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rainparadefromhell · 2 years

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My thoughts on season 3 of Never Have I Ever

SPOILERS AHEAD !

* author's note : it's long what can you do, i have an obsessive personality

• Things I disliked in no particular order

1. The pacing of this season.

The pacing of this season

The pacing-

I don't know what happened this season but it felt like someone pushed my head into a blender. Many things were so glossed over, I was actually baffled. People kept getting into relationships and breaking up like it was nothing and all sense of direction was lost. Everything felt like a fever dream. Ben and Aneesa break up. She cries one time, kisses Fabiola and now they are in a relationship only for that to not work out and Fabiola gets into another relationship (at this point i forgot Eve existed). No one reacts to anything, things just happen so there is no chance for the viewers to get attached to any new storylines/couples. Just borderline bad writing in terms of pacing.

2. What they've done to Aneesa's character

At the end of the show, the person I felt bad for the most was Aneesa. The writers just would not give her a chance. She wasn't a real character. She barely had any personality beyond being a plot device for multiple characters and getting into meaningless relationships every 5 minutes (the show does have a problem with doing this to all characters tbh). I wanted to know Aneesa better (I hoped for a pov episode) but all I've got was her getting left for another person in not one but TWO relationships? And they made her kinda not even care about it. It just wasn't realistic and I hated it.

3. Des.

Listen, I don't have anything against his character. Because his character doesn't exist. Des got, as well as all the new characters - Aneesa'd. His sole purpose was to give Devi an Indian boyfriend (which is fine). But he was just so.....unnecessary?? I'm sorry but while watching every scene him and Devi shared, I was begging for literally any other character to show up. Same with his two friends (extras) that had about two lines each. His and Devi's relationship, in my opinion would've been just fine as a fling not a real relationship. And it lasted SO. FUCKING. LONG. Why, just why were they wasting time (that could have been given to flesh out old characters) on something everyone and their mother KNEW wouldn't work out or have any meaningful addition to the show. Other things got sidelined, that's why I hated this storyline.

4. And save the worst for last. All of Devi's romantic relationships in s3

Oh God, here we go.

I understand that Devi is a teen girl that just wants to date boys, have fun, be in love. I really do. But as writers, it is the nhie showrunners' job to make this enjoyable for the viewers. And it worked, the past 2 seasons it really did. Team Paxton, team Ben, team Devi.... We've all had something to enjoy. So throwing in another boy - no, two actually (the guitar player she kissed isn't a big part of the show so I don't really care) made me so angry. They've disturbed a sort of a balance between silly/fun the show had with like 3 or 4 love interests all in your face at the same time so they all started to look kinda.... unimportant (except for Ben, but I am biased lol). It looked painfully unrealistic as well.

The show yet again suffered because of its format. you simply can't throw in a bunch of characters in a 30 minute, 10 episode long comedy show and just hope for the best. It felt messy, rushed and fleeting. Like there was no room to breathe, I felt so anxious watching the middle part of the show.

• Things I did like in no particular order

1. The adults' storylines

I found them much more tolerable and cohesive. I am a Nalini stan first and a human second. I just love her. I love watching Poorna be so brilliant in this role. I was thrilled they gave her a friend and quite sad that friend was taken away later on but oh well. Also, possibly my favorite moment in the show was this quote from Nalini : "You are never too much and always enough." This show was the first time I've truly seen my relationship with my own mother represented in a way that isn't black or white and just simple or complicated. For me this scene meant a lot - showing that no matter what may happen, Nalini will always love and support her daughter.

I also liked Kamala's storyline. Tbh I didn't like Prashant all that much. He felt like a more mature Paxton. I'm glad Kamala didn't rush into marriage, especially if it's something she does not want. I really liked the relationship between Kamala and Mr. Kulkarni, I just wish we saw more of them.

2. Trent and Eleanor ??

I totally predicted this!! I said they will be that odd couple that somehow works very well and I was right. They were really entertaining and I'm so glad we get to see more of them.

3. Trent and Paxton ??

I adored Paxton and Trent's friendship. You can tell they love each other in their weird ways. This totally made me like the characters more and I love love LOVE seeing healthy male friendships in media.

4. Paxton

And everybody gasped. (Hell, I gasped, too). Here it comes Paxton/Daxton stans....

I did really like Paxton this season. And he had his moments last season as well, I'll admit that. Is he my favorite character in the show? No. Do I still think he's kinda boring and overrated? Yes. But I did like him. My favorite Paxton moment this season was in the hospital with Ben (as well as his friendship with Ben as a whole). Not only was it very kind of him to stay with Ben and make him feel better, I also loved him admiting he doesn't really know who he is. How incredibly honest of him. I liked that he apologized to all the girls he hurt and that he was friends with Haley again. I also loved him telling Devi she can't love anyone until she loves herself (someone's been reading my posts 👀). He finally started to care about things (school) and even if his storyline is a simple one, it worked. I'm glad he grew as a person. For me, Paxton finally became a full-fledged character with a unique storyline. It took only 3 seasons but we got there.

5. Benjamin Gross

I could write novels about Ben Gross. I could write about him until my hands hurt and then some more. He is easily one of my, if not my favorite fictional character of all time. He is one of the few characters that, in my opinion, isn't written in an episodic way. Jaren Lewison has this great ability to carry all of Ben's emotions in his pocket and whip out what he needs in a scene with such ease. The character doesn't forget his lessons, he remembers his past feelings and what they taught him which makes him develop and make progress so naturally within the show. Ben Gross isn't just a douche at the beginning of season 1 and a nice guy at the end of season 3. You can see all of his flaws as well as how caring and emotionally intelligent he is at the same time throughout the entire show. I'm so happy he learned to relax and not care as much about grades.

This kinda falls under Ben, but just 3x06 being the best episode (with the finale) for me. I don't know what kind of crack Mindy Kaling puts in the Ben episodes but she gets is right every damn time. Those 4 words being "I'm proud of you" from his dad made me so emotional. I wouldn't want them to be anything or for anyone else. Also I fucking loved Ben being into drawing?? We need more of that.

6. Devi Vishwakumar

My girl. I really liked Devi this season. I loved how they showed she's still grieving. Maitreyi's performance in the scene when Paxton tells her she doesn't love herself yet was so heartbreakingly beautiful. She knew he was right. Also can we talk about the best version of Devi aka post time jump Devi??? I love that girl! You can really tell she matured quite a bit. She's not as hot headed anymore. The only "bad" thing she did was throwing that book or whatever it was in the trash and honestly...? I didn't see how that was such a big deal at all. And the other team kinda cheated, too. Who cares? They're not in a courtroom. I really hope that in season 4 we see her growing even more.

7. The whole gang

One thing I also liked was that everyone was friends with everyone this season. We saw the Paxton-Trent-Eleanor group, Paxton and Ben's friendship, Paxton and Fabiola, Ben-Devi-Fabiola and so on.... I reallllly liked the different dynamics.

8. Ben & Devi

And finally - this is what (some of) you have been waiting for. As you can see the pacing and new characters really messed with how much I loved (or rather didn't) this season. But honestly, now that I had time to think about it, the character development and just the finale really saved the whole season for me. And yes, this includes Ben and Devi. This season we've seen Ben and Devi be mostly, friends. They didn't share many moments until the last few episodes which did frustrate me but that is exactly what made all of them feel so special later on. It was important for them to not spend as much time together then slowly be close friends for the finale we got. I really wasn't expecting it. For all my criticisms about the writing not being the best in some aspects of the show, the writers did such a good job with their storyline and it's safe to say that s3 is my favorite when it comes to them.

Last season we've only seen hints of them pining for each other. This season they were much more honest and comfortable with each other. I cannot stop thinking about how perfectly their little romance was sprinkled over the seasons, with season one's introduction and teasing of their feelings, season two's big conflict and hurt and finally season three's rekindling of feelings and big realizations. None of their storyline felt like sudden big explosions (like with Paxton), just a natural evolution of caring for each other. A sign that it wasn't just a crush (quick and overwhelming) but a first love kind of a situation. Realistic, messy, beautiful, simple. There isn't a doubt in my mind that these two will end up together in some way at the end of season 4. Truly one of my favorite on screen couples all thanks to the brilliant and talented Jaren and Maitreyi.

Overall, I still think the show's best season is season 1. It was almost perfectly set up. However, in terms of characters and our main couple, I have to say season 3 feels the most open, vulnerable and grown up. The last episode felt super special and teased season 4 in which we will see the gang prepare for college. I have huge expectations for season 4 and I really think it could be one of the best ones (best one?), but who knows...

Maybe I'm just a sucker for closures.

Also, I can't believe the finale??? Like they were evil evil for that one, not letting us see what happens! On the other hand I can't be mad bc as a writer that is such a me thing to do. Like, I can totally see myself be that much of an asshole and sadist so I kinda get it. Idk what I will do until s4.

#never have i ever season 3 #never have i ever #nhie #nhie spoilers #never have i ever netflix #devi vishwakumar #nalini vishwakumar #kamala nandiwadal #ben gross #fabiola torres #eleanor wong #paxton hall yoshida #trent harrison #aneesa qureshi #des nhie #benvi #can't believe i've been with this show for almost 3 years #i criticize it a lot but it really is very special to me and i do love it a lot #will be so sad when it's all over

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becky5203 · 11 months

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There’s something to be said about how Margot was introduced as Ben’s love interest and then got the opportunity to evolve past that and into Devi’s friend, and how Aneesa was introduced as her own character and became Devi’s friend, only to devolve into a single step up from a background character when she was no longer a love interest for the main characters. A rant for another day perhaps.

#becky’s live nhie react #nhie s4e8 #never have i ever #never have i ever netflix #never have i ever spoilers #nhie #nhie netflix #nhie spoilers #never have i ever criticism #nhie criticism #margot ramos #aneesa qureshi

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theghostofashton · 2 years

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#it feels so violent that poc are never allowed to simply enjoy anything #even when things cater to us we still have to deal w white takes on them that taint the experience #yes this is about nhie lol #the amount of people that i've seen villainize devi just makes me...... i'm not even angry i'm just so sad #it genuinely hurts bc i don't think people realize how starved south asians are for ANY kind of good rep #i looked up indian characters in western media the other day and - raj from big bang theory. apu from the simpsons. ravi from jessie #all of which are racist beyond belief #we have basically nothing #there are no characters that look like me in western media there never have been #until devi #who is south indian and unapologetic and gets to work through her trauma and be given the space to grieve #that's huge too #we don't get that our culture often denies that #we are constantly moving on and pushing past and ignoring the problem until it guts us and even then it's still not allowed #for us to be upset #so to see people criticize devi's abject grief and pain is just like....... you have no idea #you TRULY have no idea #if you don't like her find another show this show belongs to her #but instead i have to risk seeing people prioritize ben and his feelings and center him in devi's narrative to the point where it's just lik #when will it end? when will you stop centering the white boy in a narrative that FINALLY prioritizes an indian woman #finally #after fucking ages #just...... it's exhausting i'm exhausted #the new season comes out soon and i am already afraid of the racist shit my girl is going to endure #and the racist shit that i am going to have to endure as a result lmfao #like i do not know how to express the way it hurts to finally get a narrative that prioritizes us #and still see people make it about her white love interest and villainize her like i just #do i even want more rep if this is how people will rip it apart do i even want to go through that

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itsdeanwinchester · 2 years

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I mean I knew that it was going to go with that ending but idk I feel like she should've spent her first time with Paxton? Like coming full circle on the dream but now she's in a better and more confident space ? Idk idk. The cliffhanger is fine, I'm whatever about it but honestly sad about Paxton leaving.

#idk idk im too tired to think about it critically #never have i ever spoilers #never have i ever #nhie s3

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jojoblessed365 · 5 months

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Peeta/Gale - Jealousy

Okay, I have to say that I've gone back into The Hunger Games fandom, and upon my reread of the OG trilogy, there's this one detail of how Peeta and Gale handle their jealousy towards each other:

So Peeta admits in Catching Fire that he was always a little jealous of Gale because of the relationship that Gale and Katniss shared as hunting partners and because Gale is the archetype of guys who are adored by thousands but will choose to be with one girl (like Jeremiah from TSITP and Paxton from NHIE). But then he overcomes this jealousy by actually explicitly allowing Katniss to choose Gale by putting a picture of him smiling (which is described by Katniss in the first book as something that makes Gale someone you wish you knew) in the locket he wore in the Quarter Quell.

On the other hand, Gale's jealousy (and this is what I found from a book following a critical perspective of agency in the Hunger Games), is due to the fact that Peeta can protect Katniss in ways that Gale cannot. What is so disturbing in Mockingjay, is that Gale actually offers not once but twice to kill Peeta (once after Katniss's hurtful comment of Peeta being a mutt and after Peeta asks to be killed, despaired that he murdered a squad member in cold blood in hijacked state). It's also evident in his and Peeta's conversation, that Peeta "won" with his actions and I'd like to quote:

Gale believes that Katniss loves Peeta more not because of who Peeta is but because of what he was able to offer. According to Gale, Peeta was willing to give up everything, to surrender all personal freedom and power, in order to remain with Katniss, and this is what gives Peeta an advantage over Gale. In Gale’s mind, Peeta sacrifices power for a relationship whereas Gale sees the power that a relationship can offer.

Thoughts?

#everlark #peeta x katniss #gale x katniss #the hunger games

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lansangprincess · 3 days

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As someone who's Asian and also told you to watch Heartbreak High, I just wanted to vent about the racism in this fandom. It angers me how white characters like Spider and Harper are held to less high standard than characters like Sasha who's East Asian and Dusty who's half South Asian even from season 1. While I don't like those characters and didn't defend them in season 1 the way the racist fandom is reacting now makes me defend them from being held to a higher standard. People use "As a woman Harper doesn't feel she has more to offer than her body" and her past as a reason to justify her actions towards Malakai. The woman card and whatever her past is no excuse and she's as guilty as Dusty. Also Dusty only touched Malakai's shoulder and looked to Harper for what she had in mind, so I don't get how the fandom is saying he initated it to justify them liking Harper. Harper initiated the threesome by kissing Malakai first, not that it matters who initated. People don't use the race card for Dusty and whatever his past may be in regards to that. They loved Spider and campaigned for him getting development and showing his past in season 2 which he got out of popularity even though he too was a complete asshole in season 1. Spider sexually harassed Quinni by spreading rumors about her vagina even though he never slept with her and they shipped him with Amerie even though he was a bully who had a creepy obsession with her sex life. Spider blamed Malakai for the police case and it seems he may have a fetish for WOC. Spider didn't treat Amerie any better than Dusty did, so if it were a MOC in his place they wouldn't ship him with Amerie. Harper did regret the threesome but it wasn't for Malakai's sake but her own and she never apologized to Malakai. She regretted it because of how it affected her friendships, because she didn't like Dusty anymore and found the experience not enjoyable enough. People criticize Dusty for saying she took pleasure in the threesome and while he should be criticized for the part where he showed how insecure he was over Malakai he shouldn't be criticized for holding her accountable for the fact that she did take some pleasure in the threesome like he did. Also Harper was no more high than he was. I don't think she was criticized for the threesome in season 2 since she became friends with Amerie and Malakai after she called it slut shaming in season 1 when Missy criticized her while Dusty was rightfully criticized by Cash in season 2. It bothers me how she became friends with Amerie again after how badly she bullied her which was unjustifiable. If Amerie was in her place fans would hate her. They already criticize her. Devi from NHIE was hated on for less and it upsets me as a brown woman that they had her end up with Ben who never apologized to her for bullying and being racist to her, but the fandom loves him. He got mad at her over Aneesa because she didn't accept her apology for being cringe but never apologized to her for treating her like shit and didn't get mad at his white ex who actually started the rumor. She had trauma from him and cried over experiencing mean treatment in school. Made racist comments masculinizing her appearance and when he asked her to be his girlfriend talked about how big his ex's tits were. Tried to kiss her multiple times at his party but didn't help her out of his pool. I don't ship Daxton but Paxton had better arc than him but isn't liked as much as he isn't fully white. When Fabiola tried to hold Ben accountable for bullying he was like yeah but she broke my heart. I don't judge people for shipping them but I do judge them when they have the audacity to judge my morals as a brown woman over which fictional ships/characters I like.

Hi babe!

First of all, I saw this was a two-parter so I wanna let you know that I don't know when I'll be able to get back to you on the second part since it's also pretty long. Thanks so much for putting me onto HBH!! I've lowkey midkey started to love it a lot more than TSITP, which by the way, sorry if you have messages in my inbox about TSITP that I haven't responded to—the shipwars was hella draining and it took away the fun of being a fangirl for me.

Anyways, I'm still trying to digest all the points you've made and I'm just going to go with an assumption that you want to vent more than anything so I don't think I'm going to react on every point. Glad you feel safe to share in my inbox! (Even for tsitp).

I'm Asian also but regardless, I definitely agree that the support people gave Spider (esp in S1) to have redemption was disproportionate and weird >< Like, just because there was a plot twist that the reason for his behavior was he had a crush on Amerie—that didn't justify his behavior at all in my eyes ?? He was hella bigoted throughout the entire season and being rejected by the person you liked is not a reasonable excuse for that. Sasha was completely in the wrong for how she treated Quinni and she does require a redemption from that imo but her personality majority of the time is just being annoying and performative which doesn't beget hatred comparable to Spider's. Though for me, Season 2 Sasha didn't do anything bad, she was just entertainingly insufferable lol. Spider's redemption was well-written, I'm onboard for it but he still has a lot of work to do (and tbh I could've lived with Spider just continuing being a villain but that's not what we got and I'm just going with the flow of what our beautiful writers have given us). Sasha doesn't need a redemption for me bc she didn't do anything in S2. My forgiveness of her is dependent on Quinni's forgiveness of her and Quinni seems to have been able to move on, we'll see more of it when they work together in S3.

Though I also want to mention that I disagree with what you said about Harper… From what I've seen, a lot of people hate her. A lot of people don't forgive her for the threesome which I can understand but from my perception all of her decision-making was completely impaired and misguided because of her trauma, and I think that should be taken into consideration—she had no one to help her in the aftermath of what she went through and so had no idea how to handle it. What she went with for her own experience was to just kind of, pretend it never happened and go back to "being normal". If you watch the threesome scene back, Dusty took Harper's hand and placed it on Malakai's shoulder. He 100% had intentions of making things more intimate with the three of them. I can't really say the same for Harper. I can imagine that in the moment when Dusty put her hand on Malakai she genuinely thought she was helping Malakai cope.

#heartbreak high #spider white #sasha so #malakai mitchell #harper mclean #dusty heartbreak high

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heycoyotegirl · 10 months

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thinking about how devi comforted herself by listening to the voicemail where mohan calls her his perfect girl and how nalini says that she'll find someone who loves her exactly as she is and then how paxton, who fell for her because she was unapologetically herself, tells her not to reinvent anything because she's good as is only for her to end up with ben like

#what was the POINT #there are so may mohan & paxton parallels and they're all for nothing #daxton #devi vishwakumar #paxton hall yoshida #anti benvi #nhie #nhie s4 #nhie s4 spoilers #nhie spoilers #never have i ever #my post #i seem to have slipped back into the anger stage of grief #but there was just So much wasted potential it makes me so frustrated #nhie critical #delete later

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based-and-rinpilled · 2 years

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“Devi is an awful person” “Ben is an asshole” “Paxton treated Devi like shit”

Have you ever considered the fact that they are 15-18?

#how dare traumatized/insecure teenagers not be 100% perfect #notice how 2 of them are people of color (specifically Asian)#I’m not saying their age/trauma excuse everything they’ve done #But maybe cut them a bit of slack?#It’s one thing to not like them/criticize them for the shitty things they’ve done #but some of you seem really desperate to demonize them #devi vishwakumar #Ben gross #paxton hall yoshida #Nhie

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mellarkably · 2 years

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ben advising devi

this is an excerpt from s3's first episode

and this is from the trailer

something that has remained a constant theme throughout the show is ben offering advice to devi. we see it in s1, at their lockers after visiting the principal's office together, we see it at devi's house, then we see it at ben's house, arguably the most important advice ben ever gives devi, which is to talk to her mother before it's too late.

s2 ep 5 has its moments at the relay. then, ben telling devi to apologize to aneesa is more of a demand than advice but regardless, still critically important for her development. ep 8 when ben tells her that she'll do better next time and that she should stick to one guy; but ep 10 is when the romcom energy is turned up to the maximum with the iconic bathroom peptalk.

whether or not they end up being romantic endgame, ben offering advice to devi and being a guide seems to be a continued theme in s3. that itself solidifies that he is necessary for devi's growth, because he is her twin flame, in a sense. they're both always placed in similar situations and they understand each other in ways the other nhie teens cannot, perhaps because of similar drives, interests, and personalities.

You want my advice? Stop trying so hard.

ben telling her to stop trying so hard because he recognizes she isn't acting like herself in order to fit in with the popular crowd is reflective of his own struggles with the same issue. ben has spent his whole life being loud and obnoxious and bragging about his dad's money, LITERALLY trying too hard to seem cool so he can fit in and make friends. the reason why ben can get to devi like no one else is because they are so alike. they are mirrors.

that being said, ben is a flawed character, and i love him for it. he is no way meant to be someone perfect giving advice to a struggling devi. not to mention the fact that ben is clearly trying to desperately ignore his residual feelings for devi in efforts to be the better person (unless he's the anon texter which oof). he is also sitting on the atom bomb eleanor dropped on his head at the winter dance, and not bringing it up yet.

its the way they're both in sinking boats that makes his light-hearted yet serious advice so much more genuine, because he has been there, done that. i imagine we'll see ben mess up somewhere along the season, and i wonder whether devi will get to lift him up or support him in the same sardonic but warm way. one can only hope.

side note, it's interesting how 'herself' devi is when around ben, like in the scene where they're laughing together while my baby aneesa watches. i've given up on trying to predict where the love angles will go, especially with the addition of des, but ben and devi's relationship and individual parallels will always make me smile because of how clearly integral they are to each other’s growth.

#never have i ever #nhie #benvi #ben gross #devi vishwakumar #bevi #word vomit once again but the repeated advice giving had me thinking #idk man they are everything to me #benvi forever baby

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the-paris-of-people · 1 year

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THANK YOU for speaking on how bela's actions are clearly trauma-informed i feel like i've been yelling this from the rooftops and no one has been listening. it's not just about her need to be liked. it's about the fact that the catullan made her feel like her only power was her sexuality and it was used against her. so when she came back after thanksgiving, she decided that she was going to take her power back and use her sexuality to her advantage after it was used to degrade her. and whether or not she went about it in a way that people agree with or not is besides the point because it's a common feeling and thing to happen to sa survivors. also when eric (a white man who's on the catullan which gives him better chances of getting an internship anyway) swooped in on her chance to get an internship, she felt powerless again. like he had everything in his corner to help him get an internship without meeting with dan and as a woc in comedy, this was bela's big shot and he took it from her. i also think the jorja storyline outlined bela wanting to feel powerful as well, however misguided it was. there are some criticisms i have of her storyline. most of them are the fact that i feel like she was neglected in favor of other characters and they really could've dived deeper into her actions. but bela is my girl 100% and i will stand by her no matter what. she kills my family? they did something to deserve it idc

Yes!! I even saw someone link an interview with Amrit that said "Bela reflected back on her assault/abuse at the Catullan over Thanksgiving break and thought she wasn't talking no shit" Thank you for bringing up Eric because he literally said he was going to do whatever it takes to climb the comedy writing ladder OVER her even though he has every single advantage over her and it was just generally rude to screw over his girlfriend like that when he literally KNOWS writers at the Dan O'Connell show and could have used that instead. The Jorja storyline people said was out of character, but again it was just Bela recapitulating the power dynamic and "suffering" she had to endure once she assumed influence in her position of power that the Catullan head writers exerted over her. I really think they could have explicitly stated/explored her trauma further this season and I do think they could have focused more on her, but I think she'll really get a chance to shine next season and I am so excited for that. It's crazy that people reduced Bela down to being a "villain" or "a cheater" (which is insane to me, people cheat in TV shows all the time and no one gets this up in arms about it???) when she again, is a young girl incredibly confused at how to navigate her career in a male-dominated career, especially when she has been the victim of SA VERY RECENTLY without truly processing it. I love her so much and she could kill me and I wouldn't care. Bela ultimately has a great heart, cares about her friends and the people around her, she has just been fucked by the world of comedy and is trying to unlearn everything that has steered her awry from season 1. Again, I get the sense from people's criticisms of the show that unless these concepts are very explicitly STATED (like with NHIE s1 vs. s2) they cannot interpret that many of these actions of WOC are trauma-informed and instead display a complete disregard, neglect, and lack of empathy for them. it's disgusting and I hate it and they don't deserve Bela. Thank you for coming to my inbox for agreeing with me XOXO

#truly i love her sm #let woc be flawed #rather than demonizing mindy kaling for demonizing her #thank her for showing us how trauma inflicted on woc can affect them and incite their messiness #ask #answered #the sex lives of college girls #i do wish we got more bela this seaso #bela malhotra

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catty-words · 1 year

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Oh! The mustache thing and David. Okay, okay. It still feels kinda weird to say someone is racist over this, but yeah, now that you point it out I see it. I had a childhood friend who got in a foreign exchange student program for a year in high school and when she came back she told us how since the gringos couldnt say her name properly they just defaulted to calling her "Brazil" 😑

I feel a bit called out about twitter, even if its true and I'm only there cuz I'm an addict being held hostage. I've also curated my fandom experience, but I was really needing more info and saw stuff that bummed me out while researching 🥲🥲 I dont mind seeing people criticize characters cuz like we are all entitled to our opinion even if I disagree, but I guess it kinda shocked me still. I guess I forgot about how in some ship wars I participated in when I was 13 some people would call the other characters rapists and stuff after being away from typical fandom toxicity for so long lol.

About the tone shift: yeah I did, but it didnt feel "drastic", just different. In a bad way. Like one of the first metas I read talked about how Devi lacked autonomy in season two and I was like YES THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING even thought not really I was just "wait why is this feeling a bit off... weird... let me play the next episode and just hope is merely a vibe" I dont hate season 2 as much as you seem to, however season 1 and 3 are indeed superior. Season 3 is my favorite out of the three because I really like how the characters matured. A favorite episode is probably 1x10, like the scene of Nalini with dr. Ryan moves me, then Ben driving cackles me up, then I back to being moved by them spreading Mohan ashes with beautiful day playing, then boys like you as "you stayed" and benvi kiss and paxton calling and back to the kiss and I'm like OMG WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO I HAVE CLASS TOMORROW AND ITS ALMOST TWO BUT FUCK I NEED TO KEEP WATCHING THIS. I always feel like that when I'm rewatching even if it's not two am and I dont have class the next day lmao

You are going to think I'm super horny but probably "why don’t you show me the bitty spark you’ve been saving for his mattress?". It's the one I reread the most after all. The awkwardness of the situation?? Their great characterization??? Devi having no idea of what to do with Ben of all people making her feel like that??? Fab and Eleanor still unsure about him at school and being cutely protective of Devi??? Ugh, just kill me already (please dont)

"you're gonna fall (but i'll catch you)" is also great! I love to read adults au for shows about hs characters and hs aus for shows about adult characters idk why but there are not enough adult aus for nhie in my opinion and yours is my fave!!! Plus Ben being so into stories is adorable as someone who really sees herself in Abed Nadir. Plus the way is not just about their romance but also Devi dealing with grief and her complicated relationship with her mother and self destructive tendencies and... ugh I just love it.

It still feels kinda weird to say someone is racist over this, but yeah, now that you point it out I see it. - i think the disconnect comes from the way fandom uses words like 'racist' to build cases about how it's Objectively Wrong for anyone to like a certain character, whereas the word itself applies to a whole spectrum of behavior and morality. like, it shouldn't actually be that uncomfortable to admit that ben can be and is sometimes racist, he is a walking definition of privilege. him internalizing racist sentiment should hardly be surprising. but it also doesn't make him irredeemable scum. he's obviously a really caring character, as well.

on a related note, yikes @ those students who committed micro-aggressions to your childhood friend. as they get further and further into their life, may they reflect and do better rather than double-down.

I dont mind seeing people criticize characters cuz like we are all entitled to our opinion even if I disagree, but I guess it kinda shocked me still. I guess I forgot about how in some ship wars I participated in when I was 13 some people would call the other characters rapists and stuff after being away from typical fandom toxicity for so long lol. - i get it, i get it. for me, there need exist a gaping divide between exposing myself to critical or even harsh reads of characters i love and/or identify with for the sake of refining my own read of the text and giving the time of day to people who aren't engaging sincerely with the text. protect yourself in the echo-chamber!

About the tone shift: yeah I did, but it didnt feel "drastic", just different. In a bad way. - VINDICATION

but jfgdf - I dont hate season 2 as much as you seem to - i feel compelled to clarify that it's not that i hate season two, not really. it's more that the season let me down and then, by nature of netflix shows' release schedules being what they are, forced me to sit with that disappointment for over a year. it's that i love season one SO MUCH, i couldn't reconcile how much i didn't vibe with season two. on paper, you're right, the tone difference is not drastic, but the emotional response it elicited in me definitely was.

and I'm like OMG WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO I HAVE CLASS TOMORROW AND ITS ALMOST TWO BUT FUCK I NEED TO KEEP WATCHING THIS. I always feel like that when I'm rewatching even if it's not two am and I dont have class the next day lmao - i love you for this, and 1.10 is such a valid choice she really is That Bitch

You are going to think I'm super horny but probably "why don’t you show me the bitty spark you’ve been saving for his mattress?". - first of all, embrace the horny within. it's important to the show that you do, we're in the spirit of the source material here! second of all, this choice makes me really happy because i love that fic and generally speaking, people are a little shier about giving feedback on smut but, like, that's hands down some of my best writing (both for d/b and more generally). so. thank you.

Fab and Eleanor still unsure about him at school and being cutely protective of Devi??? - you may already know that i'm writing a long-form follow-up with 'bitty spark' acting as the prologue since it sounds like you picked through my blog a bit and i feel like i never shut up about the sequel BUT ANYWAY one of the best parts about it is ben finding himself enmeshed in the girl squad, if i do say so myself. (x)

I love to read adults au for shows about hs characters and hs aus for shows about adult characters idk why but there are not enough adult aus for nhie in my opinion and yours is my fave!!! - okay, well now i'm going to think about you every time i read an adult AU for a high school show or a high school AU for an adult show.

thank you for fueling my vanity and for stopping by my askbox in the first place!

#anon #replies #i guess i'll put this in my general show tag?#never have i ever

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