Never Have I Ever's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan praises Devi and Paxton's 'sex scene'

15 August 2022, 14:43

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By Katie Louise Smith

"She's not made to feel bad and she doesn't feel bad... That's wholesome shit, you know."

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Never Have I Ever season 3? Devi and Paxton finally in a relationship? A healthy depiction of teenagers and their sex lives? Check. Check. Aaand check!

Netflix's teen comedy series has long been praised for its realistic depiction of teenagers in high school (and we all know that there's plenty of shows out there that the majority of us don't quite relate to as much.) And in season 3, Never Have I Ever takes it up a notch, by giving us a wholesome, refreshing portrayal of teen sex thanks to a scene involving Devi and Paxton.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who plays Devi, has now spoken about that scene – and she loves it, and the message it sends to young viewers, as much as everyone else.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan praises Devi and Paxton&squot;s "wholesome" sex scene — Maitreyi Ramakrishnan praises Devi and Paxton's "wholesome" sex scene. Picture: Amanda Edwards/FilmMagic, Netflix

In the first episode of season 3, Devi and Paxton's new relationship is going really well, but Devi is not quite ready to have sex just yet. When news spreads about their relationship, Devi overhears the popular girls at school saying, "The only reason a guy like Paxton would be with a freak like Devi is if she puts out."

Due to Paxton's previous relationships, Devi begins to feel a little pressured to have sex with him, fearing that he might end up dumping her if she doesn't.

Later in the episode, the couple agree to have sex. Devi is in full control of the situation until her body completely shuts down, tensing up and basically rejecting the whole situation. Paxton takes notice, puts his shirt back on and reassures Devi that he only wants to do what she's comfortable with.

Discussing the importance of that scene, Maitreyi spoke to NOW Toronto about how Devi's experience is one that we don't get to see on-screen very often, particularly in teen shows.

Never Have I Ever season 3 sees Devi and Paxton officially in a relationship. Picture: Netflix

"I remember reading the episode, and just being so happy that we were going to tackle this," Maitreyi said. "Because like, how often do we get to see such a thing tackled in general? Like, how often do we get to see the main character, guy or girl, say, 'Oh, I'm actually not ready.' And they're not shamed for it."

"What I love is, Paxton got to read the body cues, too. It's a good example of what should happen in that situation. And he didn't shame her for it after. It was a sweet tender moment after."

Maitreyi then goes on to talk about how they wanted to bring that scene to life, explaining that they wanted to make sure Devi was in charge and taking control the whole time.

"We never wanted to depict it as, Paxton is forcing her, putting her into this position, having this expectation of Devi because the entirety of the episode, that expectation is completely fabricated in Devi's head. It's never given from Paxton."

Devi and Paxton's 'sex scene' is a refreshing depiction of teen sex on TV. Picture: Netflix

Touching on how the scene eventually turned out, Maitreyi added she would have "killed" to see moments like this on screen when she was growing up.

"Nothing is ever making her feel bad about not being ready. That's another thing I really like," she said. "She's not made to feel bad and she doesn't feel bad. Actually at the end, she's like, 'We're better than ever! We're really, really good!' That's wholesome shit, you know."

Wholesome shit, indeed! We love to see it!