While I generally like this show, and I agree with your criticism on Devi, it's worth noting that she's just 15, and many people can be impulsive and immature in school. She blames herself for her father's death, and is unnecessarily cruel to her mother, friends, Aneesa and love interests. But she does genuinely try to make amends for her actions.

Paxton looks 14 and 40 at the same time

Devi DRIVES ME UP THE WALL WITH HER CHOICES AND ACTIONS, but I still love her and root for her. I want her to get better

i think the colourism in indian culture is demonstrated well in this show, rather than wanting to reinforce the existing stereotype. also the cousin is considered hot by her american peers too, i think it's a message about american society kinda liking the exotic but still european features look rn...

I love a flawed minority lead This idea that to be a good lead character of colour , you need to be PeRfEcT is irritating...Devi is a good one and I think that's what Mindy wanted to do too.Yes she is of colour but she is also a regular teenager going through it and wanting to be accepted just like every other lead white character, they are allowed to make mistakes and grow and so should POC leads.

no I rlly like Devi both S1 & S2! She made horrible decisions but I’d rather see a flawed character than see someone who has barely any flaws and is almost seen as perfect.

Your criticisms are valid. But as a former horrible teen, I do find her relatable. Here the keyword is consequences. I like that the show punishes her for being shitty like in real life. She doesn't get a free pass just because she is the lead of the show. Her facing consequences and refusing to learn from those consequences and then having to go back and reevaluate all her action makes her GROW as a character. That's the fun part about this show. I think the show would have been BLAND if Devi was a goodie girl with her shit together and knew how to deal with loss of a loved one. It'll be fun to look back and see all the character development that Devi goes through when the show finally ends.

My brother died in April, and I still cry a LOT of days. I can’t even imagine the pain of losing your father in your teens. I think they did a good job of showing the different ways the characters deal with grief. It’s not always pretty. 💗

I like her. Sure, she's far from perfect- she's flawed, and she makes mistakes over and over- but what teenage girl doesn't? I'm tired of seeing protagonists who's only 'flaws' are being clumsy, and end up being a predictable Mary Sue. I think Devi was never supposed to be a rolemodel, but instead someone acting like any real human might after losing a parent and coping with grief.

I really like how positively grief and therapy is portrayed in this show. Niecy Nash is brilliant as Dr Ryan, and gives Devi the opportunity to air her feelings. Plus, even Nalini goes to see Dr Ryan to work through her own grief.

Your criticisms are all definitely on the nail, but the newer season is actually so much better! Maybe not for Devi, but other characters, such as Paxton, Ben and Nalini have such big arcs! a south asian person myself, I would say it's just lovely to see a south asian protagonist be as messy as a white protag!

I had to endure an almost exact experience as Devi at the age of sixteen - except my dad died next to my mum and me at the movie theatre. Heart attack. Some people think Devi’s reaction is unrealistic, that her anger is too much. Her tantrums unwarranted. Yet as a teen I went through the same, fatherless, I pushed friends away - my mom didn’t understand me. People treated me weird because of my grief, so I decided to become the girl everyone wanted me to be… and extremely boy crazy to fulfil the lack of a man in my life. Mindy was incredible in how she depicted a lost, brown, unpopular girl - trying to move on amongst a broken society. The second season is also amazing. I love the psychology scenes, reminds me of myself constantly talking about boys instead of dealing with the trauma of having a dad one day and leaving a movie theatre without him. This show is necessary… it’s amazing. And I love every single character. Xx

i always say that “poc teens deserve trash teen shows too!!” and what i mean by that is all those white-lead cringy films and shows are trash but they are LOVED and poc teens deserve to have a main character who represents them in some love-triangle drama story even if the story is complete trash. what matters is the rep, and personally i think they did a really good job with that in nhie. so while it may not be my favourite show personally, i’m making a big effort to support it and spread the idea that poc teens deserve trash teen shows/films too!

Just because a character is "realistic" doesn't mean they are likeable. One can argue that a flawed character is "more interesting" (which is subjective) but that still doesn't mean said character must be liked or is likable. I can empathize, which i did, and still not particularly like her. That can make a main character alienating at times but in this case she wasn't the sole character or story arch in the show.

One of the main reasons I love this show is that it shows a Teen girl of color who's a main character and still allowed to make mistakes and be clumsy like real people do. We need to see more of it, it's refreshing

thank you for acknowledging how FINE devi’s dad is because that man is just *chefs kiss*.

As a Middle Eastern girl I was so happy to see Davi on the screen with skin color like her, because I’m as dark as her and I had a lot of issues with that growing up and it makes my younger self so happy to see ppl that looks like me on a popular show !!!

it’s weird because I never heard about the show until the second season was being talked about , the WEIRDEST part is that my Dad had recently died as I started watching the show with my boyfriend. My Dad died in July due to illness and I watched him be really sick throughout all of HS , I turned 23 this year and watching this show made me laugh soo hard but also allowed me to process some of my grief. it’s sooo hard , everyday it hurts but I instantly understood her and her grief with her Dad. especially when you feel more connected with your Dad than your Mom , it’s a lot to handle and take on. I understood her too much and I’m excited for the next season.

I really like this show, in general. Devi is a mess and there are times I don't like her. But I don't think the show wants me to excuse Devi misbehaving. What I hate is when characters act like a*seholes and because they are the protagonist, other characters justify the behavior instead of calling it out. Bad People do not equal bad characters. It's okay for protagonist to misbehave and even be unlikeable at times. But this is solid storytelling.

I feel like people would enjoy the show a lot more and understand Devi's character a lot better if they just sat back and realized.. She's a kid. She is a grieving teenager in high school. Of course she's annoying, boy crazy, makes the dumbest decisions, and doesn't think her actions through... Because she's a child, also a grieving child who suddenly lost her father who in her mind was the only parent that loved her. This is literally a kid, she deserves a bit more leighway and grace in her character in my opinion.

The perfect way to describe Devi is “1 step forward 2 steps back”

I like that she's annoying and even awful at times, that she makes mistakes (sometimes over and over again), is very self-centered. It only makes her a real interesting flawed character. She usually gets in trouble for acting like that too, the show does not condone that. I remember how everyone criticised the show Girls because that's how the titular Girls were. I don't think that makes the show bad, having characters that are only following lives of role model worthy people would be boring. It can't be the good guy vs the bad guy/the world kind of fiction every time. Most of the time that fight goes on within us and not always the good side wins.

as a south asian myself, I like how Devi and Nalini's relationship is portrayed, as you see in a lot of south asian households, specifically ones with daughters, the daughters tend to be more of the "Daddy's girl" that Devi is which does as you said cause tension between the daughter and the mother. This causes the Mother to I guess retaliate in a way where it makes them quite cold or emotionally distant from the daughter, making it a sort of "Dad gives me all the love and affection and you just discipline me" or something of that sort from the daughter. Then in Devi's case when you take away the parent that gives her all of the emotional validation and love and are left with the cold and or distant one, the relationship is going to have even more strain. Now Nalini loves Devi because she's her mother, but now she doesn't have her husband who was the mediator between the two and _her_ emotional support she has no way to outwardly express any of the emotions she is feeling because her and Devi don't have that relationship where she can express her emotions to her. Now Devi being a grieving teenager isn't going to see this as her mother having an equally hard time as her, she's just going to see it as her mom not being there for her and treating her like garbage, when in reality that's not what she's trying to so in the slightest. In season 2 I like how they actually address that issue and try to fix it. I have a similar relationship with my mom and it felt pretty good to see a relationship that sort of mirrored my own in a way. Thanks for reading this insanely long paragraph and I hope you have a nice day!

I don't rly get this, she's SUPPOSED to be unlikable at times. The show pokes fun at it a lot. And since when are teens NOT unlikable?

I really like the amount of diversity in this show. Some may say it's overdone (like in the case of JK Rowling and those things) but to be honest, if there is diversity in a real situation, it should be represented. Anyways, hi Blush! Hope you are doing well!

I like Davi’s character, because she’s a main character who suffers from consequences. She’s a teenager trying to do regular teenager things. Which is why I really admire this show. It shows a likeable but unlike able character in a realistic way.

I loved Devi up until the whole cheating on Paxton and Ben.What made it weird was that her friends encouraged it, and even help her with the scheme. There’s also a lot more but i still want to have hope that she grows from her mistake.

I was 17 and I remember sabotaging everything for me when I was hurting. I ruined my education, my friendships, my social standing. My stage lasted for almost 3 yrs. Devi reminds me of that stage.

I noticed one thing about Devi: she literally has no one to talk to about her day or what Ben is doing

She gives off the same energy as Greg Heffley.

I feel like she is everything Ginny is not, you can tell she is some immature impulsive teenage girl but she genuinely tries to repair her mistakes unlike some other teenage girl i know cof cof Ginny cof cof anyways, i liked her (sorry for my English)

i personally love devi in the way she’s written and portrayed. i wouldn’t like her if she was another student at my school to be honest, but i like that. she gets to be as cruel, selfish, imperfect, impulsive and do all of that with the right intentions. its quite hard to get a main character be this real and true to themselves. she is MESSY and there’ll be times you kinda hate her but it works so well. if something, she’s very human. not a mean girl, not the innocent girl, not the perfect poc who never does anything wrong and is boring af.

I loved S1 but i had to stop after one episode of S2, I physically cringed when thinking about seven more episodes of the “dating two people will be fine” plot. It’s such a good show and portrays grief & therapy in such a wonderful light. I enjoyed the storyline of S1 so much and how it explored Devi’s fight through grief. I’m sure S2 would have been just as good but i could not get past that!!

as much as i disliked Devi while watching the show, part of me loved her because of how much I could relate to her. I started watching this show shortly after my mom passed away, and I could see how she was grieving throughout the show. She was bratty, unbearable, and like a ticking time bomb to be quite honest, but I had a period of time where I was just like her when grieving. My favorite part of this show was 100% the way they portrayed grief and how Devi dealt with it.

Can we talk about how anytime there is a black female character she always has to be mixed. I’m not sure if this show makes pushes for this character to be mixed over black but I see this all the time. Especially with Netflix originals and it pisses me off.

Honestly i love devi! Her bad decisions and her character in general is really relatable. Her character has layers and its so refreshing to see a female south asian lead.

I honestly like this show a lot despite the cringe moments.

I empathized with her at first but she just never learned how to be a better friend and never set her priorities straight so at a certain point I just couldn’t with her anymore and started to heavily dislike her . ESPECIALLY in season 2

I was bothered by Paxton suddenly liking Devi, and people don't seem to talk about it. As you've pointed out in this video, Devi saw Paxton as a distraction from her grief, which is a pointthat the show addressed. She liked him for shallow reasons, and it was her own feelings of not being enough and of being ugly that made her dream of getting the popular guy. The show acknowledges these things, that Devi only wanted to fill the void by getting with Paxton. It presented the way that her pining after Paxton ruined her friendship circle, due to her becoming more and more obsessed with someone who, after sex was off the tables, only treated her as a friend. Paxton cared for her, but it always came across as platonic. What would have been great to see would have been having her realise that she has to let her crush go and focus on what matters; that would have shown growth. Unfortunately, the show decides to suddenly make Paxton like her. Him kissing Devi after the party seems to confuse the message of the show, because it feels like Devi's actions are being rewarded. Her ditching her friends for Paxton is suddenly worth it, because look, he likes her back. In the real life, when we get this obsessed with someone, it doesn't work out, because it's just a fantasy. People who've only ever expressed platonic interest in you don't turn out to like you romantically over night. Liking someone who doesn't like you back is a very relatable teenage experience, so I wish that was explored rather than a love triangle. So what's weird about the show is that, while it acknowledged Devi's flaws many times, it also sent a confusing message by essentially validating everything Devi did to get with Paxton by making Paxton feel the same way. I would have much rather had the show explore her grieving process, and also explore the societal standards that made Devi felt like she was unattractive. I can't help but think that colourism and racism are part of the issue. There's, like you said, the fact that Kamala is a lot lighter. There's also the fact that all the girls who are labelled the un-f*ckable are people of colour, and thus, yes, having these girls who are people of colour be labelled as uncool and unattractive does seem racist. It gives a whole new dimension to Devi wanting to date a popular white-passing guy, essentially trying to validate her attractiveness by white people's standards. And with the whole Devi lying about having sex with Paxton, I can't help but think that this would be a completely different conversation if the genders were reversed. People empathise with Devi and want her to get with the hot guy, but if the genders were reversed, a guy being this obsessed with a girl as Devi was with Paxton and lying about sleeping together would have been perceived as creepy and the guy labelled an incel.

I really love how realistic Devi is. She's a teenage girl and one who's suffered alot of trauma. She's trying her best as a young woman in our society. Life isn't simple (unfortunately). I like how, while, she's flawed and is incredibly impulsive and immature, you can tell she's a good person underneath. She recognises when she's wrong and tries her best to learn and grow. And it's nice to have therapy shown in this way too. This show is lighthearted but gives us just enough reality. It's a step in the right direction. I relate to Devi a ton.

Lol I love the show but I'm also not blind that she's so unlikable. Irl I would run from being her friend. However, I also feel like more shows should have unlikable characters because most ppl are pretty unlikable 🤷🏾‍♀️ oh well... But yeah you gotta watch season 2.

“Mindi Kaling is a trustworthy writer.” That did not age well at all

Loved the series!! I remember being 14-15 and being a wreck because of my bad mental health. I was a Devi back then lol but I didnt make amends to gain my friends back like her. It's nice seeing a flawed but real character! Also I think a lot of people feel like me but won't say it because it's kind of embarrassing to relate to such a bad person lol. But whatever, teenagers years were WILD to some of us and its cool seeing it portrayed in a funny and light way. Unlike Skins for example..

Devi frustrates me but this show made me cry so much. I too had my dad die in a traumatic way and had a rocky relationship with my mom. So that entire dynamic was super relatable. I also was very angry as a teen. Definitely not Devi level but not healthily either. Her hypocrisy and poor judgment choices make sense to me. Even if she's often unlikable.

I think i would've preferred if they focused just on the family struggles instead of the romance

When I saw the first episode and was introduced to Ben as the enemy, I immediately shouted at my screen "ENEMIES TO LOVERS??" and then I found out about about UN thing, assuming it meant United Nations, I was like "Aw, he's racist. Damnit :(" and then I found out what it REALLY stood for, I went "Oh.. enemies to lovers tho 😏" Anyway, I would love to see a video on season 2!

dang, as soon as was gonna watch this show you posted this lol. i wanna watch but dont watch spoilers. so imma leave this comment and comeback in in few days after i watch.

The thing about Devi is that she's hella impulsive, and doesn't think twice before doing something. The thing that works about her is that all her problems are caused by her, and she's solely responsible for the trouble she gets into. She makes bad decisions, but never gets away with them, and is forced to bear the consequences every single time. And she can't blame anyone, cause even she's aware that she's paying the price, and never plays the victim card. I'm tired of perfect leads, I'm all for flawed main characters as long as they are written well, which Devi is.

Very valid points all around! However, I slightly disagree with the one about Paxton’s sister. You’re right in that his behaviour is irrational, but that doesn’t mean it’s unrealistic. As someone who has a younger sibling with Down’s Syndrome, I can very much understand where Paxton is coming from. My constant fear is that most new people who come into my brother’s life could be unkind and I always feel the need to protect him. (For the record, most people are great and love him for who he is, but the fact that there are people out there who don’t is frightening to me.) I don’t usually act like Paxton did, but I definitely understand the feeling. It’s a natural fear for us loved ones to have, not just that people may be unkind but that they may mask their unkindness with sarcasm. People can sometimes be condescending without it being obvious. On a more positive note, it made me so happy to see a character with Down’s Syndrome portrayed as capable and unique! I felt it really helped show that people with Down’s Syndrome (and even other Neurological Diversities) are unique individuals, which helps break down a lot of stereotypes.

the mindy khaling part aged like milk

Glad I'm not the only one who thought Devi's dad was fine

It's so funny that now Mindy Kailing is actually one of the worst writers out there because of Velma

The issue with this show is every character is more likable than the protagonist.

A flawed character is more interesting than a perfect character

Unlikable characters are way better than idealistic bs anyway

That comment about Mindy Kaling didnt age well

As a person who was grieving for a loved one in my late teens I can relate to Devi so much. Like everything she did from denial to being a byach and trying the get attention omg I had done all that shit and trust me I felt so relieved when I watched this show and cried. Sometimes we can be so hard on ourself. Make the biggest mistakes on treating the people who cares for us well. Life was a rollercoaster past 6 years, I am happy I am almost through it. I love this show.

I resonate with her because my dad died my 18th bday then my mom and sister 10 months later. She's not only just sad but goes thru a multitude of emotions that are realistic. I wasnt just depressed I would be angry etc. I was so mad at my mom when my dad passed. Me and my mom barely got along and my dad was my comfort person

this show has so many layers it’s just crazy and actually so complex

“Mindy Kaling has a trustworthy rep for writing and producing good shows” Not anymore, friends. Not anymore

Kinda weird for me how she reacted to her friend having a boyfriend. One of my best friends told me she had a baby and I was in shock but not really angry…

I love how everyone is ‘respectfully’ defending our drama queen Devi here!♥️ The one thing that I think is the best part of series is our ‘proudly not- quite- perfect’ female lead!

NOBODY WANTS TO BAKE COOKIES WITH THEM-

You can argue that she is 15 so it is given that she is immature, but her lack of accountability and not having a moral compass is not normal and shouldn't be liked (?). Excusing cheating is disgusting. What about the feelings of the guys who are also 15? She doesn't have redeeming qualities and at no point stops to ask herself, 'Am I being a bad person?' She sells everyone out, including her friends, for her selfish needs

Fabiola and Eleqnor are the 2 reasons I like this show. *SPOILER WARNING* I end up liking the mom even more in the last season as it was so heartwarming to see her fall for someone. Devi's selfishness is hard for me at times because unlike Eleanor or other people she has such a large support system and yet she keeps refusing to open up.

“Mindy Kailing came from a really good show, so this show has to be good, right?” Me, here over a year later: …

I love when you stop yourself to laugh over something weird you just said

Your vids are great, I'm really keen to see where your channel goes. Your criticism of Devi is great, though I'd also say she does really try to make amends for her impulsive behaviour. And of course she is a child... But still, shouldve known better. Also I cant be the only one getting tired of the "teens having sex" storylines, right?!?!? I had my share of problems with this show as well but I did love how they showed the way denying loss can really fuck your entire life. I could understand Devi's destructive behaviour because when I went through serious loss I denied it for YEARS, and only now am i seeking professional help for it. So it was super realistic there.

Honestly, I think Devi is kinda refreshing. Teen characters in movies and TV shows usually make all the right decisions and minor mistakes, are always generally liked (whether it's by other characters or the audience) or they start out as a nerd and become popular, etc. That's not realistic. Devi is. She drives the audience and other characters crazy. sShe's mean, makes the wrong decisions, makes mistakes, doesn't treat people well, etc. that's what makes her a well-rounded character instead of ''oh the nerdy girl took her glasses off and she's hot now'' because we've all made mistakes and have been mean to people that didn't deserve it. Even though she's annoying as hell, she's still relatable and because she's young and we've all made mistakes, we still want her to get better and be happy etc. I just think it's nice to have a protagonist that no one really likes instead of the perfect or nearly perfect characters that are always shown.

I really don't know where I'm going with this, but I realllly wish Kamala’s character had been explored more. It'd be amazing to see more women in science be portrayed as not just "nevermind the science noone wants to see that" or like "science nerd." Although they explore this a little in S2, I felt myself wanting more...

Mindy Kalings "trustworthy rep for writing and producing" got completely shattered with the Velma show

I introduced this show to my grandma and she liked it so far

Honestly I can relate to devi on impulsively acting and regretting it immediately

I LOVE that she’s actually flawed that’s the point of the whole show. Her healing journey

i have so much mixed feelings about devi because she’s not really a good person and just not very likeable. but at the same time, i find it very very accurate to how a girl her age would think and act. the things and insecurities she deals with are authentic and and the reality for young women. i like her because it shows a real journey, where change doesn’t happen overnight.

I loved season 1 the growth of Devi and her relationships with the people around her was refreshing and hilarious. Now when I started season 2 I couldn’t finish it. All the growth and maturity she gained in season 1 was literally abandoned immediately, and it became predictable and obvious what was going to happen by ep 3. Because I loved her first journey I couldn’t rewatch her embark on the exact same journey of selfishness AGAIN.

Loved your commentary on this. Also, personally I was absolutely obsessed with this series even with its perceived "flaws". The only issue I really had was at the end of season one when they talk about a Greek exchange student and portray him in the most stereotypical/racist way, saying that he was a thief stealing from Ben's family. As a Greek immigrant in a western European country, this didn't sit well with me, especially having experienced a lot of racism during the financial crisis era. I found it funny that a show that tries to respect people's culture would do something like this. But other than that this show made me feel like a teen again!

A very detailed analysis! The thing is, beauty standards are flipped in the east and the west. As someone who came to Canada at 17, I was surprised to see women spending money on tanning booths while back in the East (India/South Korea) people spend a lot on “whitening”. The show gives something for everyone. Someone like my partner who grew up in Canada but is of Indian descent AND someone like me who moved here for school who is adapting like Kamala does

i do understand your criticism, but i am indian and i relate to a lot of things, and i really like how this show didn't present devi as a "nerdy indian kid" which most tv shows and movies do

I haven't seen this show but the dream about your dead dad getting "better" in dreams happens to me - even being 35 and him having been dead for 11 years

I love love love the later seasons where Paxton gets character development

...so the comments on Mindy Kaling have aged like milk

I always wonder if it's always like this American High schools? Like is it so very important to be popular? How do all these shows start a protagonist trying to get popular and not trying to do something more productive?

Oh my god the Mindy comment at the beginning aged like milk

Never have I ever is an amazing show. This is a very great way of representing a normal teenager who wants to be seen and going through something. She acted her character really well

Throughout the whole show, I've had a love hate relationship for her. She's great at times. But other times, her choices, her actions are just absolutely awful which make me seriously struggle to like her, but I still want to root for her to improve on her own actions and self worth.

This show was emotionally rich, made me cry many times

My fav scene of Devi and her mom was the one where she told her that the thing making her sad about her fathers passing is that she feels like the only parent really loving her died thar night. This szene was so powerful and really sad..

Devi gave me so much second-hand embarrassment but I love her tbh

I lost my dad last year when I turned 17 last year and I can relate to this character (at least from the content of this video) alot when I was denying his death I threw myself into other 'productive' activities that I was way to sick to do to make him proud. I spread myself too thin trying to recover my health, learn Italian, and progress in school, that I wasn't able to do any of it and sometimes I feel ashamed of my black side. my hair makes me feel disgusting and I barely know any black people besides my mom. when I was younger I didn't even agknowledge I was part black. I can really sympathize with her

I love the fact that Devi makes mistakes, and that the things that happen to her (with the exception of her fathers death) is her own fault. It is really nice to see her try to amend the relationships, and I root for her to get better and become a better person cause she is obviously struggling. I love this series, the indian culture it shows us, the diverse cast, everything. Its funny and touching. We need more shows like this, honestly.

i completely forgot about devi’s wheelchair era

My main ick with the series is very personal lol. THe whole no one relates to her because she's kind of a terrible person thing is sadly the part i really relate to, especially with how much she's just maily insecure and has very shallow values. And going after all these shallow stuff just leads you to keep trying to fill this void.

The bit about Mindy Kaling being a good writer reeeeeaally didn't age well. Cue Velma.

I love how you look in all perspectives, and your positivity. Lots of reviewers on youtube are sometimes really cruel to the point where I have to take a break from their channel. BTW I subscribed :) Continue to make videos!

ngl this show is a guilty pleasure

Honestly I feel like Devi friends should have never told Ben regardless of the context or situation because you wouldn’t just go around spreading your friends business especially to their enemy of all people

Devi is so real. I love her character, and I think she will grow up little by little and by the end of the show we will get a Devi more matured and ready for the world

This show hit me hard because I went through a similar loss as a teenager, so yes I did empathise with Devi a lot while watching. A lot of her decisions still irritate the heck out of me though, especially in season 2.

I was so hyped for season 4 until I actually watched it and realized I wanted more with Ben and Devi in college