Never Have I Ever
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The placement of the episode makes sense, since it follows the episode that showsDevi at her worst.
Im a bit torn on the actual usefulness of the episode, though.
What does itreallyadd to the story?
Well, the one clear implication of this episode is that were gearing up for a Devi-Ben romance.
Rivals turned lovers is a common enough rom-com trope and one that Mindy Kaling seems to gravitate toward.
Thematically, Bens story does connect with the bigger picture of the show.
He has parents, and we briefly meet his mother, played by Angela Kinsey.
But her presence is fleeting, and his dads presence is limited merely to texts.
He cant remember the last time he had dinner with family, or anyone really.
His life is full of faked intimacy, and his loneliness is palpable.
Still,Never Have I Everis a little too neat with its attempts to make Ben more sympathetic.
Oh, the rich boy is deeply lonely?
Without much nuance beyond that, the story feels a little tired.
Bens point of view is a little too suffocating.
The most effective scenes reframe ones weve already seen.
But seeing her the way Ben sees her, we dont get any of that interiority.
