The sharp, amusing pop culture allusions that appear in every other sentence in Never Have I Ever, as seen in the first two seasons, are one of the show’s endearing selling points. The third season of Never Have I Ever, which debuted this week, doesn’t fall short either. The Maitreyi Ramakrishnan-led series gave each celebrity newsmaker a unique shoutout, from Kanye to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
One of the many clever pop culture references was made to Squid Game, the popular South Korean show that swept the world by storm last year. In the K-drama Squid Game, which starred Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo, and Ho Yeon Jung, an Indian character named Abdul Ali was portrayed by veteran actor Anupam Tripathi. SPOILERS The season three finale of Never Have I Ever made mention of Ali’s tragic passing. We find Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her grandma Nirmala (Ranjita Chakravarty) watching an episode of the well-liked Hwang Dong Hyuk series in Episode 10 titled Never Have I Ever… lived the dream.
Nirmala bemoans the death of Ali, played by Anupam Tripathi, saying, “If they kill off the Indian character, I’m writing to Netflix.” Devi responds, “Uh, Pati, I think the whole point of Squid Game is that a lot of people have to die.”
Funny, for sure!
Which Never Have I Ever Season 3 pop culture allusion was your favourite? Post your unique opinions and thoughts about Never Have I Ever Season 3 in the comments area below with Pinkvilla.
In the meantime, Lee Jung Jae and Lee Byung Hun will reprise their roles as Seong Gi Hun and The Front Man, respectively, in Squid Game’s Season 2. Gong Yoo may also primarily reprise his memorable cameo role as a salesman. On the other hand, Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s programme will come to an end with the release of Never Have I Ever’s fourth season.