Warning! Spoilers ahead for the fourth season of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever!
After waiting years of pining, drama, confusion, and comedy, Season 4 of Never Have I Ever officially closed out the Devi-Ben-Paxton love triangle, and revealed who this spunky protagonist ended up with. In the end, Devi and Paxton were just good friends, and she and Ben, even after their rocky relationship in the final season, made it work while going to college. However, when it comes to Team Ben and Team Paxton, star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan actually pulled off a pretty great prank when she kept getting asked whose team she was on, with her final (and real) answer being the best one.
Throughout the run of this Netflix comedy, Ramakrishnan has been asked over and over and over again about which team she's on, as this series is definitely a modern-day Hunger Games or Twilight debacle. Plus, with this being the final season of Never Have I Ever, she was really being asked this question on repeat. So, Devi actress admitted to The New York Times that she had actually given different answers to different publications about whether she was on Team Ben or Team Paxton for her exit interviews, which was an excellent way to throw everyone off. However, she did, swear that she was going to be honest in her NYT interview as she explained:
It could have gone into a Team Ben or Team Paxton win at the end, and I’d be pretty indifferent. I think it’s pretty awesome that she’s grown up so much. I’m just Team Devi; I really am. I’m about her independence, her making mistakes, just learning what she likes. I will die on this hill. I think people think I’m lying, but I genuinely am all about letting a woman be a woman.
It’s pretty funny that Maitreyi Ramakrishnan gave different answers when asked about Team Ben or Team Paxton. However, it really just makes sense since she’s been asked about it so much over the years, and with this being the last season, she wanted to have some fun. You can see her varying answers in this tweet from Nancy Coleman, who wrote the NYT piece on the young actress:
my sincere regards to @ramakrishnannn for sparing me a heart attack from what is truly the greatest-executed prank of all time. the commitment to the bit is unmatched: https://t.co/PPeBC62wRb https://t.co/JPoczYnR85 pic.twitter.com/I71eHDyrssJune 9, 2023
I also bet that the actress has had interactions with Never Have I Ever fans who are devout members of both teams, so mixing up her answers gave everyone a little bit of what they wanted. Even if it was all a prank.
Overall, does sound like she is "pretty indifferent" all around and has a lot of love for both Jaren Lewison and Darren Barnet, who play Ben and Paxton, respectively.
Ramakrishnan ultimately being Team Devi just seems right, considering all that the character has gone through in the four seasons. Between losing her dad, almost losing her friends, and going through breakups and makeups throughout high school, she’s learned from it all. While Devi did end up being Team Ben, it seems like Ramakrishnan prioritizes her characters' individual growth first, which is so empowering.
Never Have I Ever’s triangle wasn’t actually the only relationship-fueled storyline for the final season. Kamala’s silly story involving her disapproving of Pati’s relationship with her new boyfriend, Len, was a funny distraction to some of the more serious storylines, like Devi and the others figuring out college plans. Plus, some of the other couples in Never Have I Ever suffered some speedbumps and new changes along the way, but everyone ended up with their own happily ever afters.
It's sad that we won't get to see Devi and her relationships grow. However, with four complete seasons of Never Have I Ever available to those with a Netflix subscription, there will be plenty of chances to get re-invested, even if there aren’t going to be any new episodes. Plus, you can always go back and laugh about just how good Maitreyi Ramakrishnan pranked us all when it came to her answering the age-old question: Are you Team Ben or Team Paxton?
