Never Have I Ever season 1, episode 9 recap and breakdown

This recap of Netflix series Never Have I Ever season 1, episode 9, “… had to be on my best behaviour” contains significant spoilers.

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How does Never Have I Ever season 1, episode 9, “… had to be on my best behaviour”  begin?

It turns out Devi did not see her father standing at the fridge, it was her uncle Aravind, who reveals to her mother Nalini that Devi has just got home. Devi states she went for a run and her mother buys it.

But imagining seeing her father at the fridge has unearthed a terrible memory when she said she hated her mother in front of her father, which is ruining her excitement of kissing Paxton.

Is Kamala still entering into an arranged marriage?

Episode 9 sees Kamala meeting her potential husband. Nalini tells Devi to behave for a day and takes her phone off her. Devi keeps thinking of the memory of her father, while Kamala is feeling the pressure.

Episode 9, “… had to be on my best behaviour” is like a volcano ready to erupt.

The potential husband Prashant comes over and he’s actually an attractive man much to the surprise of the women — Kamala is impressed. Prashant gives Kamala a crystal beaver.

The turning point is when Devi finds Steve in Kamala’s bedroom — he wants to rescue Kamala.

How does Devi alert Kamala of the situation?

Never Have I Ever season 1, episode 9 sees Devi trying to convince Kamala to go upstairs to look at the crystal beaver, but to really find Steve there.

Devi’s mother wonders what nonsense she’s up to — we then see another of Devi’s memories of her mother calling her a headache and her father trying to maintain the peace.

Steve proposes to Kamala in her bedroom but Kamala says she doesn’t want to marry anyone and breaks up with him.

Does Nalini catch Kamala with Steve?

Yes, but surprisingly she is okay with it which confuses Devi even more. They ask Devi to distract the uncle and Prashant so they can sneak Steve out.

Devi decides to play the harp for her uncle and Prashant. As she plays it she gets flashes of her father giving her a harp, but its mixed with him going to the hospital. Devi starts enjoying the harp while Steve sneaks out.

But then Paxton heads over and asks Nalini if Devi is home. Devi heads out to see him and Nalini learns she was at a party the night and kissed Paxton.

Nalini scolds Devi and offends Paxton who decides to leave. Devi has an outburst and tells her mother how she let Kamala off even though her boyfriend sneaked into the house and he has also slept with her — Prashant hears everything.

This outburst was always coming.

So that’s the end of Kamala and Prashant?

Not necessarily. Kamala tells Prashant that she’s not ready to be engaged yet and he understands but also says he “kinda likes her”. Her feelings are mutual so they agree to take things slow.

I couldn’t help but feel for Steve here.

How does Never Have I Ever season 1, episode 9, “… had to be on my best behaviour”  end?

Nalini reveals to Devi that they will be going back to India; she states she doesn’t have a support system without Devi’s father and that she’s struggling to raise her.

Devi experiences another flashback of Nalini telling her father that she’s done with Devi and that “she’s no daughter of mine”.

Devi accuses Nalini of not liking her and that she heard what she said the night her father died — “What’s not fair is that I lost the parent I cared about. I wish you had died that night”

Episode 9 is a combination of contained grief and the struggles of being a parent in this type of environment.

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