Never Have I Ever season 2 sees Devi and the show dive deeper

Netflix’s teen sitcom Never Have I Ever is back for its second season. Co-created by Mindy Kaling and The Mindy Project alum Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever follows Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) in the wake of witnessing her father’s sudden death.

The first season ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Devi’s longtime crush, Paxton, finally coming after her just as she and longtime frenemy, Ben, kissed.

If you’ve seen any Kaling product, teen movie, or romantic comedy, you might guess where this goes next based on the other piece of the cliffhanger–Devi’s mom deciding to move them to India in order to have more family support.

With an impending move and a highly chaotic brand, Devi, of course, juggles Ben and Paxton, leading to classic sitcom hijinks and emotional reverberations for the rest of the season. Even by the finale, there’s still plenty of room to go with Devi’s love triangle.

Like any Kaling project, Never Have I Ever is a rom-com and uses the genre’s tropes (namely a big will they or won’t they love triangle) to great effect. But like all great teen shows, it also explores deeper themes, like Devi’s grief and her complex relationship with her mother.

The final episodes in particular showcase an arc that builds all season. As Devi struggles with her emotions and erratic behavior in the wake of her father’s death–in the timeline of the show, it’s been less than a year–her classmates and friends continually call her crazy, but then worst of all her mother does, too.

Ramakrishnan’s performance shines as she tearfully asks her therapist (played by the always-excellent Niecy Nash) if she thinks she’s crazy and finally begins to address the issues plaguing her, rather than looking for quick fixes (mostly directed at getting a boyfriend).

While Devi makes plenty of mistakes, it’s refreshing to see her continue to grow and try to be a better person and friend, even as she makes a new Indian friend, Aneesa, and combats her own jealousy.

Speaking of Devi’s friends, Fabiola and Eleanor–this season follows them both struggling to figure out who they are, too.

For Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), now that she’s out and has a girlfriend, she can’t seem to find her footing in the queer world while maintaining who she was while she was closeted (a robotics nerd). It rings true enough but felt slightly shoehorned in, much like her storyline did in the first season.

As for Eleanor (Ramona Young), when a former Disney Channel child star, Malcolm Stone (Tyler Alvarez) shows up at Sherman Oaks High, her storyline almost veers into after-school special territory as he quickly becomes controlling and isolating.

However, it does provide one of my favorite jokes of the season:  “Isn’t he dreamy? I can’t believe I’m dating an out-of-work actor!” And even if Fab and Eleanor’s storylines are a tad bit preachy, they contain important messaging for young audiences.

While the first season’s Teen Show Moments felt a bit forced at times, the second season seems to have found its groove overall, giving archetypal side characters like Eric more dimension and humanity while keeping the jokes flowing.

However, one of the biggest growth moments in the season goes to Paxton himself. While the show loves to tell us he’s hot, there wasn’t much to map onto his character beyond that in the first season.

Thanks to a capsule episode (weirdly narrated by Gigi Hadid, but they’re sticking with that celebrity voiceover format so whatever), we get better insight into Paxton’s inner life after an accident that throws his future into question.

Characterizing Paxton is crucial for keeping the love triangle alive and based on the finale, it’s not over yet. Whether you’re Team Paxton, Team Ben, or Team Devi, Never Have I Ever is an achingly sweet, romantic, and moving binge to carry you through the rest of summer.