The battle between Ben Gross and Paxton Hall-Yoshida over Devi Vishwakumar finally drew to a close this week as the fourth and final season of Never Have I Ever was released on Netflix.
*Warning – Spoilers ahead for Never Have I Ever*
For the duration of the Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher-created teen drama about an Indian-American high school student, the three characters were locked in a love triangle.
However, in the show’s final episode, Ben (Jaren Lewison) and Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) finally get together while the slightly older Paxton (Darren Barnet) ended up dating a member of the school faculty.
“Winning feels pretty good,” Lewison, 22, told GQ in an interview following the release of the new season.
Lewison’s character began as Devi’s nemesis and only academic equal, while Barnet’s character was the typical, sporty school heartthrob.
“I love the enemies-to-lovers trope,” Lewison said.
“[Co-creators] Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling have said whether they were going to try that route depended on the actors cast for Ben and Devi.
“One of my favourite movies is When Harry Met Sally..., and Billy Crystal’s character is very Ben-esque. There are a lot of things that Paxton and Devi compliment each other on, but maybe that relationship with Paxton helped Devi recognize where she needed to go and what she needed from a partner, before getting into that final relationship with Ben.”
In the final season, Paxton and Devi share one final kiss before realising they’re not meant for each other.
“I think it makes sense,” Lewison said of the ending, which sees Ben and Devi dating as they go off to college.
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“If you look back at this series, Ben and Devi have always had this magnetism to them. They’ve always found each other in times of strife and great triumph. And I don’t know if that makes them soulmates, but I think that it says something.
“The response has been really great from Team Ben so far, and some despair from Team Paxton. So, my apologies, but I didn’t write it, so don’t come for me!”
While the show’s final season was generally well-received, some viewers did issue complaints about the “erasure” of one character.
Read The Independent’s 2022 interview with Ramakrishnan here.
