I also agree that Rathod is more patient than he would otherwise be because of his consciousness of Arjun's personal tragedy; in the leukamia patient case, he is silenced when Arjun says that he knows what losing a loved one is like, and then he changes his mind and lets Arjun and Chotu enter the bank from the rear (probably one of the few instances when Arjun actually waits for Rathod's ok before doing something).
But as you have noted, this tolerance and patience are beginning to fray at the edges, and yesterday, Rathod remarks caustically about Arjun's pahelis, and the growing irritation makes him snap at Chotu for the first time ever in the series. Rathod never did that before, even when Riya was trotting out some vague statistic of nil relevance in the exchange murders case, or yesterday, when Shree was whistling loudly when working, something which most bosses would not like.
Arjun should be toned down quite a bit, but the fact is that he is becoming more and more abrasive and authoritative over the last 2 weekends. For example, not only does he fire orders at Chotu and Shree, sidelining Rathod completely, but he also adds that they should report back to himself, and not to 'us', i.e. himself and Rathore. So much for teamwork.
I felt that there was some build up for Rathore last weekend, but that seems to have been just a flash in the pan. Why don't they just make Arjun the ETF chief and have done with this charade? Alternatively, he could be shown falling flat on his face once in a way, which would also make him seem more human. As it is, his face is like a rigid mask, deliberately devoid of any emotion, practically all the time, the sole exceptions being in the flashbacks with Roshni, where his smile is so sweet as to be shocking.
Shyamala B.Cowsik
His guilt aside I agree that it is unexcusable the way he behaves with Rathore who is his superior, and the way he behaves with Rathore is not tolerated in any profession not just police and I am not sure why or how about it.Anyway at first I wondered why Rathore is tolerating this, especially since I noticed that his expression of late tells their own story, yet he stays quiet. In the beginning he was quick to act on his authority when it came to Arjun but no lately. It could be because maybe because they have a past and also because Rathore understands the reason for Arjun's anger.Also may be at this point he is only looking at the end result and that is to catch the criminal and bring justice to the victims. Rathore said in yesterday's episode that more than racing he loves his duty as police officer so may be this his reason for staying quiet, but tha's not to say that he won't break at some point and not put Arjun in his place.In the end though it's up to the CVs on how they want to do this and for now they are going by the whole meaning behind the name Arjun, the title of the show.I hope that they do mellow Arjun down a bit in the future and not carry this until the end of the show.
Originally posted by: sashashyam
A very sensitive and perceptive observation and analysis. Yes, he is badly damaged, and as Ian Fleming (of all people) once wrote, he is like a bird with a broken wing.
In the chess episode too, this escalating sense of guilt is what makes him all the more determined to punish Sandhya' s killer, and he says as much: She told me all this would happen and yet I was not able to do anything for her. He blames himself needlessly, for Sandhya is murdered the same night after her conversation with Arjun, and how could he have done anything about it? The same with Riya, who should never have let herself be taken prisoner so easily, especially when she is a martial arts expert. And yet Arjun blames himself. So it is no wonder he is getting more and more frustrated and angry, above all with himself, and he has no one who cares enough to try to take him out of himself.
This said, I think the way he behaves with Rathod would NEVER be tolerated in any police service. After the armed forces, the police is the most hierarchical and insists on obedience to superior officers, which is necessary for maintaining discipline in such a demanding profession. Any boss in Rathore's place would have put his foot down. But these days Rathore hardly seems to react to Arjun's childish and inane Samjhe ya samjhaaon? This particular tick of his is by now long past its expiry date, but since the CVs are not too hot in the imagination department, I suppose we will have to put up with this smart aleck mannerism till the end of the series.
Shyamala B.Cowsik
CID
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