there were pages turned with the lessons learned, everything you lose is a step you take (#59 — you’re on your own, kid by taylor swift)

Ben’s kindest moments throughout the course of the series ❣  Just moments where he checks up on people, pushes those around him, and holds both himself and others accountable. There were so many to choose from and it was a struggle to narrow it down to 10! But yeah, he’s the best kid in the universe and you will never convince me otherwise. I love how he’s kind in a way that pushes people to be better rather than just being nice and telling people what they want to hear. Now if only he could be kinder to himself…

     Two times Ben didn’t help Devi         and three times he did.

1x10 || 2x04

Season four Benvi is so beautiful to me.

“Those scenes are super important. It’s real life… it’s supposed to feel relatable. And in order to do that, there’s going to be pain. There is going to be that messiness, and sometimes, convoluted relationships that eventually end in heart break… It’s important to have those scenes because that’s what makes the relationships matter. If you don’t see those characters go through pain, then you don’t feel as excited when they are elated. You need those really dramatic, heartbreaking moments in order to make the comedy matter…. the best comedy is rooted in drama.” —Jaren Lewison (x)

“Shaping Ben, I think [walking away from Devi that night] is a defense mechanism. Throughout his entire life, he’s feel unseen, and not important, and not good enough. So when you have Devi, who chooses to follow Paxton, we see Ben, you know, he says to Devi ‘You know, this really affected me, and I’m hurt by what you did.’ I’m proud of the fact that Ben was able to do that. I think it teaches Devi a lot. I know that she is keenly aware that her actions affect others. But I don’t think that she necessarily understood the gravity of that situation. Until Ben described to her and said ‘You really hurt me. And we can’t be friends because of this. Our friendship that we had built, that doesn’t matter anymore, because of what you had chosen to do!’”— Jaren Lewison

Ben’s most vulnerable moments in season 1  💔 💔 💔

But nope, Ben Gross is a  sociopath, and narcissistic manipulator. He never fished Devi out of a pool, or drove her to the ER. 0/10, Netflix do better!

It’s the little moments: Ben nosing his wine

I suppose this is what good quality control (QC) looks like.

JAREN LEWISON in THE LADIES , 24 July 2022 (stream here)

The Ladies (dir. Jill Gutowitz) - 2022

BEN GROSS AND DEVI VISHWAKUMAR — in Never Have I Ever | “…been ghosted”

Ben and Devi’s first and last moments of genuine human connection (1x02, 4x10)

Never Have I Ever Said Goodbye (4x10): perfect combination

That smirk almost always precedes Ben going in for a kiss.