Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 3 Review: ...liked a bad boy
Denis Kimathi
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It had nothing to do with girl code but all to do with friendship code.
Devi struggled with her attraction to bad boy Ethan on Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 3 when she started having sex dreams about him despite being aware that Eleanor was into him.
After realizing it wasn't for him, Paxton returned to Sherman Oaks after a short while in college.
Devi found herself in another love triangle … or more like a horniness triangle.
Ethan: And the baddest part about you is that you're betraying your friend.
Devi: Huh?
Ethan: It's so hot how you're stabbing her in the back. Her feelings are gonna be so hurt.
It had almost become a recurring theme for Devi to find herself in some affair, but this time something major was at risk if things went south.
Eleanor and Fabiola are Devi's support system in school. Without them, she is a rudderless ship in the middle of a sea storm.
Despite how hot he was, she was unwilling to risk that for a boy.
Her actions spoke of some growth on her part. The previous Devi would have made all the wrong decisions and hurt Eleanor.
She was now mature enough to try and not put herself first.
But the consequences of her actions from the past were following her still.
Ben avoided speaking to her and even made up a lie to try and cover up the fact.
Ben: I'll just sit back here so that Devi doesn't try to make conversation with me.
Margot: Babe, you know I don't care if you talk to her, right? This whole silent treatment thing was your idea.
Ben: I know because it's just easier this way. She just always complicates things.
They weren't expected to become best friends who crochet together after what happened on Never Have I Ever Season 4 Episode 1, but they were drifting further apart.
I had figured that even if the romantic side didn't work out, they would remain friends because of their shared goal of academic excellence.
Maybe sex really does ruin everything.
Or, in some people's cases, refusing to marry your childish high school boyfriend.
How Eleanor and Trent ended was so abrupt that there was barely any time to discuss anything.
After being left, Eleanor was heartbroken and was looking to forget Trent.
But you cannot forget feelings. She tried to get with Ethan and see whether he could fill the void left by Trent.
How she objectified him showed that there was nothing deeper she was feeling for him.
Devi: How are we gonna solve this?
Eleanor: Simple. You give him to me. I liked him first. I kissed him first, and I just got dumped, so I need this. Okay, what?
Devi: If anyone needs this, it's me. You got dumped by a guy who loved you so much that he proposed to you after a meaningful relationship and tons of amazing sex. The person who took my virginity ditched me for someone else and won't even speak to me.
Her mind was on Trent, and Trent's was on her.
It doesn't seem like Eleanor and Trent are over, but that doesn't mean they should get back together just because they have feelings for each other.
Some growth -- who are we kidding -- a lot of growth is needed on Trent's side. He needs to let go of the child in him and focus on the future. It was cute when they were in high school, but now that was about to change.
There is a fair chance that he might not change much, if ever. Then Eleanor has to make peace with that fact and find a way to accommodate him into her life. That will be the hardest task.
She is destined to be a star, and he is destined to look at moons in awe.
Their having feelings for each other is not reason enough to get back together. It's like people who stay in broken or abusive marriages because of their children.
Devi walked past Paxton on Never Have I Season 4 Episode 2, and she thought she might have hallucinated the whole thing, but seeing him again confirmed the opposite.
Paxton had quit college!
Devi: But for real, what are you doing here?
Paxton: I'm the assistant swim coach.
Devi: Wait, really? But what about ASU?
Paxton: Oh yeah, uh, didn't work out. Just wasn't the right place for me.
Devi: Yeah, but, like, how would you know? You were there for, like, what, two weeks? Come on, what'd your parents say?
Paxton: College isn't for everyone, Devi. You know that, right? I mean, it's actually kind of elitist of you--
Devi: Oh no, no, no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just… I don't know. I thought you could've given it more time before you, you know, gave up.
Paxton: Well, thank you for your concern, but I'm an adult. I know what I'm doing.
For many people, college is unnecessary, and one can hear a million and one stories about people who regret wasting four years of their lives only to leave with back-breaking debt.
But the decision, like most, is a very personal one. For many people, it's clear-cut that they don't belong there because society has deemed them not smart enough to attend.
Kind of a weird metric to decide the future for everyone when we are all different, if you ask me.
Paxton said that he didn't fit there but didn't give justification as to why. Not that he needed to justify his actions to Devi, but I'm not sure he even knows why he quit.
There are many reasons why people quit college, but I have never heard of someone who quit to go back to their high school because their high school popularity didn't carry over to college.
Paxton: Do you think I made a mistake leaving college so soon?
Trent: Are you freaking joking? No way. Look at you. You're getting paid to basically hang out with me. What could be better?
Paxton: I know, right? And college sucked, man. Everyone at ASU was a freaking douche, and now that I'm here, it'll be just like old times, except without any homework.
When we saw Paxon in college in Never Have I Ever Season 4, he missed Trent and met way cooler guys than himself. Next, he's rushed back to Sherman Oaks.
That was his first mistake. Returning to his former high school was not the right step forward if he really didn't like college. He will never progress if he limits his life to his hometown. Soon, Sherman Oaks would be very different and barely recognizable.
Sooner or later, he will need to move on.
Deep in his heart, he knew that he had quit for all the wrong reasons, so Devi's questions bothered him that much.
He was chasing a past life where he was popular. He even went to Ethan's party. And he was not a student!
It is so sad for people who peaked in high school.
Devi's mom and Margot's dad crossed paths again. The universe has a funny way of reuniting people.
Not only did they not wish to see each other, their daughters couldn't stand one another.
Wouldn't it be funny if they started dating, forcing Devi and Margot to make up?
Nothing is stopping them from being together. The enemies-to-friends trope never gets old.
After getting significant screen time, Ethan is starting to grow on me. He is cold, rude, dumb, and so aloof it's funny.
"… liked a bad boy" was a fun episode that gave us much to think about but didn't address the group's future.
What did you think?
Did Paxton quit for all the wrong reasons?
Should Eleanor throw caution to the wind and get back together with Trent?
Let us know in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
