However, the problem often faced by school-based shows is that when writing for a large ensemble of teens, there are always going to be a raft of secondary characters left stranded in storyline purgatory, abandoned and neglected when they\u2019re no longer needed for the plot. Unfortunately, Never Have I Ever<\/a> is the latest to fall victim to this teen comedy curse.<\/p>\n The Mindy Kaling series returned for its third season last week, taking fans back to Sherman Oaks High where protagonist Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) originally set out to find a boyfriend \u2013 and by the season 3 premiere, it seems she\u2019s done exactly that, strutting through the school halls with Paxton (Darren Barnet) on her arm.<\/p>\n With Devi loved up, the show was able to turn its attention to the lives of her best friends, including Aneesa Qureshi, a popular season 2 addition played by Megan Suri. While Aneesa starts the season with Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison), doubts about their compatibility slowly creep in and after an unexpected but passionate kiss with Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), the two develop feelings for one another and become an official couple.<\/p>\n What was an exciting development in both Aneesa and Fabiola\u2019s stories \u2013 and new representation amongst people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community \u2013 was unfortunately short-lived. As soon as Devi\u2019s love life returned to its default position of chaos, Aneesa and Fabiola discovered that they were better off as friends, while Fabiola decides to explore a connection with Addison (Terry Hu), Nirdesh\u2019s non-binary friend.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, many fans weren\u2019t too happy by the writers\u2019 decision to abruptly bring #Fabeesa to an end after the couple\u2019s sparkling chemistry became a delightful left turn for the show to make. However, a lot of the outrage was directed at Aneesa\u2019s disappearing act following the break-up. Once she had friend-zoned Fabiola, Aneesa seemingly vanished from the show as season 3 focused back on Devi and her new relationship with Nirdesh.<\/p>\n Not only did the destruction of Fabiola and Aneesa\u2019s romance sway slightly into queer-baiting territory (the idea that creators hint at but do not actually depict LGBT+ or same-sex romance) but it did a huge disservice to Suri\u2019s character, with Aneesa never getting the opportunity to unpack her sexuality or process the fact that two of her relationships had ended in a very short amount of time.<\/p>\n While you could argue that the show\u2019s decision to ignore Aneesa\u2019s coming out story was actually a perfect way to handle the situation, considering that you don\u2019t have to declare yourself as straight and in the year 2022, identifying as queer shouldn\u2019t be a big deal. However, after Fabiola\u2019s sexuality journey was a huge plot point in season 1 and Aneesa\u2019s storyline appeared to face a sudden end once the romance was over, it feels as though this was less of a deliberate decision and more the case that the writers forgot about Aneesa.<\/p>\n With all of this in mind, hopefully the fourth and final season of Never Have I Ever does Aneesa justice. Whether we watch her rekindle her romance with Fabiola (which could be a possible after their popularity amongst fans), meet someone new or become involved in a storyline with no romance whatsoever, there are so many directions the Never Have I Ever writers could take Aneesa\u2019s character in \u2013 and with senior year fast approaching, let\u2019s hope they don\u2019t receive an F for effort.<\/p>\n Never Have I Ever seasons 1-3 are streaming now on\u00a0Netflix<\/a>. Check out our lists of the\u00a0best series on Netflix<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0best movies on Netflix<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 or see what else is on with our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>. Visit our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n By Lauren Morris Published: Thursday, 18 August 2022 at 12:00 am Whether it\u2019s Sex Education or Heartstopper, the teen comedy genre continues to go from strength to strength \u2013 particularly on Netflix, which introduces a new cast of up-and-comers, brightly-coloured costumes and addictive love triangles every few years. However, the problem often faced by school-based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":20454,"template":"","categories":[5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/never-have-i-ever-majorly-shortchanged-aneesa-with-her-season-3-storyline-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Lauren Morris Published: Thursday, 18 August 2022 at 12:00 am Whether it\u2019s Sex Education or Heartstopper, the teen comedy genre continues to go from strength to strength \u2013 particularly on Netflix, which introduces a new cast of up-and-comers, brightly-coloured costumes and addictive love triangles every few years. 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