'There is no textbook for this,' says Season 2 of 'Never Have I Ever,' which demonstrates that there is no one way to be homosexual.

'There is no textbook for this,' says Season 2 of 'Never Have I Ever,' which demonstrates that there is no one way to be homosexual.

Warning: this article contains spoilers. This article contains information on the Season 2 finale of "Never Have I Ever," which is now available on Netflix. 

Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) is divided between her two big loves: females and robots, in Season 2 of Netflix's "Never Have I Ever" (now streaming).

Fabiola has an identity problem after coming out as a lesbian and finding a partner, Eve (Christina Kartchner), in the first season of the adolescent comedy. On the one hand, she's happy as leader of her high school robotics team and inventor of Gears Brosnan, her own wisecracking robot friend. She is, however, under pressure to fit in with Eve and her group of gay friends, all of whom are extremely woke and well-versed in pop culture.

In the Season 2 conclusion, Fabiola, frustrated and perplexed, tearfully admits to her closest friends Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Eleanor (Ramona Young) that she has no idea where she belongs.

"I simply assumed it'd be simpler once I came out," Fabiola recalls, hiding in a classroom away from the school dance. "Even with the LGBT girls, though, I always feel like I'm trying to fit in. Now the robotics team despises me... I guess I'm just as terrible at being a lesbian as I was at being a secretly gay man."

Rodriguez adds in an interview, "Fabiola isn't open about her personal issues. She tends to prioritize other people's feelings over her own, and as a result, she reaches a point when she can no longer hold it in."

Although a number of TV series and films have included LGBTQ people coming out, many of them overlook the often painful path that follows, according to Chris Schleicher, author of "Never."

"A lot of individuals believe that everything will be mended for them as soon as they come out, or that everything would suddenly turn from black and white to color as in 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Schleicher adds. "'You haven't seen 'Mommy Dearest?' You haven't seen 'Showgirls?' I remember being a little baby homosexual, and someone said, 'You haven't seen 'Mommy Dearest?' You haven't seen 'Mommy Dearest?' 'Let me have a chance to catch up!' it says. There is no such thing as a textbook for this!"

Fabiola "gets freaked out wondering, 'Am I a horrible lesbian if I don't know these things?'" he says. "She's discovering that simply existing in this world as a gay person who is truly herself qualifies her as a decent LGBT person. "Whether or not you know who Villanelle is isn't that relevant to your queer identity," he adds, alluding to the "Killing Eve" serial killer."

After Fabiola reassures Devi and Eleanor that she likes girls – after all, she dreams about Dua Lipa serving her grapes – another homosexual student, Jonah (Dino Petrera), overhears their chat and provides some consolation.

"Listen, it's hard to finally live your true life after faking for so long," Jonah adds. "Becoming who you are in the whole idea of coming out."

"And we adore you for who you are," Devi continues.

It was crucial for Schleicher to have another LGBT character console Fabiola at that point.

"Sometimes your straight friends want to be there for you," Schleicher adds, "but they'll never fully grasp it like someone who's been through it." And having someone like Jonah, who is typically judgmental and flippant, "be able to encourage her to live in her genuine self was profound since Jonah is himself in every moment and probably doesn't second-guess it," says the author.

Following the encouragement session, Fabiola returns to the dance boldly, accompanied by Gears Brosnan, where she and Eve have crowned queens. Eve assures Fabiola on the dance floor that she does not want her to change and that her nerdiness is one of the many qualities she admires in her.

"You may get so caught up in what everyone else is doing that you lose sight of who you are," Rodriguez adds. "It's critical to talk about it because I believe that many young people — and even older people – are going through it, whether they are closeted or not."

Schleicher continues: "It's wonderful to learn about your queer history and to be a member of the community, but don't feel obligated to be a certain sort of homosexual. The decision to be oneself freely and live without fear is an important part of the coming-out process. There are elements of you that are nerdy, gamers, or jockish. You didn't emerge from the closet to conceal another aspect of yourself."

"I think it's really liberated (for viewers) and some little geeky robotics kid out there realizes that she can just be herself: a little gay nerd," he adds of Fabiola this season.