Netflix's Never Have I Ever follows the teenage Devi as she tries to navigate her high school life and find her footing after recent traumas in her life while also trying to find romance. There is a cast of characters surrounding her and the show spends a decent amount of time crafting each person into a distinct character.
The show throws the characters into new situations every episode and delves into each character's smarts, confidence, and emotional intelligence. Here are some of the main characters from the show ranked by their book smarts and emotional intelligence.
Updated on August 25th, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: There are a lot of different types of intelligence, but Never Have I Ever spends most of its journey focusing on two: emotional and academic. That’s largely because Devi is incredibly academically competitive and surrounds herself with like-minded people. That’s also because with a cast dominated by teen characters, there’s a lot of room for emotional growth. As a result, characters have been able to grow both academically and emotionally over the course of the first three seasons as new characters are introduced.
Paxton
Paxton isn't very successful in school, being in the same history class as Devi who is younger than him, and he doesn't try hard to learn or apply himself in class until he's nearing the end of high school. He is truthful and says some insightful and emotionally intelligent things to Devi throughout the show. But his overwhelming interest in partying and athletics outweighs his interest in education and learning, making him the least academically intelligent character on the show.
When it comes to his emotional intelligence, Paxton still has a lot to learn. He doesn't often see how his decision affect others, and he doesn't often how much he's hurt people. While he experiences a big learning curve in the third season, a lot of what he learns is already understood by the other characters in the show.
Haley
The audience doesn’t really get to know Haley very well despite her being revealed as a former friend (and flame) of Paxton’s in the third season. She gets a lot of Devi’s focus, but she doesn’t get a ton of screen time.
Haley is smart about how to survive a bad experience in high school. When Paxton hurts her, she separates herself from his friend group, she pursues a place in the school orchestra, and she keeps her head down. It means she’s not a target of the girls who might be jealous of her and she doesn’t have to deal with the fallout of losing one of her best friends to a hook up that goes badly. While Haley is smart enough to do all of that, she isn’t smart enough to see how her interactions with Paxton affect Devi after he apologizes.
Trent
Trent is a surprising standout in Never Have I Ever. Though he’s often used for comedic relief when he misunderstands a situation, he’s much more intelligent than he seems.
Trent understands the differences between wines that none of his peers do, he understands how to manipulate both Eleanor and Paxton because of how well he knows them. He also, every so often, drops words of wisdom in advice to his friends. He might not be ing his classes, but being book smart isn’t the only form of intelligence, and Trent proves that repeatedly in the series.
Aneesa
Introduced in Season 2, Aneesa is not academically gifted like most of the friends she makes, and she’s made keenly aware of it every time Ben corrects her. That doesn’t, however, mean that she’s not intelligent. Aneesa certainly has a leg upon Paxton when it comes to emotional intelligence.
Aneesa is able to pick up on tension between her friends, when her boyfriend still has feelings for someone else, and when her own relationship with Fabiola is more about the two of them trying to find a romantic connection when they’re better off as friends. Aneesa has a much better understanding of her own emotions as well as those of her friends than anyone else in the series.
Eleanor
Although it's not clear where Eleanor's school standing is in relation to her best friends Devi or Fabiola, the fact that it's not explicit could mean she's not as focused as they are.
She is, however, incredibly gifted in her drama classes and turning into a fantastic actress. Acting in plays takes memorizing and understanding complex lines and she does this with ease. She also has emotional intelligence as she cares deeply for her friends and chooses to stand up to her mom.
Des
Like Devi, Des pushes himself academically. He enjoys learning, goes to a prestigious private school, and has his goal on an Ivy League university. While Devi isn’t always the most emotionally intelligent character in the series, however, she has Des beat there.
Des, after all, isn’t emotionally intelligent enough to figure out how to explain that he wants to break up with Devi because it’s what his mother wants. While he is able to read his own friend’s emotional state pretty well, he doesn’t foresee just how ghosting Devi completely will effect her. He also misreads her affection for Paxton as Devi still wanting to be with him, even though Devi has moved on by that point.
Ben Gross
Ben Gross is a gifted student who works hard and cares deeply about his academic life. He constantly competes with Devi for the top academic spot at their school. He certainly has the book smarts, but he seems to be lacking in emotional intelligence.
He is trying to find himself, which is normal for a high schooler, but he tends to lash out at people who could be his friends. Although by the end of the series he begins to work on this, he still has a while to go.
Devi
Devi is a gifted student in her high school, always at the top of the class, and fiercely competing with Ben in their school work. She's obviously intelligent with book smarts, is able to excel in school, and has a bright future.
She is still finding herself and her emotional intelligence is lacking because of her own insecurities and lack of confidence. She constantly lashes out at those she's closest to and is more caught up in her own trauma than ing her friends.
Narrator John McEnroe
In the show, John McEnroe is the narrator of Devi's life and an extension of the character herself. Because of this, they are pretty similar, but he is more harshly honest about how Devi is feeling, which makes him slightly more intelligent and open than Devi, and he even appears in person to give Devi some advice and help when she needs it the most.
Rebecca
Rebecca is confident with who she is and knows how to succeed and achieve her goals. She is making her dream of deg fashion happen, and her determination is unwavering.
She's incredibly sweet and caring, but can also be tough when her work is involved, and she needs to be.
