Recap: Is Devi with Ben or Paxton in the 'Never Have I Ever' series finale?
Spoiler alert! This story contains details from the series finale of "Never Have I Ever."
High school is over, and Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) will never be the same.
In the fourth and final season of Netflix's riotous and delightful teen comedy, "Never Have I Ever," Devi has a less-than-perfect senior year but still ends up where she's supposed to be: In the arms of her frenemy Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison), and in her dorm room at Princeton University.
She takes a typically circuitous route to get to both Ben and Princeton, spending some time with a new guy and in college-application purgatory along the way. But the final season of "Never" – and the final episode itself – gives fans of the Mindy Kaling-created series exactly what they want: Hot guys, romantic triangles, high emotions, strong friendships, physical comedy and Vishwakumar family high jinks. And of course, one last glimmer of hope that Devi might end up with the legendary Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet).
"Never" has always been an extremely emotional show (it is, in many ways, more about Devi's anger than her love life), and the writers and actors have excelled at making the audience feel every moment of heartbreak and joy along with the characters. I graduated from high school many years ago, but "Never" so intimately and expertly depicts the feelings of uncertainty, fear, excitement and grief associated with that big life event that I might as well have been wearing my cap and gown all over again.
Recreating the feelings of adolescence and high school is easy for "Never." It doesn't matter that this story is specifically about Generation Z (and their TikToks and robots and oversized shirts); the universality of the teen experience is captured by the ragtag gang of nerds, overachievers and "hot pocket" popular kids. "Never" takes a graceful, bittersweet bow just as these kids start to realize what growing up is all about.
Even narrator John McEnroe got a little misty at the end.
How did 'Never Have I Ever' end?
Season 4 of "Never" picks up right where Season 3 left off, with Ben and Devi experiencing the aftermath of some very awkward sex. The pair blunders their hookup so badly that not only are they not together afterward, but Ben starts dating someone else, artsy Margot (Victoria Moroles). After Devi and Margot get into a fight that nearly ruins Margot's school career, Ben stops talking to Devi. That gives Devi time to explore a relationship with bad boy Ethan (Michael Cimino), the new school hottie now that Paxton has graduated.
But Paxton isn't gone for long: In an effort to keep one of the show's stars around for the final season, the writers have Paxton drop out of Arizona State University (after two weeks!) and take a job as the assistant swim coach at the high school, which means he's available for parties and near-kisses with Devi (though the two quickly realize that they're better as friends).
Senior year marches on, and Devi gets a rude awakening about her future when she is deferred admission to Princeton, her dream school, and eventually waitlisted. Rejected from every other Ivy League university and with no safety schools to her name (a true hothead move), Devi almost entirely misses her chance to go to college right after high school. She gets into Princeton in the end, after submitting a supplemental essay that finally addresses the death of her father, Mohan (Sendhil Ramamurthy).
Ben gets into Columbia, of course, and is ready to start his new big-shot life in New York. But the night before everyone heads off to college – which also happens to be the same night as Devi's grandmother's wedding – Ben realizes he's in love with Devi. The pair reunites with a much smoother intimate night together, and try to make it as a real couple. Princeton and Columbia are pretty close, after all.
Everyone else gets a happy ending (or a happy beginning) too. Paxton reenrolls at ASU, but decides to transfer to the teaching college; Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) heads to the robotics program at Howard University; Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Trent (Benjamin Norris) start making movies together; Devi's mom Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) gets a boyfriend; and cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) moves to Baltimore for a dream job.
And they play a game of Never Have I Ever before the credits roll.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Never Have I Ever' series finale recap: Is Devi with Ben or Paxton?
