since posting Mindy Kaling’s i never has become one of the most popular teen shows on Netflix, and with the release of its fourth and final season, Devi Vishwakumar (Maitri Ramakrishnan) finally went to college, and her story is over.
As the new season begins, we welcome closure, growth, and some heartfelt farewells. In the show’s fourth season, we closely follow the journeys of the people of Sherman Oaks—the good, the bad, and the ugly, their sure-fire charm and perfectly imperfect ways to keep people coming back again. We’re counting down the number of clicks in order to send you off properly!
10 “…has an Indian boyfriend” (Season 3, Episode 9)
This episode centers on Devi and Des (Anilud Pisarodi) brief romance. Things don’t seem to be working in Devi’s favor when she starts dating the only boy her mom approves of. When Devi panics, reliving the memory of his father’s death, Des’ mother initially comforts her before ordering her son to stay away from Devi.
The highlight of the episode is Nalini (Poona JagannathanWhen Rhyah (Sarah Yulan) berating her, a sight we rarely see in the episodes. This episode also happens to be the origin of “One Free Sex” with Ben (Jalen Lewison).
9 “…have to be your best” (Season 1, Episode 9)
This episode mainly revolves around Kamala (Richard Muljani) and her latest suitor, Prashant (Ruskota). While Devi vows to be her best, as the episode progresses we see a series of faux pas, with Kamala dealing with an ex and Devi dealing with traumatic flashbacks to her father’s death.
What this episode does well is that it provides a delightful and much-needed look into Kamala’s life—a life that ebbs and flows over the next few seasons. Beyond that, it also gives viewers some background on Nalini and Devi’s troubled relationship, as the episode ends with Devi saying some regrettable things to her mother.
8 “…Stalking My Own Mother” (Season 2, Episode 9)
Season four isn’t the first time Devi has meddled in her mom’s love life, the only difference is that she’s not ready or mature enough to accept it. What happens when you stalk your mom through her so-called boyfriend’s skylight and end up in his hot tub? Disaster ensues.
This episode is heartwarming and romantic. When Nalini and Devi have a falling out over the former’s boyfriend, Neil Mara (Ranjita Chakravati) immediately defended Narini, which is rather rare for brown families and in-laws. Paxton develops a crush on Devi because of a victory at school, and while Nalini and Devi are still feuding, Paxton is quite emotional (Darren Barnett) sneaks into Devi’s house and gives her a goodnight kiss. The episode ends with Devi and Nalini sharing bittersweet memories of Mohan (Sandhill Ramamossi) and make corrections.
7 “…is the loneliest boy in the world” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Except this episode is composed of Andy Samberg, which makes it a safe bet for the top 10, the first episode to give us an insight into the life of Ben Gross. The story change breaks through Ben’s insensitive and overly competitive exterior, revealing that he feels terribly alone in the absence of his parents, a shallow, self-centered girlfriend with few friends except Patty the housekeeper.
In this episode, viewers get to see the beginnings of a romance between Ben and Devi, but the emotion barely scratches the surface. Viewers also see that Ben Gross can be charming, vulnerable and, dare we say it, lovable when he wants to.
6 “…Crash” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Another Andy Samberg book special, or maybe viewers like Ben’s point of view. The audience is painfully aware of Ben’s hyper-competitive nature, fueled by one thing and one thing only, Columbia University – his father’s alma mater.
The stress of an overworked and neglected Ben soon came to him, resulting in a fecal impaction that, if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, required Paxton to not only take him to the hospital, but spend the night by his side. While this showcased the incredible bond that Paxton and Ben formed, it also showed viewers how Ben worked hard to win the approval of his father, whom he greatly adores. By the end of the episode, Ben realizes that Columbia isn’t everything and has a life of his own besides college admissions.
5 “…was always the perfect girl” (Season 2, Episode 10)
The season finale could be the defining moment in Devi’s life, and she and Paxton finally made it official. At first, however, Devi realizes she’s being viewed by Paxton as a sneaky connection, and ends their midnight date — which, let’s be honest, was never possible for Devi in season one. Soon Paxton came to his senses and had Devi smitten at the ball.
What makes this episode especially endearing is not only because of how Devi and Paxton end up, will they, but because Ben realizes it could be him, and the suspense is enough to keep people coming back for more. Beyond that, the episode also gave us a brief look at Fabiola’s (Lee Rodriguez) about her struggles with her sexuality and how she struggles to fit in with the queer community. Worst of all, Kamala gets so rebellious for the first time that she flees her so-called proposal dinner to join Devi’s teacher, Manish (Utkarsh Ambudkar) singing karaoke late at night.
4 “…to the Prom” (Season 4, Episode 9)
In the penultimate episode of the show’s finale, viewers saw Devi’s life come back to square one in the most unexpected of ways, setting the stage for a final farewell. At prom, all three girls—Eleanor (Ramona Young), Fabiola, and Devi are dealing with career-related demons.
By the end of the episode, everything finally falls into place, with Devi getting some much-needed encouragement to write her Princeton thesis, Fabiola getting ready to take on Howard, and Eleanor getting ready to cast and direct . Emotions ran high in the episode as viewers saw how far Devi had come in dealing with the drama of her father’s death and high school experience.
3 “…A Dream Come True” (Season 3, Episode 10)
Viewers seem to love the season finale and the suspense. Devi is on the cusp of change, ready to enter her senior year, and it’s time to make a decision about her future. The topic of the episode is whether she should move to Colorado’s Bush School, the gold standard for all Ivy League schools.
Between a bush visit, someone’s honesty, and a sudden disenchantment that follows, Devi realizes that nothing is more precious than the present, and decides to spend her senior year in typical Sherman Oaks style. The funny thing about this episode is the infamous “one free fuck” at the end of the episode – Devi finally gets her dream!
2 “…Say Sorry” (Season 1, Episode 10)
After Nalini and Devi had a big fight, Devi threatened to move back to India and said something suspicious to her mother, which was another season finale. Nothing is going on in Devi’s life at this point – she temporarily moves in with her former nemesis Ben (totally platonic, by the way), Paxton avoids her like the plague, and her best friends Still avoid her.
Another emotionally charged episode, with Devi and Nalini making amends and finally scattering Mohan’s ashes on his birthday, Devi seems to have a sense of the end.Again, all is well and ends well in Devi Town, she reconciles with her friends and even meets the Legend John McEnroe. But even better, the episode ended with Ben and Devi kissing, while Paxton was waiting at her doorstep to kiss and make up — both times Devi ended up making up.
1 “…Say Goodbye” (Season 4, Episode 10)
The day has finally come, the last day of school, and a happy ending to four years of madness – so it’s only fitting that this episode tops the list. With Devi finally going to Princeton, Ben getting an internship, and graduating high school, reality hit everyone hard, and it was time to grow up.
This episode is pretty tear-jerking, with some all-too-familiar family moments as the Vishwakumar family prepares for Devi’s imminent departure and Nirmala’s wedding. Nalini suffered from empty nest syndrome even before Devi left because of Devi’s fear of leaving the house. Ben travels all the way from New York to declare his love to Devi, and as the episode draws to a close, Ben and Devi end up together (a controversial choice, some might say). By the way, the episode ended with Devi talking to the gods, which was the beginning of the pilot and literally brought the series back to square one.
