Warning: MAJOR spoilers for Never Have I Ever season 4!Never Have I Ever season 4 brings the beloved Netflix series to a close, seeing Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) through the end of her high school years and sending her off to the college of her choice. But a much more hotly-debated choice has been of a more romantic nature, as the show veered between her intense crush on Sherman Oaks High School heartthrob, Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), and her debate rival Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison).
While season 3 began with Devi and Paxton officially in a relationship, Never Have I Ever season 4 begins with Devi and Ben failing to commence their relationship despite consummating it. With Ben too scared of another rejection to take a chance on love, Devi gets close to resident bad boy Ethan (Michael Cimino) for a bit amidst her college application crisis. Meanwhile, Paxton has a college crisis of his own that sends him running back to high school — meaning that Devi once more has two boys to choose from.
Screen Rant spoke to Ramakrishnan, Lewinson, and Barnet about Devi's final romantic pit stop before reaching her "endgame" in Never Have I Ever season 4, the things Ben must do to man up for her, and Paxton's personal journey of growth.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Jaren Lewison & Darren Barnet Talk Never Have I Ever Season 4
Screen Rant: Maitreyi, first off, every time we think that the love triangle's resolved, another angle is introduced. This season, Ethan had me going for a little bit. I was like, "Wait a second…" What does he represent in Devi's quest for love?
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: A good time, not a long time. I mean, really, truly. He's quickly in and out. He's a fun little bad boy just to spice things up. But obviously, he has no permanence in the running, to be honest.
I think he only contributes to her overall journey of figuring out what she likes and her values. His whole thing was making her question, "Okay, do I do this and be with him and just let things slide?", which is the easier thing to do as the Princeton rep says, "Or do I do the right thing?" I think his character being introduced really helped send home that message, which I think is nice.
Jaren, every time that Ben has the opportunity to be with Devi, he kind of bounces up and away somehow. What does he have to learn this season to really seal that deal?
Jaren Lewison: I think that for Ben, it's just really about realizing who's really there for him. I think some key moments in the show, when you look at where Ben's struggling and who's there for him, it's Devi. And I think that sometimes, he's trying to shy away from that, maybe because he is scared or maybe because he doesn't feel that he's ready. That's why he's going in different directions, and they've messed up in the past.
They've kind of accidentally – I don't think it's ever purposeful – hurt each other. It does take a little bit of time to heal from that, and I think he was finding his way to heal. But in reality, he's madly in love with Devi and head over heels for her. That's his person, and he's got to figure it out. He's got to find that romantic moment.
I think that Paxton and Devi have these incredible romantic moments throughout the show, which are insanely well done. I've said that before, but that's really hard to do, by the way. For all actors and non-actors out there, those scenes are really difficult – and they make it look super easy. They are not easy. I just want to put that out there. But Ben needs one of those moments. I don't know if he has to go talk to Paxton again or what the hell that is, but he's got to figure that out.
Paxton has perhaps the most relatable story of the season. Not that I had ever gone back to my high school to become the assistant swimming coach, but jumping from a big fish in a little pond to the big ocean is relatable. What was that experience like for him, and how proud of you him are you by the end?
Darren Barnet: Yeah, it's daunting. I mean, you come from a place where you're the big man on campus, and then you think that's going to take you through life. And first, it's shattered by his not being able to swim. Then he gets a little bit of confidence by finding himself in academia. Then he's in college, and he's a nobody again.
So, he comes back to school, and he's somebody again with it. He realizes that's not filling the void that he thought it would. That's not what he needed to fill the void. He needed to find something that he loved beyond swimming, and that is teaching. I'm looking forward to seeing the kind of teacher Paxton makes.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: I think it'll be good. I think it'll be good.
Darren Barnet: He's learning.
Finally, you guys have had several highlights and low lights in your tumultuous love triangle. What have been each of your favorites?
Jaren Lewison: I think the lowest point for Team Ben was the two-timing. Ben getting left by himself in that party, and Paxton leaves and Devi follows him. I think that that definitely hurts.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: Not like Ben saying, "Hey, you guys are the UN." Shooting himself in the foot. Ben does that.
Jaren Lewison: Yeah, he does. But that wasn't a low point. That wasn't the lowest for him.
I think that the highest point was in the finale, where Ben flies from New York and confesses his love for Devi. I think that's the highest point, and it works out for them.
Darren Barnet: Paxton crawling into the window in the rain. That's just always going to be iconic. And that was one of my favorite moments of the show.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: I'm only going to go with high points. But I'd say for Devi, her high point would probably have to be something for herself; when she truly chooses herself.
This is a rando one, actually. But in season 2, all the couples are dancing and everything, and she doesn't get mad. She doesn't rage; she's not upset looking at everyone. She lets Eleanor go dance with Trent, which starts the best couple of the whole show. But she doesn't get mad. She's actually happy for everyone. She's sad for herself a little bit, but at that moment, she made a very mature decision. “I'm okay by myself, because I know I need to be with someone who's not ashamed of being with me.” That was a good high for her.
About Never Have I Ever Season 4
Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. The series stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, an overachieving high school student who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. Never Have I Ever is created by executive producers Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, with Fisher serving as the showrunner.
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Never Have I Ever season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.