‘Never Have I Ever’: 7 Expectations for Season 3
Never have I ever… binge-watched Never Have I Ever three times in honor of Season 3 coming up.
Well, we drink to that — and to the wild expectations we have for the show’s upcoming season. This coming-of-age comedy about an Indian American high school girl, loosely based on co-creator Mindy Kaling‘s life, is coming back for a third and then fourth (final!) season. In the first two seasons, we have seen Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) mess up more times than we can count. But the messiest thing she has done so far was putting herself in a love triangle between her dreamboat, Paxton (Darren Barnet), and her nerdy nemesis-turned-friend, Ben (Jaren Lewison).
With new episodes arriving on Netflix August 12, we can’t wait after being left with that finale. Paxton hits Devi with his Jeep (how many times will they scare us with this?) and agrees to be her boyfriend, and Ben seems… well, not over Devi whatsoever. We don’t think we’re the only ones here who were left with expectations for the next season, and given what we’ve seen so far, Kaling and screenwriter Lang Fisher will likely not disappoint.
Keep reading to find out our Season 3 expectations.
Never Have I Ever, Season 3 Premiere, Friday, August 12, Netflix
#Daxton Endgame
There is no doubt that Devi has a life filled with drama — and she always seems to be the cause of it all. She has had her ups and downs with Paxton, but he always seems to come around. In Season 2, Paxton tells Devi he wants to keep their relationship a secret after she humiliated him by two-timing him with Ben. After rejecting her proposal to the dance in front of everyone, he does end up coming to the dance (better late than never!) and agrees to be Devi’s boyfriend. Devi is over the moon and so are we after two whole seasons of waiting for these two to make it official (with no second boyfriends in the way). But Season 3 definitely seems to have other plans.
A Possible New Love Interest
New boy alert! Like two hunks weren’t enough to confuse Devi, it has been announced that a new character will join the cast next season. “Meet Des: he’s the whole frickin’ package,” the show’s official Instagram account announced in January, attached with a photo of Anirudh Pisharody. Deadline has said that Des attends an elite private school and is just as smart as Devi, so he will likely bring out her competitive side, much like how Ben does. Will this new hunk be stirring the pot even more? We expect to see an interesting relationship form between Devi and Des (they even have similar names!) but the question is: who will be her endgame? Maybe after all the boy drama, Devi will decide to focus on herself.
Ben Torn Between Aneesa and Devi
By the end of Season 2, just when we start to feel sure that Devi is going to end up with Paxton, we see Ben staring at the two dancing, after Eleanor (Ramona Young) shares with him Devi’s feelings. “After you took her to Malibu, she wanted to choose you…So just for the record, it has not always been him,” she tells him.
We expect Ben to admit his feelings to Devi next season, but this isn’t the only love triangle Ben has found himself tangled in. There is also the triangle with him, Devi and Aneesa (Megan Suri). When new girl Aneesa began forming a relationship with Ben in Season 2, fans were left to think that was it for Ben and Devi. Lewison has even confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Ben will find himself torn between Devi and Aneesa in the next season. Ben might be the one that will have to choose soon… and fast.
A Future for Kamala and Manish
Kamala (Richa Moorjani) most likely will break up with Prashant (Rushi Kota). After he weakly advises her on how to be accepted by her male colleagues, she starts losing faith in their arranged marriage and, in the Season 2 finale, ditches him and his family during dinner to go find Devi’s teacher, Manish (Utkarsh Ambudkar). Something seems to be in the works for these two, which could be really good for Kamala.
More of Devi's Dad
Throughout the first two seasons, Devi struggles to accept her father’s death, even after spreading his ashes with her family in Malibu. She still dreams that she’s talking to him and this seems to help her cope. Mohan (Sendhil Ramamurthy) would call Devi his “perfect girl” which is something she struggles to believe and questions. Their interactions are the most emotional part of the show and are vital for Devi’s character development. We definitely want to see more of Mohan, even though it might mean we have no more tears left to cry by the end of the show’s run.
Paxton Goes to College
Paxton-Hall Yoshida struggles throughout most of Season 2 to do better at school. With Devi’s help and his hours dedicated to homework, he finally gets a phone call in the finale from the school’s career counselor. After looking at how his grades have improved, the counselor, to his surprise, tells him he is on the road to college. We expect to see Paxton, a junior in Season 1, to be applying for colleges and making big life decisions in the next two seasons.
Nalini Moves On
Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) throws herself into her work after her husband’s death and even begins to feud with her work rival, Dr. Jackson (Common). The two do grow fond of each other, but when Devi starts to accuse her of moving on too fast, Nalini ends things with Jackson after the two share a kiss. With the two seeing each other at work every day, however, it is possible they will rekindle their spark and Nalini will talk to Devi when the time is right about her moving on. We want Nalini to be happy, but not at the expense of losing her daughter. Next season we expect Nalini to decide if she wants to be with Jackson and if this could be something worth talking about with Devi.
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