I’ve never seen Season 3 in review: A penultimate season racing to the end

In hindsight, no matter how long and tedious it seemed at the time, high school actually passed in the blink of an eye. And for better or for worse, the new season of I have never decides to race through junior year, too.

The Netflix series returns to the life of above-average high school student Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). After her father’s death, Devi spent the first year as a social pariah and the first two seasons of I have never focused on her quest to gain some social status as a sophomore, continue to excel in her studies, and balance her mother’s strict expectations. With a fun, eclectic cast to round out Devi, I have never He managed to balance over-the-top hijinks with real heart and really nailed the big feelings of being a teenager.

This new season has quite a bit of that, but the creators seem determined to put everything on the fast track to get all the characters where they need to be for Season 4 and senior year. As a result, much of what makes the show so special is lost in the race towards the end.

[Ed. note: This review contains some setup spoilers for Never Have I Ever season 3.]

Image: Netflix

Season 3 begins with Devi and the super popular Paxton (Darren Barnet) making their official debut as a couple – much to the shock and disbelief of the rest of the school, who can’t believe a nerd like Devi would be dating a hot jock. While Devi is finally living her dream of dating the hottest guy in school, she’s still fixated on what other people think of her, which eventually leads her to doubt Paxton’s feelings. Meanwhile, her friends wrestle with their own relationship woes: robotics nerd Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) tries to navigate a sudden long-distance relationship; Theater kid Eleanor (Ramona Young) isn’t even sure if Paxton’s lazy boyfriend Trent (Benjamin Norris) is into her; and Devi’s academic rival Ben (Jaren Lewison) threatens his relationship with the athletic Aneesa (Megan Suri). Back home, Devi’s cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) has to deal with her grandmother’s disappointment after she turns down a marriage proposal.

It all seems like enough setup and plot to fuel an entire season, but the show resolves all of these separate plot points fairly quickly – only to introduce entirely new problems that are also quickly resolved. I have never is a comedy made up of 30-minute episodes, so a certain amount of episodic distance is expected. But this time, the threads connecting each episode seem thinner than ever. It’s not quite the sitcom’s one-problem-per-episode formula, but it doesn’t pack as much punch this time compared to previous seasons.

Image: Netflix

Part of the reason is that the cast is just so much bigger. As well as exploring the lives of Devi and her friends, the show also delves into the journeys of Ben, Paxton, Kamala and Devi’s mother. This fits in pretty well with previous seasons, where Fabiola’s coming-out storyline and Eleanor’s complicated relationship with her mother helped flesh out their character arcs. But this time there are just so many characters that of course some of them fall by the wayside. When one of them gets a big story moment, they’re set up for an episode or two before being hastily tied up and put away so someone else can take the spotlight.

It’s particularly frustrating because these characters are still compelling and their storylines are still compelling – and in the last two seasons, great care has been taken to give each character’s story enough time to develop. This time around, however, the hectic pace means these bows have less space. The first two seasons of the show take place in the first half of Devi’s sophomore year. But this season, time will skip a few episodes, jolting Devi and her friends into their junior year, and taking them with them to wrap up the school year and get ready for the show’s final season. Instead of the steady pace of the first two seasons, season 3 feels like someone pushed forward quickly and forgot to let go.

There might be a meta comment about how quickly the school days go by, but it doesn’t feel intended. Characters are introduced, built to incredibly relevant plot meaning, and then hastily tossed aside. It makes sense since the focus has to be constantly shifted back to the core characters. But the main cast doesn’t even really interact much anymore, which is another big reason this season feels lacking. Kamala has a whole revelation about not wanting to define her life by marriage milestones, only to basically disappear for the back half of the season after she gets into a relationship. Aneesa’s romantic issues become a focal point of the plot and then never resurface. Especially Devi and Ben don’t have as many scenes as they used to. And considering that the first two seasons really made him a romantic interest and delved into their wonderfully compelling rivalry-turned-friendship, that whole aspect of the show feels extra marginalized.

Photo: Lara Solanki/Netflix

That’s not to say Ben is completely locked out of the show. He has a sizeable role and can grow as a character. They really all do. As with any coming-of-age story, the characters at the center mature and learn a little bit more about themselves and the world around them. And there are moments towards the end when their journeys feel grounded and complete. Devi is the main character, so her progression from someone who is selfish, insecure and impulsive to someone who is able to sit down and process the big changes in her life is satisfying. The last few episodes in particular have put her in situations where she would previously have acted hasty and cynical – but because of what she’s been through, she’s able to approach them with more maturity and sanity (although she’s still Devi, so go ahead she still does some wild decisions, but this time they are a little more justified).

At the end of this season everything is set for the fourth – and last – season. It only took a lot of messing up in 10 half-hour episodes to get everyone in the places they should be, both emotionally and physically. Instead of a well-paved path, however, season 3 feels like a bumpy shortcut that connects the young and immature versions of the characters first introduced in season 1 with the slightly older and slightly more mature versions they need for a satisfying finale . But because it’s a quick detour instead of scenic views, you’ll definitely miss a few moments along the way. Hopefully season 4 slows down a bit and lets these characters enjoy senior year to the fullest.

All 10 episodes of I have never Season 3 premieres on Netflix on August 12.