Here’s the thing that I am loving about Never Have I Ever – it gives so many different perspectives that you can’t help but wonder if you’ve been looking at things the wrong way the entire time.
That and the narrators. John McEnroe and Andy Sandberg are gems.
That’s right – this weeks episode was taken over by Adam Sandberg and he was perfect for the role. Because this weeks episode focused on Ben and seeing things from his point of view.
And if we’re being honest, I have a whole new respect and love for Ben. Why?
Because Ben, I have completely misunderstood you. You’re just a kid that wants to be loved.
But lets get into just that.
At Model UN, Ben was happy. Ben was happy because the night that he had with everyone and the great talk that he had with Devi – he was on top of the world.
He felt as though the world was his oyster. He felt as though he was going to win the golden gavel and that Devi and him were on a new path. But there he had been, sitting there and was expecting Devi to back him up.
But she went nuclear and changed everything. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t know why she was so mad. But here he was – on the bus back home and looking at her and wondering if he had imagined everything.
Devi’s response had hurt him and he didn’t understand why she had done it.
Ben had felt ontop of everything at model UN, back to Sherman Oaks – looking at Devi. He looks concerned. He worries that he imagined the conversation.
WHEN YOU MAKE IT HOME
Ben puts on the facade that he’s a rich kid with a perfect life. There is no one that can match his life. Only, what people give the perception of is not always the reality.
Ben was a lonely kid. When he got home, his Mom was leaving. AGAIN. She was always on the way to figure something out about her life. Some retreat that is supposed to center herself, but leaves her son.
She has no idea what is going on with her son. She only pays attention to half of the world around her.
Ben tries to act like he’s not disappointed, but he is. He’s a teenager that just wants to be loved and doesn’t know how to get that love from his parents.
He does everything he can to keep himself busy, but we quickly learn that Ben has no one. Everything he does is on his own. He spends all his time on Reddit because it’s the only interaction that he feels understood.
With his Mom gone the only thing that he has to look forward to is sitting court side at the Clippers game with his Dad and Shira.
His Dad is an entertainment attorney, and is always busy. His two best friends that he felt understood him went to different high schools. His life is limited. The only friends that he has are his girlfriends friends.
He reminds his girlfriend that the game is coming up – which she committed to two months prior. But she tells him she can’t go because she’s gotta go her eyebrows done with her friends.
Like look, I wanna be on Bens side, but if a girls brows need to be done, I am about that too. Like especially being on lockdown and me looking like my eyebrows are overtaking my face.
He tries to talk to Shira, but she lets him know it’s not happening. So Ben, he’s on a quest to find someone to go with him.
And the thing is when you have no friends, it’s hard. It’s hard to have people turn you down and say shit about you. It’s hard to swallow.
CHEMISTRY CLASS
Chemistry class was the class that I hated the most in school. It was my arch nemesis. Well anything having to do with science was. Like I get why we need it, but doesn’t mean I have to like it.
In class Ben tries to talk to Devi. He really wanted their makeup talk to be not something that he just imagined. He tries to get her to apologize, but she makes it known she is MAD.
She tells Ben she’s pissed that he ran his mouth about her sleeping with Paxton and now Paxton is pissed. Ben doesn’t understand why Devi would be pissed that everyone thinks she’s with someone out of her league. It would be something that he would think that she would want the world to know.
But after class, when he’s standing in the hallway, he finds himself staring at Paxton. He’s wondering what to think, what the issue with Devi and Paxton is.
I get that Ben and Devi are enemies, but if we’re being honest, I believe she truly cares about him and he truly cares about her. They just don’t see it.
These two – as of this moment – are my end game.
That night – Ben is sitting on the couch waiting for his Dad. But, his Dad being a shitty Dad – Dad stands him up. Ben is upset and yet, he’s that kid that wants to make his parents proud, so he keeps his mouth shut. He acts like nothing is wrong.
But you can’t help but feel for this kid, because everything is wrong. His heart is breaking, but he’s gonna act like he’s okay.
Ben asks his housekeeper if she wants to go and gives her the three tickets.She keeps saying she’ll stay with Ben, but Ben tells her to go to the game and take her sons. She gives in and goes. Ben scrolling through the internet finds a video where Billy Crystal shared his nachos with her – and he feels so good know that he made her happy.
REDFISHED
Ben takes staying home from the game by going the shit that he normally does. Reddit, video games, scrolling through the internet.
Anything to not have to tell the world that he is alone.
Ben comments on a Reddit about the video of Billy Crystal and the lady he shared his nachos with. One of the people commenting on the Reddit knows him from the Rick and Morty Reddit. He asks Ben if he wants to meet up for pizza.
Ben wants to have friends and is excited about the prospect of making one. Ben thought it was a teenager, but it’s an adult when he gets there. And the dude is creepy as fuck. He feels bad for the dude, but it takes him all of five seconds to get creeped out and run. Why? The man is so sketch he gets creeped out when the man seems to be turned on by him blowing on pizza.
I would have fucking ran!
FAMILY DINNER
I used to think when I was a teenager, I would grow out of the breaking out. Zits were supposed to be a teenage thing.
But watching Ben and his zit and the way that his girlfriend treats him like he has the plague. Then when Trent slaps in the hallway, telling him that he thought that the zit on his face was a roach – I feel bad for Ben.
People don’t notice him and then when they do – it’s kinda built on cruelty.
Ben heads to the dermatologist – who is Devi’s mom. I love when Nalini is on the screen. She’s too funny and even though she’s an overbearing Mom, she’s a Mom that I think a lot of us wish we had. Because she is that Mom who loves her kid enough to be there for her no matter what.
She thanks him for keeping Devi on her toes. She tells him Devi talks about him a lot. Moms – they may be great, but sometimes can they keep their mouth shut.
She tries to be supportive for him. Ben starts to cry once she says his parent should be so proud. Ben tries to cover, because he doesn’t know how to let people see the real him.
And so Nalini decides to do something drastic.
Nalini brings Ben home for dinner.
Now, let me be clear parents – bringing home your kids arch nemesis is never a good idea. Devi is pissed – fighting with her Mom (at least they took it upstairs) – but Kamala and Ben in the kitchen can hear everything through the vents. Devi calls Ben a narc and Kamala says that at least she said he was nice.
Though it doesn’t mean that Devi has any intention of being nice.
That isn’t tolerated in their house – rudeness to a guest. Her Mom is gonna correct that shit so fast. At dinner Mom says Devi needs to be nicer if she wants to stay on family cell phone plan. I mean for a teenager, that can be the worst shit.
To make the conversation better, Nalini asks for one thing that they learned at school. Devi says some shit even I don’t understand. Kamala tells them today she learned that if she forgets her wallet, the cashier will pay for the food and give their phone number to make sure you get home okay.
I swear – beautiful people. I am sure you can see me rolling my eyes here.
Ben tells Nalini that Devi was the talk of the weekend at Model UN. He had the chance to nuke Devi – to tell her Mom everything – but stands down. Devi was ready to obliterate him, but Ben had found a sense of himself at the dinner. It was the happiest that he had been in forever.
Ben was just happy to be at a family dinner and wasn’t going to take it for granted.
Later that night, Devi thanks him for not ratting her out. I mean getting through doing dishes is a bonding thing I guess.
They are exchanging insults (as they do in order to try to act like they hate each other).
Devi asks why he feels bummed. Which hey for her – is a big step. He opens up to Devi and apologizes for telling everyone about Paxton. Devi tells him the truth, that she didn’t sleep with Paxton and Bens like “oh he’s mad at you for lying.”
To Ben that makes much more sense.
Devi says they got close to hooking up. She tells Ben about freaking out when Paxton takes off shirt. Ben tells her about catfished. The two are bonding and I like that they both find friendship.
To cement their friendship, Devi Venmo’s him 5 bucks the next day, so he “never has to take food from a pedo again.”
Devi and Ben are my endgame and I love them. I am hoping that doesn’t change.
