Vaidehi Ravikumar

Full disclosure: I am a first-generation Indian American mother and I have raised two boys through High School in the US. So, I may not be a fully objective critique. First the Good: The acting by the main character Devi (Maithreyi) is SUPERB. Kudos to her! The school counselor, the dead dad, Ben’s parents, Devi’s cousin Kamala and a few other characters stand out in a good way. Second the Bad: Most characters leave a lot to be desired both in terms of the development of the characters (and the casting of them, which is the producer’s bad) Third the Ugly: Mindy knows how well Stereotypes (Indian) sell and how well they fit the mental model of her American audiences. I don’t have a problem with this, if it had been done with a bit more sophistication and subtility. • Stereotypes: There are no "Aunties" such as the one Mindy has portrayed that I have encountered seen or heard of. It can be viewed as humorous. May be. • Sexuality: Yes, we are aware of the high school dramas and the hormone induced social interactions, especially in free societies such as the US. The trouble is the portrayal of Devi as this cruel teenager, who continually offends Ben (and others) and yet panders to Paxton is not convincing. This is somewhat tied to the overall casting issue – Ben (Jaren Lewison?) does not look or act like a nerd that he is supposed to be. Also, poor Ben, What Sterile parents! An exaggerated Jewish Stereotype, no doubt. • Acting: Generally weak. For example, Nalini, the mom is never able to show her emotions for the scenes appropriately and the self-conscious stereotypical Indian accent is not cool for 2020. • Overall: The writing is mediocre and it neither makes you laugh nor leave the show with a satisfying feeling that we watched an intelligent and well written show. Too bad, it has the raw material, but something was missed in the execution. I think Dawson’s Creek has outdone this one.