[Movie] Never Have I Ever – Season 3 Episode 7 Recap & Review

…cheated

Devi and Des are on a fro-yo date when they state that they’ve lied to their moms about being at Debate Practice. Episode 7 of Never Have I Ever Season 3 starts with them mentioning that they’ll soon be having a showdown for the debate tournament. Des is looking forward to cross-firing Devi soon.

Devi asks why he ghosted her after Trent’s party. Des mentions that he thought Devi was using him as a rebound to get over Paxton and did not want to be someone like that. Devi admits that she’s over Paxton and likes him now, prompting the pair to kiss.

At school, Eleanor informs the girls that she is auditioning for something soon. Fabiola mentions that she and Devi will have a debate going on that weekend. Aneesa asks Devi about Des and she jokes that their moms are friends so they have no clue they are dating.

Aneesa and Fabiola tell Devi and Eleanor that they are dating. The two girls congratulate the couple. Paxton is with Phoebe when he realizes his dates with her are all the same. As Aneesa and Fabiola are going to their respective classes, they have an awkward moment as they try to kiss each other. They both say their goodbyes as they leave for class.

After school, Devi and Des are studying in her room when Des tries to kiss her. Devi worries that their moms will catch them. Just then, Des gets a reminder on his phone that reads their upcoming debate showdown as an easy practice session. Devi is offended because he isn’t taking the debate seriously.

Des tells her that the freshmen at his school usually compete with Devi’s class. He and his team are very well-prepared which is why they always win. This year, Des’ class will be coming over to Devi’s school so he can hang out with her in disguise.

Des boasts that his private school has an advantage over Devi’s. They playfully bicker about the upcoming tournament for a while before getting back to studying. The next day, Mr. Kulkarni is at Kamala’s apartment when she mentions she has to help out Pati.

Mr. Kulkarni is sad that he will have to miss hanging out with them as Pati still hates him, but mentions that he has to be in school for the debate tournament. At school, Devi is riled up by Des’ confidence from the day before. She tells her team that they have to win.

Ben mentions that Des’ team has all the resources to win. Before the tournament, Devi tries to bicker with Des about winning the competition when he tries to flirt with her. Both teams set out to participate in the debate tournament with other teams with Devi’s and Des’ teams in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Trent, Paxton, and Phoebe are helping Eleanor with her audition tape where she will be performing Jennifer Lopez’s speech from ‘Hustlers’. Trent mentions that her audition is lacking something when he and Eleanor bicker about using a stripper pole for the auction. Paxton apologizes to Phoebe for dragging her into this when she says she loves watching people fight.

He seems worried and Trent suddenly sets fireworks ablaze to make her audition stand out, scaring her. The fireworks light the curtains on fire. At the debate tournament, Devi’s team is overwhelmed by Des’.

Ben points out that Des’ team has paralegals helping out with their debates. Mr. Kulkarni asks Devi to choose between for and against speaking about the Privatization of Outer Space. Devi chooses to speak for it when suddenly the fire alarm starts ringing.

At Devi’s house, Rhyah is helping Nalini, Pati and Kamala clear out the things Pati has hoarded up over the years. Rhyah finds Devi’s old wheelchair and Nalini explains how Devi’s issues after the death of Mohan. Rhyah asks Nalini to talk about it and mentions that she is lucky to have Des who has given her an easy life. Nalini seems pissed and hurt.

Eleanor is upset with Trent for causing a fire, while Devi is happy about getting a break to prepare. She receives a text from Des mentioning that they were getting coffee which pisses her off. She decides to go back to school to steal the notes made by Des’ team. 

Paxton is worried that Eleanor is mad at Trent but seeing how Trent was enjoying it, he wonders what it’s like being in a passionate relationship. As Devi is on her way out with the research, she spots the rescue team and drops the notes in the trash.

Mr. Kulkarni spots her and is suspicious. When the tournament resumes, Aneesa visits to cheer Fabiola on. She is disheartened to learn Fabiola is a proxy candidate. Des asks about his missing binder when Mr. Kulkarni assesses that Devi had cheated. He switches up both sides, meaning Devi’s team has to now argue about the cons of this topic.

Kamala is helping Pati clear out old photos when they start talking about her grandfather. Pati mentions that Tata was just like Manish is now and states that she wants Kamala to not suffer as she did. Kamala argues that Manish is different. At the debate, during closing statements, Devi’s team wins with an exceptional closing statement that renders her cheers from everyone including Dev.

As everyone leaves, Mr. Kulkarni calls her out and takes her home to report the incident to Nalini. Aneesa and Fabiola try to kiss again after she praises Fabiola. They have another awkward moment though, and Aneesa wonders what is wrong with them.

Paxton is with Phoebe when he asks about her plans after Graduation but realizes that she does not have any. Eleanor decides to do the audition her way and ends up using the stripper pole, amazing Trent. They suddenly share a moment and kiss while Paxton notices how disinterested Phoebe is in romantic gestures.

At Devi’s house, Manish’s understanding impresses Pati. She invites him inside. She apologizes to Manish and promises that she will help him learn Indian culture better. Kamala is certainly happy about that.

Later that night, Des congratulates Devi on her win. She ends up confessing that she cheated but Des reassures her that it was all okay. Des mentions that he never dated someone as smart as him. Devi flirts with and kisses him.

The Episode Review

In this episode, we see that Devi is dating Des but is somehow insecure again. Why does she not realize her self-worth despite her failed relationship with Paxton? It seems like dating Des will hopefully teach her that she is worth much more than what she thinks she is. I hope she doesn’t resort to petty ways to seem better than her partners and focus on herself.

This episode finally gave Kamala and Pati some closure about their differences. Mr. Kulkarni finally got approval from Pati all thanks to him being himself. Nalini and Rhyah shared a weird moment and it felt odd that Rhyah was using Devi’s struggles as a way to be grateful for Des’ lack thereof.

Paxton seems to be realizing that being with Devi was not as complicated as he first thought. He misses his time with her and wants to do fun things with Phoebe, who clearly is not the right match for him. Fabiola and Aneesa need to talk and straighten out their issues with the PDA. It seems like they are rushing into something they are not ready for yet.