Never Have I Ever Premiere Recap: Did Devi Do the Deed? Plus, Grade It!

Morgan Pryor
·5 min read
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For three seasons, Never Have I Ever’s overachieving Devi Vishwakumar has been trying (and failing) to have sex for the first time. Is the fourth and final season, which began streaming today on Netflix, the charm?

The show’s final season picks up after that jaw-dropping choice she made in the Season 3 finale: to finally go all the way with her academic archrival, Ben, despite spending most of the season dating popular-yet-sweet jock Paxton. But the Season 4 premiere shows Devi’s worst fear coming true: Sex with Ben wasn’t all that great. It was anticlimactic, even.

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In the awkward aftermath, as Ben offers to call Devi an Uber and she shoots finger guns (?!) at him on her way out, narrator John McEnroe captures the moment perfectly: “Well, my friends: Welcome to the s–t show.” And boy, are we glad to be back. In a moment, we’ll want to hear what you thought of the premiere. But first, read on for the episode’s highlights.

SHE SHOOTS, SHE… MISSES | In a hookup post mortem with Fabiola and Eleanor, Devi admits that she still really likes Ben, despite everything. Meanwhile, Ben goes to the gym, where he runs into NBA player Dwight Howard, of all people. Somehow, the pro athlete becomes Ben’s reluctant therapist, after he word vomits all of his Devi drama right there by the elliptical. But when Ben misinterprets Devi’s carefully crafted text and thinks she’s disinterested, Ben — with Howard’s advice — unwittingly rejects Devi’s real attempt to start something again.

SENIOR YEAR! | Since Ben ghosted her all summer leading up to senior year, love is far from Devi’s mind three months later (or so it appears). Instead, she’s praying to the deities to bless her application to Princeton and make it so that she wins over her Advanced Placement Literature teacher, who writes stellar letters of rec (but only two per year due to her arthritis).

“I think we’re doing pretty great,” Devi says on the first day of school — famous last words if I’ve ever heard them. Fab and Eleanor really do seem to be doing well, at least so far. Fab is still dating Addison and is about to start recruiting middle schoolers for the robotics team, and Eleanor is looking into acting conservatories, prepping for the school play (a stage adaptation of Dune), and she’s still going strong with Trent.

We also get a brief introduction to the new popular crew, which has transitioned from jocks to bad boys and burnouts; the “the baddest of them all” is named Ethan Morales. His introduction is a passing moment in the jam-packed episode, but I have a feeling he’ll come into play soon. A senior year fling for Devi, perhaps?

JEALOUS MUCH? | During last season’s finale, Devi underwent a remarkable amount of growth. But still, old habits die hard, and it wouldn’t be Never Have I Ever without Devi making a terrible decision. This one comes in the form of her yelling at Ben and his new girlfriend, Margot, in public after seeing them kissing.

Naturally, Devi tells Margot that Ben had sex with her and that they should break up. Margot says that Ben did tell her, and why should she care? As you’d expect, this doesn’t go over well with Devi. And when Devi and Margot, who’d threatened to knock Devi into next week, are sent to the principal’s office, Principal Grubbs says what we’re all thinking: Really? All of this over Ben Gross? Also of note: The outburst at Margot leads to Devi losing the all-important letter of recommendation from her A.P. Lit teacher.

Devi vents to her psychiatrist, Dr. Ryan, admitting that she’s hurt by Ben’s actions — or lack thereof. Dr. Ryan is quick to assure her that it’s okay to be mad at him, but she shouldn’t lash out at his girlfriend. Dr. Ryan recommends writing down all the mean things she wants to say about Margot, and it seems to help… until a bizarre combination of circumstances combine, and Margot sees the insults Devi came up with (but never meant to share).

Later, Ben has a moment of surprising emotional clarity with Devi: He says sorry for ghosting her. He was embarrassed by how bad the sex was, admitting that it was his first time, too. But here’s where Dwight Howard’s advice comes into action: Ben needs a relationship that comes easily. He used to think they could be together, but he doesn’t think so now. “I accept that,” Devi responds — equally shocking.

After so much progress, Devi finds herself victim of an unexpected development: “Stupid bitch” has been spray painted on the side of the used Subaru that her mom just gifted her.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE GANG? | While Devi confronts senior year head on, here’s what her friends are up to. Fabiola questions why no girls are joining robotics. Trent, worried that he won’t be able to hold onto Eleanor after his repeat senior year, promptly proposes to her and then breaks up with her after she rejects him. We also find that Paxton is struggling to adjust at Arizona State University. Even though he was on top of the food chain in high school, we find him floundering socially at college. He offers to host a rager in his dorm room to get on his roommate’s good side, but even that does nothing to improve his circumstances.

Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the premiere? Grade it via the poll below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!

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