Never Have I Ever – Season 4 Episode 1 Recap & Review

…lost my virginity

Episode 1 of Never Have I Ever Season 4 starts where we left off at Ben’s house after Devi and Ben have had sex for the first time. Both teenagers are awkward about it when Ben suddenly claims that he’s going to “hit the hay”. He offers to call Devi a cab but she gets dressed and leaves on her own.

The next day, Devi tells Eleanor and Fabiola all about the sex with Ben and explains how bad it was for her. She thinks that Ben probably felt the same too and sends him a nonchalant text, asking to meet over coffee. Ben, who is working out at the gym, runs into NBA player called Dwight Howard, who happens to be there. He suddenly talks to Dwight about having sex for the first time and claims that it was terrible for him.

Ben tells the basketball player that Devi has gone back home right after having sex. Dwight claims that Ben should not be with someone like Devi who was very into Ben but with someone that wants to have a relationship. Ben responds to Devi’s text and tells her that he is busy and won’t be able to see her.

Three months of summer pass and Devi is on her way to school for her first day of Senior Year. Devi says a prayer to the Gods hoping to get a Letter of Recommendation for Princeton from her AP Literature professor – Dr Keyes. Outside their house, Devi’s mother, Nalini, gives Devi her old car so that she can drive herself to school.

Meanwhile, Paxton is in college at ASU but it turns out that he misses high school over a conversation with Trent. Paxton agrees to host a college party in his dorm room but his roommate does not think highly of him, which upsets Paxton. In school, Fabiola and Eleanor are sure that Devi’s romantic life will take a turn for the better soon.

Devi is excited about getting to college as soon as possible and is waiting for the college applications to start. Devi is still awkward around Ben because of what happened between them over the summer. The trio spot the new group of senior bad boys that have taken over the jocks. Ethan Morales, one of the boys, has become insanely hot over summer break and Eleanor swoons over him.

Trent joins, asking Eleanor if she’s up for a make-out session by the bleachers but the latter claims that she’s busy with a lot of school-related activities since it’s the first day of senior year. Devi goes to her AP Lit class with Dr Keyes, who only writes a couple of Letters of Recommendation for her students because she is an old woman that has severe arthritis.

Dr Keyes is also extremely conservative and does not believe in teenagers dressing provocatively or being in a romantic relationship. Devi is dressed to impress Dr Keyes wearing her kilt and offering a gift to the old woman in order to make an impression. She asks Dr Keyes to consider her for one of the LoRs she would write that year.

Dr Keyes claims that it would be a matter of discussion in the future. Devi, feeling confident about herself decides to talk to Ben about what happened between them but soon learns that Ben was going out with Margot. Devi is full of rage because of how Ben treated her and yells at him in the middle of the cafeteria. Ben claims that he thought sex with Devi was a one-time thing and that she ran out on him practically afterwards.

Their conversation is overheard by Margot who comes in to defend Ben. She tells Devi that Ben had already told her about their ‘one free boink’. Both girls get into a heated argument with Devi talking about Ben’s privates in front of the other students as well as Dr Keyes who faints in the hallway after hearing what Devi had said.

Devi and Margot are called to Principal Grubbs’ office where she makes Margot apologise to Devi for her comment about attacking Devi. Margot gives Devi a half-assed apology and leaves. Meanwhile, Trent learns from Fabiola and Eleanor’s conversation that Eleanor was planning to move to join Juilliard and eventually move to England to pursue a career in theatre.

Trent is worried that Eleanor will break up with her. At the Robotics Club initiation, Fabiola is upset that the applicants were all boys with her being the only girl member of the tech team. After school, Devi rushes to her therapist’s clinic in time to vent about Ben, Margot and the mess she was in. Dr Ryan tells Devi that there’s nothing wrong with Devi and that Ben is naïve for not wanting to be with her for who she was.

The therapist also tells Devi that she needed to vent her anger onto a paper instead of verbalising it to Margot or Ben and getting into trouble. She also claims that Ben was at fault which is why Devi’s anger being directed only at Margot was very anti-Feminist. Devi ends up writing up her possible verbal abuses to Margot in her notebook and is finally over her feelings.

That night, Paxton feels left out at the party. He is not able to mix in with the cool kids there and misses his friends back home. The next day, Devi talks to Margot and apologises for the weird energy between them over Ben. The two sort things out with a discussion. However, Margot gets pissed off when she accidentally reads Devi’s list of mean things directed at her.

Margot calls Devi an asshole but Devi does not have time to fixate on it. She is dragged by Eleanor to see Trent in the break room for something urgent. There, Trent proposes to Eleanor, asking her to marry him. Eleanor declines the proposal and breaks up with Trent because they were just kids.

Trent claims that he knew Eleanor was too good for him and that he did not want to hold her back if she didn’t want to commit to spending the rest of their lives together. Trent still ends things with her and leaves. Ben catches Devi in the parking lot and apologises for not calling her back. Ben claims that he’s not sexually experienced and adds that their first time sucked for him as well.

He tells Devi that they would never be the right fit because they have always been so competitive. Devi is bummed about the comment and promises to be the girlfriend that Ben wants her to be. However, Ben is sure it won’t work out. After their discussion, both Ben and Devi part ways on a healthy note. Eventually, Devi goes to her car and learns that someone had vandalized it by spray painting ‘that bitch’ all over it as the episode ends.

The Episode Review

It is unsurprising how Devi is in the fourth year of High School and still can’t help but get involved in drama so casually. From trying to impress a conservative professor like Dr Keyes to actually saying something so scandalous that makes her faint and get admitted to a hospital, Devi did it all in one episode.

There certainly is something about this season that makes it seem rushed. It’s like Paxton is just not open to liking college because he is no longer popular there. I would not be surprised if he came back to Sherman Oaks to do another high school year just because he misses Trent and his friends.

Ben, on the other hand, looks miserable with Margot and I am sure instead of talking to a random stranger about his sex life, talking to Devi would be much better for him. From the way last season ended, I was sure that Devi and Ben would end up together but we will only have to wait and watch how their story turns out.