How Does Devi's Journey Conclude in Never Have I Ever's Final Season?

[Editor’s Note: This post contains major spoilers for Never Have I Ever Season 4.]

Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s comedy Never Have I Ever is a triumph in teen TV, seamlessly blending silly romantic escapades with heartfelt family drama. For four seasons, viewers followed the journey of lovable yet undeniably messy protagonist Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) — aided by her two best friends Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young), her academic-rival-turned-frenemy-turned-love interest Ben (Jaren Lewison), her dreamy childhood crush Paxton (Darren Barnet), and her endearing family led by matriarch Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) — as she navigated the ups and downs of adolescence.

The fourth and final season of Never Have I Ever premiered June 8 on Netflix, and the stakes for Devi’s future have never been higher. Change is in the air, sweeping through the lives of each character, whether they welcome it or not. And this sense of transformation becomes the driving force of the season, as Devi and Co. grapple with the uncertainty of what lies beyond the safe familiarity of high school. As the series wraps itself up, Season 4 bids farewell to the beloved Sherman Oaks teens through a series of bittersweet goodbyes, unexpected revelations, and as always, a whole lot of drama.

Here, we break down the final episodes’ biggest questions and surprises, and why Never Have I Ever had to end after four seasons.

Does Devi get into Princeton?

In Season 4, Devi’s storyline primarily centers around her attempts to get into Princeton University. It’s been a dream of hers since childhood, and her stats made her practically a shoo-in for admission. Unfortunately, Devi didn’t account for what would happen if someone else also applied to her dream college — specifically, if that person happened to be one of her best friends.

Fabiola’s been on a much rockier journey to college. Unlike Devi, she has no idea where she wants to go and who she wants to be beyond her passion for robotics. When her mother pushes her to apply to an Ivy, Fabiola finds herself drawn to Princeton’s robotics program, unbeknownst to Devi. This becomes a source of tension when Fabiola receives an early admission offer and Devi is deferred. Being deferred by her dream school gets at one of her deepest insecurities, as Devi takes it as an indication that she wasn’t good enough upon first glance.

Already known for her questionable decisions, Devi only applies to the other Ivy League schools as back-up options. Her self-esteem drops even lower when she gets rejected by each one except Princeton, where she finds herself on the waitlist. This leaves her future uncertain, which, at 17 years old, is the most frightening position to be in.

At the guidance of her favorite Princeton admissions officer, Devi writes a supplemental essay that digs deeper into who she is beyond her impressive academic resume. Earlier in the season, Devi rejected the idea of writing about her late father. To her, it felt exploitative to utilize the trauma of his death as a way for universities to deem her important, and she felt like who she was on paper said it all. Devi later realizes that her father’s presence in her life is an essential part of who she is. Her story is not defined by his death, but by who he was when he was alive and how that legacy lives on through her. Fortunately, Devi’s final decision to pay homage to her dad pays off, and she ultimately gets accepted into Princeton.

Who does Devi end up with?

Although Paxton returns to Sherman Oaks early in the season, any potential for a romantic relationship between Devi and him is ultimately shut down, particularly because Paxton returns as a faculty member. Despite sharing a brief kiss while stranded in a closet, their close call of almost getting caught serves as a wake-up call for both of them, providing them each with the closure necessary to move on.

On the other hand, Benvi fans can rejoice knowing Ben remains a prominent figure in Devi’s thoughts throughout the season. Even as the two briefly date other people, there’s still a mutual sense of yearning that lingers within each of their interactions — it’s just a matter of when the two kids can sort through their feelings, and if they can do it before they inevitably leave for college.

In the finale, Ben’s early departure for New York right after graduation cuts through Devi’s hopes of spending the summer together, and they share a bittersweet goodbye. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mindy Kaling rom-com without some grand romantic gesture. During Nirmala’s (Ranjita Chakravarty) wedding, Ben surprises Devi by flying across the country just to confess his feelings. She reciprocates, and they spend their last night in Sherman Oaks together. But before Devi can leave for school, Ben finally asks Devi if they can pursue a real relationship, which is helped by the fact that Princeton and Columbia aren’t that far from each other.

Will there be a Season 5?

As announced in March 2022, Season 4 serves as the final season of the teen comedy. It feels fitting for the story’s progression, as Kaling explained to Entertainment Tonight. “Four seasons for a high school show felt like it made sense. They can’t be in high school forever, we’ve seen those shows,” she said. “Like, you’ve been in high school for 12 years. What is going on here? Also, the actors get older and it starts looking insane that a 34-year-old is playing a 15-year-old.”

The showrunner continued, “The truth is, we got to know the characters. The great thing about doing it on Netflix is that we got to tell stories that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell in traditional network shows, so we feel good. We really told the story of this 15-year-old girl and that felt like the perfect amount of time.”

At its core, Never Have I Ever is an exploration of love, grief, and self-discovery. Keeping Devi’s journey contained to high school makes the most logical sense, as extending the storyline into college would force narratives that may not fit and fundamentally alter the show’s essence. That’s not to mention Kaling’s other series The Sex Lives of College Girls, which shares a similar tone and dives into the underrepresented realm of coming-of-age stories targeted towards 18 to 22-year-olds. As much as we may adore Devi and her friends, continuing the series beyond this point would not only risk repetitiveness among Kaling’s works, but would overall diminish the impact of Devi’s personal growth during her formative years.

Never Have I Ever now streaming in full on Netflix. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Dianna Shen is a TV Writer at Primetimer based in New York. Her work has been featured in Paste Magazine and Decider, among other outlets.