Why the Academic Star Devi Keeps On Asking People’s Approval In ‘Never Have I Ever’

Published 08/17/2022, 5:00 PM EDT

via Imago

The main protagonist of Netflix’s comedy Never Have I Ever Devi Vishwakumar is an overreaching High School sophomore. This girl portrayed by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has gone through a lot of emotional trauma and chaotic situations from the beginning. After losing her father, Devi was left alone to deal with her problems, which made her hysterical since she doesn’t have a happy connection with her mom either.

However, she never failed to impress her mentors and school toppers board being the most competitive and smart student in her class. Even though Ben Gross felt threatened by her intelligence, still Devi had some personal problems that her grades couldn’t solve. Her desire to become popular and feel loved troubled her. But why did this academic star seek such approval? We try to answer this question here.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Devi Vishwakumar is overwhelmed by her overthinking and escapism in Never Have I Ever

Devi has always been good at pretending and hiding her emotions behind a beautiful smile, as we know she has gone through terrible traumas. Also, belonging to the second generation of Indian-American family she faced the challenge of balancing both parts of her life when her mom tried to restrain her from all the influences of High School, while she dreamt of dating the hottest guy, Paxton. 

She is called by the name of “Crazy Devi” for her whimsical and unreliable behavior. The biggest evidence of her unhealthy reactions to situations is her therapy sessions with Dr. Jamie Ryan, which shows that she is mentally affected by her father’s death and is unable to cope or face it.

DIVE DEEPER

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan Apologizes to ‘Never Have I Ever’ Fans for the Photographs They Take With Her

over 2 years ago

Season 3 brought new drama to Devi’s life

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Meanwhile, the biggest reason behind her savage nature is acceptance and self-love, which was clearly depicted in the show, in recently-released season 3, we see that Paxton once again breaks up with her, saying she needs to love herself first. Moreover, she is taken when Des compliments her for being this super smart and beautiful girl, to which she replies nobody has called her that before.

Therefore, even after achieving such academic success, she doesn’t believe that she has unwavering talent and beauty. But the good news is that season 3 has shown major progress in her, as she started accepting things in life and letting go of people who don’t love her. Like, we saw her finally performing on stage playing the harp, which she feared doing after Mohan died of a heart attack in the studio. Hopefully, in the final season of the show, we will see a Devi who loves herself for who she is and doesn’t seek external approval.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

DIVE DEEPER

‘Never Have I Ever’ Is More Than Just a Teenage Story, It Is a Discovery of Self and Coming to Terms With It

over 2 years ago

Would you like to see a transformed Devi in the final season of Never Have I Ever? Let us know in the comments.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

ADVERTISEMENT

Shikha Arya

2072 articles

Shikha Arya is an experienced entertainment writer at Netflix Junkie, having contributed over 1000 articles to the platform. She holds a Master's degree in English Literature from a prestigious university and has honed her writing skills over three years. Shikha's forte lies in crafting thought-provoking pieces about the lives of pop culture icons.

ADVERTISEMENT

EDITORS' PICK