... had to be on my best behavior is the ninth episode in Season 1 of the Netflix series, Never Have I Ever.
Synopsis[]
Flashbacks unearth painful memories and resentment for Devi. Meanwhile, Kamala is forced to get honest as the family welcomes her suitor at home.
Plot[]
As it turns out, the man Devi found at her fridge after her unexpected kiss with Paxton is not her father after all. It’s actually Devi’s uncle Aravind, who will be chaperoning Prashant during his visit.
Aravind owns a security firm and is a little too enthusiastic about pointing out the flaws in Nalini’s security system with graphic descriptions of murders that could happen.
But this isn’t the time to worry about security since Prashant will be arriving for lunch the next day, and Nalini needs to ensure that everything is perfect. That means taking Devi’s phone away and insisting that they avoid any ‘Devi nonsense’ around Prashant.
When the doorbell rings the next day, the family readies themselves for Prashant, but nothing could have prepared them for the absolutely stunning, well-put-together young man who stands before them.
In Devi’s words, Prashant is ‘hot.’ Kamala’s brain is so fried that she barely even says anything.
Not only is Prashant attractive, but he seems like a lovely person. He notices the rented grandfather clock in Nalini’s living room. He presents Kamala with a Swarovski crystal beaver because it’s the mascot for both Kamala’s and his university, and nature’s engineer.
While, Kamala may have forgotten about Steve, he isn’t going to let Kamala go without a fight. Or at least, not without sneaking into the Vishwakumar home—which he happens to do regularly and hiding in Kamala’s room because he’s too afraid of Nalini.
Devi finds Steve when she’s putting the beaver away in a not safe space. She quickly elaborates an excuse to send Kamala upstairs. Kamala isn’t pleased to see Steve, since she’s stressed about the meeting as it is, and having met Prashant, she’s even more confused.
It doesn’t help that, Steve; despite being a charming young man isn’t really doing much to ease Kamala’s concerns about him. His mind is set on the fact that this arranged marriage is essentially a battle between him and Prashant, but that’s not it at all.
The problem isn’t that Kamala has to choose between Steve and Prashant, it’s that she doesn’t want to get married at all. At least, not yet.
Steve came here to save his relationship with Kamala, but he effectively ends it by proving that he isn’t up to the task. Sneaking in may have been easy, but sneaking Steve out is another matter entirely, especially when Nalini discovers Steve in Kamala’s room.
It turns out she’s known about Steve for ages, and she completely understands. Devi is shocked, but Nalini seems pretty relaxed about the situation. She even helps sneak Steve out, with Devi distracting Aravind and Prashant with her harp.
No sooner has Steve left than another secret boyfriend arrives. Paxton couldn’t have chosen a worse day to return Devi’s dress. Nalini notices the dress and jumps to conclusions.
Paxton makes the situation worse than it already is by mentioning the party that Devi wasn’t supposed to go to, how she fell into the pool, and that Devi’s dress was in his car, and that they kissed.
Devi tries to defend herself by telling Nalini how Kamala’s been doing way worse with her boyfriend; only to realize that Kamala, Prashant, and Aravind are standing right there listening to it all.
Prashant and Kamala get a quiet moment to themselves where they confess that neither is ready for marriage. The ridiculous events of the lunch have made them both more interested in each other, though. They’re happy to take it slow.
Then, to make matters worse, Aravind blurts out that Nalini is planning to move her and Devi to India. Nalini tries to explain how difficult it is without a support system, and without Mohan, her husband to raise Devi.
But Devi, who has been having flashbacks to the night her beloved father passed away reacts very badly to the news because the memories she had repressed about that fateful night are pouring back in.
She remembers how she lost her sheet music an hour before her concert, and how her mother kept laying into her until Devi declared she hated Nalini.
Mohan had to step in to bring peace to the household, but not before Devi overheard things she should never have like how Nalini didn’t think of Devi as her daughter, and that she couldn’t handle her.
Devi tells her mother what she heard and that she refuses to go with Nalini to India because she doesn’t want her mother since she knows Nalini hates her. Every day Devi has to deal with the fact that the only person who loved her is gone.
To make matters worse, Devi says that she wishes it was Nalini who had died that night and not Mohan.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar
- Richa Shukla as Kamala Nandiawadal
- Darren Barnet as Paxton Hall-Yoshida
- John McEnroe as Narrator
- Poorna Jagannathan as Nalini Vishwakumar
Guest Starring[]
- Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohan Vishwakumar
- Eddie Liu as Steve
- Iqbal Theba as Aravind
- Rushi Kota as Prashant
Co-Starring[]
- Royal Patel as Six-Year-Old Devi
Quotes[]
| “ | I heard what you said the night Dad died. You said I wasn't your daughter. I know I'm just a burden to you. So you can go to India alone. Or maybe take Kamala with you. She's the daughter you actually wanted. | ” |
| — Devi to Nalini |
| “ | But please, just remember, today is Kamala's day, so let's not have any of the usual Devi nonsense. | ” |
| — Nalini to Devi |