle situations like this and be a good partner to Devi. But, she decided to shame Devi for dealing with trauma, and pushed out someone who was helping her cope. We believe that the inclusion of Rhyah’s character was very important; it shows us how cunning some people in our lives can be, and that too, how prevalent it is in the South Asian Community. Everyone has a Toxic Aunty in their lives, and unfortunately, Devi is now has one too.
Des
Des was the new love interest that was introduced this season. It was refreshing to see brown boys finally represented in American media. You all truly have no idea the happiness it brought us to see a South Asian male love interest! I was refreshing to finally see a South Asian man be representing in a positive light. Yes, Devi first thought he was dork, but that quickly changed after she got to know him.
Des is very much a mommy’s boy, which is very common in South Asian families. Boys tend to be very close to their mothers, to the point where they sometimes don’t do what’s best for them, simply because they were always told to obey their mothers. Des was forced to break up with Devi because of this. Des liked Devi, yet he acted in his mother’s interest, not his. We are glad NHIE brought light to this issue, because it isn’t talked about enough. We really liked how there was a small reference like this portrayed, and these things were emphasized more. At the end of the day, issues like this are the main reason why the South Asian Community is toxic.
As great as it was to have Des on the show, he is so basic. He fits the perfect mold of a South Asian teenager: smart, going to an Ivy League, and a part of clubs like Debate and Model UN. These are minor things, but it really forces that stereotype on South Asians that we are all supposed to be super smart. Why couldn’t Des just go to UC school or be a part of a more unique club? If we want the South Asian image to change, we need to make sure these stereotypes are erased within media.
Kamala & Pati
Season 2 left us off with Kamala running away from Prashant after realizing he had made a misogynistic comment towards her. We applaud Kamala for this because we believe that many South Asian women brush off misogyny because that’s what they think is normal; they learn to simply accept these comments. Kamala soon gains interest in Mr. Kulkarni, who is anything but your stereotypical Indian.
Manish, Mr. Kulkarni, says that he was raised in Kansas and his parents got divorced, and he’s now a high school teacher. He also doesn’t know how to speak his mother tongue, and barely knows anything about his culture. However, Manish realizes how important it is to Kamala to be fully immersed within South Asian culture, and does as much as possible to make Kamala happy. Manish is an example of not judging a book by its culture. Oftentimes, the South Asian Community pushes those away that don’t know much about their culture, but the majority of the time, these individuals never had the opportunity to even learn about their ethnic background. Manish is from Kansas, and that too had busy parents growing up; first off, the chances of him being surrounded by South Asians while growing up was very low, and his parents may have not cared about raising their child with their culture. We can’t blame him for not being culturally aware, it’s not his fault. But it’s up to other South Asians to teach those who are interested, rather than not include them.
Manish ran into some mistakes here and there, like knocking down the Golu, and Kamala moved out because her grandmother doesn’t like Manish. We think this is a power move because it is extremely hard to just pick up everything and leave, and that too because your family doesn’t like your S/O. But, Pati does come around and appreciates the fact that Manish is trying and eventually accepts him and also teaches him about his culture.
Nalini
In this season, we definitely see Nalini and Devi’s relationship grow to become stronger. The biggest reason is definitely because Nalini allows Devi to date. Nalini most likely realizes that it’s better that she lets her daughter date with her knowing, rather than sneaking around and getting into things she wouldn’t prefer Devi to do. We believe that this is an important principle that should be communicated between South Asian parents and children: communication is key. It allows them to respect each other and it builds trust. There is no reason for sneaking around or a disconnect if a child is allowed to do something, such as date. Nalini sets up boundaries for Devi and Des, but overall allows them to see each other, which is what was missing when Devi was with Paxton.
Another thing that Nalini did was standing up for Devi’s mental health. We believe that Nalini already has been doing a great job by enrolling Devi in therapy, but standing up for her daughter is another thing. If remembered, Rhyah kept calling Devi unstable and crazy for her son, but Nalini talks back to her! Obviously Devi isn’t going to be perfect; she was paralyzed at one point and lost her father very recently. Nalini knows that Devi is going through a lot without a father figure, and it’s amazing that she didn’t let some stranger talk over her daughter. Nalini has taught us the importance of standing up for our loved ones.
Nalini has been alone for a while. She lost her husband, then she decided to let Dr. Jackson go. After meeting Rhyah, she thought she had made a good friend, but realized her daughter’s respect is more important than a friendship once Rhyah’s true colors showed. Nalini is once again alone, which is something a lot of South Asian mothers deal with. They are so busy taking care of everyone else that they never have time for themselves. Nalini is always looking after her family, but no one checks up on her. NHIE accurately portrays the struggles that South Asian mothers go through on a daily basis and emphasizes the fact that they sometimes don’t get the attention they deserve. In a mother’s head, family comes first.
Devi
From Season 1, Devi has grown tremendously. However, there are definitely some internal issues that Devi deals with that are common amongst brown girls; the biggest one being that she feels that she isn’t enough. During her time with Paxton, Devi always questioned how Paxton likes her, how he chose her over other girls. Growing up, Devi most likely endured rejection from others because people who look like her are considered “weird” or “ugly.” Paxton reassures her many times that she’s perfect the way she is and that he really likes her. But Devi’s self-sabotage is one of the reasons that led their relationship to fall apart. It’s upsetting to see how much Devi’s insecurities affect her, but it’s also something that many of us have gone through.
When Devi first describes Des, she calls him something along the lines of a “weird, Indian loser” which stereotypes brown boys. Obviously, when Des walks through the door, she takes back everything she says. In this scenario, Kaling confirms the stereotype, but also takes it away at the same time. We aren’t really sure what to think of in this scenario because it’s doing both good and bad. In general, that description of Des was probably not necessary; but it was most likely used to emphasize his attractiveness.
By the end of the season, Devi realizes that she is desired and wanted; boys do like her. We loved this full circle moment; Devi feels that she is ugly and nerdy starting from Season 1, but now she realizes that she is just as deserving of a man as any other girl. We believe that it’s because of many reasons, but Devi has surely matured a lot. She started off getting into many messes and sabotaging relationships, but at the end, she learns that if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.
Our Hopes for Season 4🤞🏽
Devi coming to terms with her identity:
Devi has definitely understood that she is desired, however, we don’t think she is fully accepting of her culture. We would love to see her be more immersed in her culture and not be so embarrassed of it. We feel that this would add onto her confidence and how others see her.
Nalini's Happy Ending:
Nalini has been alone for some time now, and we think she also deserves a happy ending. We would love to see Nalini with someone special in her life, other than her family. It doesn’t have to be a romantic partner, but she at least deserves to have a trustworthy and loving friend in her life. Nalini seems to be listening to everyone’s problems, but no one seems to be listening to her’s.
Kamala's Forever After:
We really hope to see Kamala with a happy ending, aka, a full blow South Asian Wedding! Things seem to be going well with Manish, hopefully it continues into Season 4. It would be amazing to see a beautiful Desi Wedding on a NHIE, especially because many non-South Asians don’t know much about each ceremony and its significance. South Asia is so diverse and each region has its own traditions, so it would be interesting if the wedding included some special Tamil wedding traditions or ceremonies.
Des standing up to his mom:
As we’ve mentioned in this post, Des’s life is very much dictated by his mother. He isn’t a little kid; he is about to go to college and he’s very much capable of making his own decisions. We know that Des really liked Devi, but he was forced to end it because of his mother. We hope that Des realizes his mistake and “rebels” against his mother. Devi isn’t a bad person at all. Everyone has some sort of emotional baggage, but our loved ones are there to help us through those bad times. We hope Des stands up to his mother and tells her that he is going to be in a relationship with someone he likes, and that it was very wrong of her to judge Devi because of her trauma.
Expansion on Aneesa's Character:
Aneesa is a very valuable character, and it’s unfortunate that Kaling hasn’t grown Devi and Aneesa’s friendship. Having a South Asian friend, especially in a predominantly white area, is so important because it allows us to relate to some struggles that others may not understand. There are so many South Asian specific struggles that Devi has, such as having a somewhat strict mother or still being confused with her identity, that we’re sure Aneesa also faces. We hope for their friendship to blossom into something lifelong and impactful.
Thank you so much for reading our Never Have I Ever: Season 3 Edition Review! We once again apologize for putting this post up fairly late, but hopefully it was a little refresher on what happened this past season! We are always looking for South Asian American TV Shows and Movies to do reviews on, so our DMs are always open to recommendations. Happy Holidays and New Year, and make sure to check out our Instagram soon for The Pasupu Recap: 2022!