Never Have I Ever season 1 episode 3 recap: …gotten drunk with the popular kids

Never Have I Ever episode 3 examines friendships, love, and… the power of Riverdale? We recap the hilarious and unexpected episode.

Clearly, you can’t know what to expect on Never Have I Ever, the Mindy Kaling-produced teen comedy from Netflix. Last we saw of protagonist Devi, she had failed her mission of getting the school’s hottest boy. But could that plan get back on track because of a coyote? We recap episode 3 of the show to find out more.

The Coyote

Devi has had the worst year of her life—as we learned in the pilot episode of Never Have I Ever—but instead of focusing on dealing with what she’s faced, she’d rather spend her time trying to get Paxton’s attention. That’s about to change after a chance encounter in her dad’s garden.

Mohan, Devi’s dad, tried his hand at everything—including gardening. He put together a small tomato field and was very proud of the one decent tomato that it grew—the others all had bugs.

This memory lives inside Devi and the thought of working on the garden without her dad becomes too much. But that night, a coyote appears, right there in the garden. And it doesn’t leave when Devi sends it away.

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On closer examination—and after watching the coyote play with Mohan’s tennis ball—Devi comes to the conclusion that the coyote is her dad reincarnated.

Devi’s long-suffering therapist (Niecy Nash), doesn’t quite buy this story but at least the coyote is getting Devi to talk about her dad—a subject she has been steadfastly ignoring even in the therapist’s office.

Perhaps, the next time Devi meets the coyote, she should try talking to it since it’s apparently her dad?

That opportunity comes sooner than Devi expects. At a party where Devi wasn’t really invited, she gets hopelessly drunk because Paxton is hanging out with another girl. When the coyote makes an appearance, Devi decides to speak to it. Except, this is not her dad reincarnated—it really is a coyote. It attacks poor Devi—and all the party-goers capture the moment for Instagram.

Fortunately, Paxton rushes in to help and Devi is taken to a hospital where she is patched up—and where she learns that Paxton only considers her a friend. Then Devi’s mom grounds her till her kids graduate for drinking at a party. So, all in all, a pretty dreadful evening.

But the coyote incident makes Devi quite famous in school—Coyote Girl, people chant to her—and even Paxton seems to be keen on hanging out with her. Maybe the coyote incident wasn’t all bad?

Riverdale to the Rescue

Kamala is struggling to give up on her relationship with Steve (Eddie Liu)—whom she left in the previous episode of Never Have I Ever. Steve is understandably taking their break-up very badly. They keep running into each other and talking about what they miss about being together. But Kamala can’t be a failure in her family’s eyes—she must marry the boy they have chosen for her.

Steve is understanding, though he doesn’t believe this is Kamala’s path—she’s traveled to the other side of the world to pursue her dreams. How can she, of all people, give them up for her family’s demands?

These words haunt Kamala as Devi introduces her to a strange new world—Riverdale. This show with characters from various backgrounds—who are all somehow very ‘hot’, notes Kamala—are striving for their dreams even if it means going against their parents. One particular scene with Betty Cooper emboldens Kamala to take a stand.

16 hours of Riverdale and a few crossover fan-fiction pieces later, Kamala arrives at Steve’s home with their favorite snacks. She wants to be with Steve but she’s going to pretend that her arranged marriage is somehow going ahead so her family doesn’t get upset. Steve is ecstatic and Kamala finally has some control over her life.

Eve-Struck

Fabiola has been questioning her orientation ever since she first laid eyes on Eve (Christina Kartchner) in Never Have I Ever episode 2. When she and Eleanor end up in a group project with Ben Gross and Eve, things get more complicated.

Unfortunately for Fabiola, coming out of the closet isn’t exactly an option right now. Her mother has a very clear idea of what she wants from Fabiola—a girly-girl who wears dresses, gets her nails done, and has a boyfriend.

Fabiola is nothing like that—she wears slacks, wants clear nails, is a huge nerd, and is beginning to fall for a girl. But with such an overbearing mother, where is Fabiola to go?

And Eve’s interest in Fabiola only makes the situation worse—Eve invites her to a queer fundraising event and Fabiola bolts. Eve is hurt and the relationship sours before it can even begin.

By the end of this episode of Never Have I Ever, Fabiola has managed to somewhat accept her orientation but how is she to win back Eve’s trust? And more importantly, how will she come out to her mother?

Final Thoughts

Never Have I Ever continues to be a joy to watch with so many moments of excellent comedic writing that it’s hard not to laugh out loud.

There are so many elements of this show that are massively relatable to audiences of color. It’s one of the strengths of this show that I hope we’ll see throughout the season.

I wasn’t completely sold on the see-sawing nature of Paxton and Devi’s relationship—it came across as drama for the sake of drama instead of being rooted in the actual story. Hopefully, this will be rectified.

The Riverdale references tickled me—but I’m also glad to see the cross-cultural connection that teen dramas can evoke. It was an unexpected but hilarious inclusion in the show. I can’t wait to see what other pop culture references the show will include in the future.

Never Have I Ever is currently streaming on Netflix.