It’s part of Never Have I Ever lore that Devi regularly dreams about sex she isn’t having with hot boys at her school, and all it takes is one flirty comment from Ethan for him to become the latest star of her dreams. Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 3 (“…liked a bad boy”) wastes no time showing the shirtless, titular bad boy Ethan coming onto Devi in a classroom—a nerd’s dream!—but when she awakes, she’s immediately guilty for harboring a crush on someone Eleanor has her sights set on.
Despite her best intentions to steer clear of him, things escalate quickly. Ethan invites everyone over for a party, putting his arm around Devi to underscore their sexual chemistry, and when Devi, Eleanor and Fabiola arrive, it seems like his eyes are set on winning Devi over. She avoids him by making herself at home in the kitchen and then stealing away for some solitude in the backyard after a Ben and Margot sighting, but it’s not long before Ethan arrives to comfort her. And comfort her he does—specifically with his mouth in a steamy makeout that ends abruptly when Eleanor walks in on them. Eleanor isn’t jealous, necessarily, but rather angry because Ethan had just made out with her 15 minutes prior, effectively rendering Devi as sloppy seconds.
It’s the first time that the group has had a boy come between them and Fabiola decrees that they all need to stay away from Ethan, which she acknowledges will be easiest for her as a queer woman. Eleanor and Devi agree to the plan but secretly make plans to sneak out and watch Ethan skateboarding at lunch where they inevitably run into each other. After a little scuffle, Eleanor gives Devi the green light to be with Ethan and she promptly makes out with him in the parking lot. To her credit, her growth over the seasons also allows her to ask for what she wants: to be exclusive with Ethan.
Even with a new boyfriend, Devi isn’t completely over Ben. But he’s made it clear that he doesn’t even want to be friends with her, and that Margot has asked him not to speak to her. The classmates make awkward small talk about The Crucible before Ben requests a new partner and moves his desk to the back of the room; the dagger digs even deeper when she overhears that Ben self-imposed the separation from Devi, playing into her worst adolescent fears about being “too much” or an agent of chaos.
There’s one former flame that Devi hasn’t completely burnt bridges with yet: Paxton. But as the former jock is roaming the halls of his high school again as the newly minted assistant swim coach, Devi has some thoughts about him quitting school and coming back to something familiar and easy. She chastises him lovingly for giving up on school so quickly, and she’s not wrong despite his belief that college “isn’t for everyone.” Paxton is definitely taking the easy way out of a tough situation, and it only compounds further when he overhears some fellow jocks making fun of him for returning to his high school.
At the Vishwakumar residence, love (and termites) are in the air. Not only is Nirmala Pati in love with her new boyfriend Len, she also convinces Nalini to hire a contractor to fix their termite-ridden stairs. Of course, the contractor is Margot’s hot dad, with whom Nalini has some animosity following the incident with their daughters. Still, she hires him. But it’s not peaceful for long — after removing their entire staircase, he leaves them high and dry for five days purely out of spite. Nalini confronts him at another job site, fully equipped with Kamala’s camera to capture his scamming behavior, and he quickly relents and promises to come fix their house immediately. It’s definitely the start to an enemies to lovers plot, and I for one am always here for Nalini re-entering the dating scene in whatever capacity she feels comfortable with.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
