The struggle is real… when you’re the sad girl whose dad died

Season 4 of Mindy Kaling’s hit Netflix teen comedy Never Have I Ever hit our screens today, for the final time. Over the last four seasons we have watched high schooler Devi navigate crushes, hookups, friendships and studies as she makes her way towards graduation and the ending of the show. Never Have I Ever is funny, outlandish, and oozes with Kaling’s notorious wit and charm.

But as a 29-year-old, the thing that resonates with me most about the show is the unbelievably accurate depiction of what it’s like to lose a parent when you’re a teenager.

Growing up with Disney’s 1989 animated version of The Little Mermaid, I instantly fell in love with the enchanting world under the sea, the magic of mermaids, and the fairy-tale love story of a couple who fight against the odds to be together.

But as I’ve gotten older, I realised the really poor message this film sends - a teenage girl gives up her voice, family and sense of self for a man she has only seen once, and this is supposed to be her happy ending?

Love Island returns to our screens tonight for another sizzling summer, for the second time in under six months.

Yet with dwindling viewership, calls out for toxic behaviour and a constant drove of identical influencers being manufactured, will this be a long hot summer of loyalty or lost viewership?