Devi Vishwakuma is a nerdy girl, desperately in love with the hottest boy of the high-school, Paxton Hall-Yoshida, who, of course, has absolutely no notion of her existence. To make matters worse, she watched her father die of a heart attack in the middle of a school concert. Now she’s doubly pitied by all the popular teenagers. Fortunately, her friends Eleanor and Fabiola, both peculiar in their own way, support her no matter what. And it’s necessary. At school, she is a brilliant student, in a permanent competition with her personal Nemesis, Ben Gross. At home, between her Indian strict mother and her hot cousin, Devi doesn’t feel valued. Always on the verge of a meltdown, Devi finds it hard to cope with the pressure, she can’t regulate her emotions and relationships. She never seems to be in control, but who knows, there’s a first time for everything, even seducing two charming princes…
Here is a funny, fresh, tender, energetic series, the kind that cheers you up, even if your teenage years are long behind you. As a grieving teenager at the crossroads of two cultures, Devi often feels completely lost. She’ll have to accept herself, with all her weaknesses, to go from loser to heartbreaker. Because, unsurprisingly, Ben the Nemesis understands her and only teases her because he cares about her. More surprisingly, Paxton the top model will notice her, then grow fond of her. Many of us will recognize ourselves in the heroine’s doubts, anger and difficulty in choosing. Even with maturity, we’re still tempted to negotiate with life, to reconcile empathy and egoism!
The story is narrated by John Mac Enroe, and the impeccable casting, from the smallest supporting role to the main protagonists, does much to make the story credible and endearing. Each episode ends with a twist that makes you want to see the next one. We laugh, we cry, we get angry, we “awww”… And for a moment, we forget our own misfortunes while watching a series that makes us feel good.
4 seasons, 40 episodes (25 mn), 2020-2023, Netflix
WITH : Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Nalini, Richa Moorjani as Kamala, Jaren Lewison as Ben, Darren Barnet as Paxton, Ramona Young as Eleanor, Lee Rodriguez as Fabiola, Benjamin Norris as Trent, John Mc Enroe as himself, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohan, Niecy Nash as Devi’s therapist, Adam Shapiro as Mr. Shapiro, Ranjita Chakravarty as Nirmala…