‘Never Have I Ever’ Season 4 Recap Summary: Does Devi Get Into Princeton?

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Season 4 of Never Have I Ever started right where Season 3 ended, with Devi acting on emotions she had considered with a clear mind. It had been a long journey to reach this point, and we were so proud of Devi for it. That has continued throughout the rest of the season, and we finally realized that she was the protagonist not just because she had a messy life but because she had the wisdom and strength to deal with it all while finding the courage to be vulnerable. There couldn’t be a better character development written for her, and this is how it unfolds in the recap.

Spoilers Alert


How Does Devi Make Peace With Her And Ben’s Situation?

Ben Gross really screwed up when he tried to act cool after Devi and he spent the night. They might have gotten past it if only he had used his common sense and shown up at Starbucks at Devi’s invitation rather than blowing her off on the advice of Dwight Howard just because he was a fan. Since he wrongly felt that nothing could happen between him and Devi, he obviously moved on with Margot, who was just waiting in the wings. This causes another one of Devi’s meltdowns since Ben has been ignoring her all summer, and she and Margot get into a fight. Devi gets over her negative feelings by writing them down, and just as she and Margot make up, the latter sees the bad things written about her, and she and Devi are now enemies forever. This might have just been the end of it, and it was probably salvageable in the future if only Devi had not accused her of spray painting her new car. Margot did look very guilty, to be honest, but it backfired on Devi since it wasn’t Margot, but another guy named Ethan, who had meant to paint those words on another car but had gotten Devi’s car by accident.

Regardless, Ben decides not to talk to Devi but tells her that he has been forbidden to do so by his girlfriend. Devi discovers this anyway when she overhears them talking but stays graceful, and this is proof of serious character growth for her. Ben and Devi eventually start talking again when she helps him with a wardrobe malfunction during the college fair, and he encourages her not to doubt herself and her future college life just because her idol ends up being a disappointment.

As for Margot, Devi makes peace with her for her mother’s sake. Nalini starts liking Margot’s father, who is working as a repairman at her house. When Devi picks up on it, she is surprised to find that she wants her mother to move on in life. In Season 2, she kicked up a storm when her mother tried to do that, but now, Devi is a lot more mature about it. But the problem is that Margot’s father is hesitant about dating Nalini due to the conflict between their children. However, after Devi and Margot pretend to have moved past it before doing that for real, he realizes that he wants to make his decisions independent of his daughter’s life and starts dating Nalini. She also takes her time but eventually gets to a point where she takes off her tali (the sacred matrimonial thread worn by Indian women) and moves on in her life.


What Happens To Paxton Hall Yoshida?

We all drooled over Paxton just as much as Devi did, but we were still disappointed in him for the better part of Season 4 of Never Have I Ever. He had always been distinctly uncomfortable with the objectification he had to go through at the hands of everyone, but when he was no longer the cool guy in college, he rushed back to high school, severely limiting himself to the very thing he did not want to be. We really thought he would have more of a fight in him than that. But we suppose that it is the flip side of never having had to fight for validation or to prove yourself. You just don’t know how to establish yourself in spaces where people are not already fawning over you.

Paxton comes back to high school as the assistant to their swim coach, but he realizes soon enough that he is not the cool guy he once used to be. He gets over that hurdle by flexing his powers as a teacher, but he cannot get rid of the fact that he gave up soon enough. Some sense is knocked into this “cool guy” by a person one would consider a “quintessential loser.” Eric is a guy who constantly tries out for the swim team but always fails, yet he remains undeterred. He even enlists Paxton’s help to train for the tryouts, and Paxton can’t help but question him as to why he is trying so hard at something he is not good at. When Eric replies that he wants to be proud of his efforts, that is when Paxton sees sense and decides to rectify his mistake. Eric gets a spot on the swim team, and Paxton decides to go back to ASU, though he wants to continue teaching. Paxton also gets a girlfriend, Lindsay, who is a fellow teacher, and she might just be the perfect combination of challenging and sweet if she wasn’t a proper adult and Paxton was still a teenager.


Does Devi Get Into Princeton?

Princeton has always been Devi’s dream because when she told her dad that she wanted to go to Princess College, he directed her toward Princeton instead. Devi tries everything to get in. She tries to impress the college representative, but her then-boyfriend, Ethan, steals the woman’s purse. Devi brings it back, but due to her less-than-ideal presentation of herself, her chances are affected. This is in contrast to Fabiola, who is pushed by her mother to apply to Princeton’s robotic program, and she even gets in. She doesn’t tell Devi out of fear of her thinking that Fabiola has betrayed her. But Devi finds out anyway, and she is furious, though she eventually makes peace with it.

Regardless, Devi is waitlisted for Princeton and is rejected from all other Ivy League colleges. Devi fears that she might never get in, which is when Akshara calls her and asks her to write an essay that conveys who she is. If she does that, it might help her chances at Princeton. But Devi is too annoyed and doesn’t believe that the essay will do any good. But another trouble she creates is that she lies to her mother and says she got into all the Ivy Leagues she applied to. That blows over with the entire school thinking that, and the undeserved applause she is getting ruins her mood to go to prom. But when Ben learns about Devi’s situation, he immediately rushes to her side and encourages her to not give up. Some therapy from Dr. Ryan also helps, and Devi turns in her essay, talking about how she is the person she is because of everything her father has taught her. This essay works, and Devi is one of the small percentages of people who get off the waitlist and into Princeton.

It’s almost all rosy now, except that Ben is going to New York to for an internship. This guy just doesn’t know what to do, even after having the right realization that he and Devi would work in a relationship. Thankfully, he decides to take definitive action right before Devi sets off for Princeton. Ben flies down from New York and meets Devi at her grandmother’s wedding. The two confess their love for one another and spend another night together, and this time, they wake up all happy and confident about each other. They decide to start dating seriously, and we believe that this is a relationship that Devi has been working towards this whole time.

As for her friends, Fabiola decides to go to Howard instead of Princeton, and Eleanor gets back together with Trent. She planned to take directing lessons so that she could start creating her own projects. Even Kamala moves to Baltimore for a better job opportunity, and we believe that Manish follows her there. Overall, Never Have I Ever has a neat and sweet ending for all our characters.


Final Thoughts

This was a very graceful exit for Never Have I Ever. What started as the story of a high school student dealing with the grief of a parent’s death came full circle with her acknowledging the grief as a part of her and letting the better memories of him take center stage instead. Even the rest of the characters, like Eleanor, Fabiola, Kamala, and Pati, for that matter, were able to start the rest of their lives after coming to terms with what they had gone through. The storyline itself expresses the sincerity of the writers, and we are glad for that. Never Have I Ever has been a fantastic show in its own right, and this is a great goodbye for it.


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Divya Malladi
Divya Malladi
Divya spends way more time on Netflix and regrets most of what she watches. Hence she has too many opinions that she tries to put to productive spin through her writings. Her New Year resolution is to know that her opinions are validated.

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