Devi is wonderful, and because I love her, I gotta say: she needs to be pushed. She needs to be told the things that she needs to hear, and the unwavering/unconditional support of every decision that her friends give her is, in the long run, unhelpful.
Believing that Devi, this strong girl whose actions stem from grief, needs to be coddled, people just tell her what she wants to hear. Dating two men? Unwavering support. Tell everyone Aneesa has an eating disorder? "We're not mad, we're just disappointed, now let's slap together a weird apology dance and make it better."
Having someone help you in exchange for something bad that they did to you also isn't accountability. It may be a fair exchange for Devi to help Paxton, but he never forces her to actually confront the consequences of her actions.
This all enables Devi to make poor decisions in the future. Even if she's happy now, they're enabling her self destructive habits and reinforcing the patterns that she's having.
There are two exceptions to this rule. The first is Nalini. Because she's a good parent (which she is and I will defend her on this), she talks with Devi and does all in her power to help. Still, she doesnt understand her. Since she's her mother and not her peer, Devi is often (understandably since she's 15) unwilling to listen or accept Nalini's help.
Then there's Ben, who both holds her accountable and understands her.
Ben is Devi's only peer who consistently pushes her. I don't just mean academically, though I think that having pushed her academically so long means that Ben can better apply his understanding of her to other areas. He pushes her to constantly be better and do better rather than to simply make excuses for herself.
Ben's the one who made sure that she went to spread her dad's ashes even when she didn't want to. He's the one who made sure that she understood the gravity of her actions when she two timed him and Paxton. He's also the one who pushed her to apologise to and make amends with Aneesa, which was not just for his and Aneesa's sake.
Everyone else on the show besides Nalini just tells Devi what she wants to hear. She can legitimately treat them however she likes and do anything and they will not say anything to her.
Ben is the only one who consistently tells her what she NEEDS to hear rather than just what she wants to hear, and that's so important for both of them.
It ensures that she always understands how he expects to be treated by her, which is essential for their friendship (even discounting a romantic relationship). It also ensures that she has the information and ideas that she needs to grow, which others won't provide her with for the fear of upsetting her.
No matter where he stands in her life, Ben is so, so important to Devi as an individual. Never forget it.
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