Likes:
1. Priya Sood, my sun and stars, my ride or die, the only person I care about because I simply have not related to an ITV character in forever and a half. She has a very pragmatic approach to life which is incredibly refreshing to see and even though as an ITV heroine she is the most selfless person in existence, she does not allow that to let herself turn into a doormat like when she doesn't say a word about Neeraj and Maitreyi showing up to the Sood's house but she sees no reason to show kindness towards people that screwed her over. I think that Priya is the most well-written character on the show, like you can tell that someone spent time and effort developing her as a character which I truly do not believe that I can say for anyone else, sorry. Also, I love Priya's wardrobe, her outfit from the bad date episode is absolutely iconic and I still talk my mother's ear off about it because that's how badly I want it.
2. Sibling/friendship dynamics. I love the dynamics that Priya and Ram share with their loved ones and it's really funny to me how Ram has the better dynamic with his friends whereas Priya has the better family dynamic. What I mean by that is within Ram's dynamic with his friends you can tell that they all care about Ram the way that Ram cares about them (barring Vikrant because he just gives off such a sleazy vibe that literally no one likes, I saw the judgment from Vrinda and Ram during the engagement episode, idk why they're friends with him). Ram's dynamic with his friends exudes this sort of warmth that I wish we saw from his dynamic with his family. I see it sometimes between him and Shivi, but you can tell that other than her no one genuinely seems to care about him. While with Priya, I don't think she has many close friends, even Twinkle seems like a work friend at best (I need more scenes with them if she's supposed to be Priya's best-friend), whereas she has such a fun dynamic with her family. Priya and Ram are both naturally caretakers, but on Priya's end that care is more reciprocated like you see Akki trying to get his mom to shut up, you see Sandy sticking up for Priya by almost mimicking her mannerisms, you see Sara do big sister-y things like picking out her clothes or doing her makeup, you even see Maitreyi telling Neeraj to piss off in her own way. Now I just want to see how Ram and Priya interact with each other's loved ones!
3. The dialogue is not fantastic, but there are definitely some winners. I still laugh sometimes when I think about when Priya basically called Ram an old man when she said "haan le jao apne tauji ko". Also, when Ram first started off cracking jokes I was so confused, but then I realized that they're supposed to be horrendous so I was like 'yeah, okay, that makes more sense'.
4. Priya and Ram's relationship is also one of the more well-written aspects of the show and I think that I would prefer if the show were to focus more on the maturity that it provides us with rather than, ya know, drama. They're super bicker-y, but realistically bicker-y and not for nonsense reasons. They have managed to resolve misunderstandings between each other on their own and within the span of one episode so props to them. @Ekta Kapoor: Yeh dono humein aise hi chahiyein, leave them be, aur kuch karne ki sochna bhi mat!
5. Definitely an unpopular opinion but Vedika. I like Vedika as a character, every couple needs at least one obstacle and if that obstacle decides that she wants to play cupid in the future, who am I to stop her? Just let me live in my fantasy world please, mujhe aur kuch nahi sunna. I don't know if it's an acting choice on Reena's part or this was what the director had in mind but Vedika always looks simultaneously guilty and apologetic which makes me drawn to her and want her to be a positive character which is something that I haven't felt for other characters that were set up as vamps (and I don't think Vedu is being set up as a vamp, at least I hope not). The scene where she tells Ram that Shivi should marry who she loves is one of the best scenes from the show so far, I think that was when I was like, 'yeah, I only want good things for you'. I want to know more about her, and not just like why she and Ram broke up but truly just who is Vedika as a character? I want to see her lose it at Shashi because she's sick of being used as his pawn, I want to know her motivations, I want to see her interact with Priya and you know what, if anything let her be the Lavanya Kashyap of this show rather than the Sheetal Kapoor.
Dislikes:
1. Many, many technical aspects about the show. I truly believe that the pacing is very strange:
-I think that it should have taken a little longer for Ram and Priya to meet face to face.
-Shivina's engagement should not have been resolved as quickly as it was, and frankly, I think it's very out of character for someone like Shashi's brother (forgot his name, sorry), who is another junior Mahendra Sood in my opinion, to not make a bigger deal out of Shivina running away and humiliating him. There should've been more action taken from his side and not just Shashi's, unless the actor was only contracted for those few episodes or something.
-I think if the pregnancy track did not exist, then it should have taken much longer for Nandini to agree to Shivina and Akshay's marriage. And even then, Shivi wasn't pregnant, so she could've easily been like 'no need for that anymore' and there would've been even more tension between the Soods and the Kapoors. Even though Ram seems to have the final say, I'm surprised that Nandini does not realize that he would do whatever she said and if she put her foot down then he would back down as well and find another way. They should've made that track much longer.
-It should have taken more time to convince Ram and Priya to get married, this is easily a do hafte ka track at least!
I also think that the editing, although a little better now, was very awkward at the beginning of the show. I'm also not a fan of this new ITV trend of putting scenes at the beginning of the episode to then be like '2 ghante pehle', it's very annoying, stop doing it. Also, I was hoping for a little more creativity with the camera work and personally, the aesthetic of the show seems very old school. I get that it's BALH, but it's also Season 2 and 2021, it's supposed to be a newer version of the show. Editing, camera work, direction - it's all very different now, even though it's only been a few years and I was really hoping to see that come through in this show.
2. I know we've all ranted about this, but if I hear the KHNH theme in the bg again, even for a RamYa scene, I will skip the scene, I am so sick and tired of this godforsaken heartbeat, enough. If you must use it, and I've said this before, use a different instrumental cover! Guitar, violin, flute, spoons, I don't care, just change it. Same with Ram's bg tune, enough, Kumkum Bhagya's excessive use of Allah Waariyan was better than this. The only reason the original BALH theme song doesn't drive me nuts is because I adore Shreya and I'm also a sucker for nostalgia bait.
3. The way that the majority of the characters are written to be honest.
-Mahendra Sood is a monster, but I think the way that he's written is way too outdated and OTT. I like the actor, he's very versatile and he's doing his best with the material he's given, and I know I'm not supposed to like this character, but I'm supposed to be as scared of him as Priya is. I strongly believe that I'm not supposed to laugh at scenes, they feel very cartoonish, same with his wife and son, I'm still not over her scene with Nandini (she might as well have screamed 'BOO!' with the way she showed up behind her, but I digress). Make me hate him even more than I already do if you must, but he needs to have a more sinister motive than simply being a misogynist, it's a very boring way to write a character, Mahendra Sood is a very boring villain. If I compare him to Shashi, Shashi makes the more compelling villain, I would rather have Shashi around instead of Mahendra and I hate Shashi just as much.
-Sara and Meera. I don't understand why Meera flip flops between roasting Mahendra and telling her daughters ki 'papa aaye hain, beta zara pair choona'. Like, what is this nonsense?! I want her character to be more set in stone - either let her be a protective mama bear or a total pushover, just pick one! Sara is also very confusing because she is aware that her dad is the worst and her husband's no better, but then she doesn't say a word about Mahendra (at least not to his face) and constantly changes the subject whenever someone brings up her husband. Sara rarely gives off big sister vibes, Priya seems like everyone's go-to, like Akki and Sandy would rather go to her than their mothers. On that note, mamiji as well is a strange character, kinda like when you're eating an apple and it's super sweet, but then you take the most disgusting bite ever, that's what mamiji feels like as a character. There was no reason for her to also be negative, let her be loving and supportive, itna toxicity nahi dekhna mereko.
-Neeraj. Chalo Maitreyi toh I can at least understand as a character, voh iss show ki Piya Dixit hai (anyone remember Kasamh Se?). But why is Neeraj the way that he is? I simply do not understand him as a character and if the full story of his breakup with Priya doesn't explain his awful personality, I quit.
-Nandini and Ram. I don't understand how these two, one who's supposed to be one step ahead of everyone else and another who is supposedly India's best businessman (or one of them anyway) didn't think to perform any sort of background check on this family of strangers that their 'ghar ki ladli' wants to marry into. Agar main job ke liye jaati toh mera background check bhi Soods se zyada thorough hota, main likhke deti hoon! Nandini of all people seems to lack any and all sort of tact - she is absolutely not the type to make a scene in public, she would make a scene after pretending to be all nice and throwing Neeraj out and then make a scene in front of the Soods when the guests have left. And the fact that I'm supposed to believe that Nandini, if we all just pretend for a second that in Ekta's world prenups are definitely legal in India 😆, doesn't know the basic fundamentals behind a prenup? Come on now! Frankly the same applies to Ram because not only do I never see him working, he does nothing to make me believe that he's a successful businessman, no one in the corporate world is that trusting (at least from my experience). Playing 'dhere naa' while he goes off on tangents (usually about baarish) or looks on wistfully at whatever is in his line of sight (usually Vedika, but sometimes his family and on one occasion, either the wall or a vase, idk) is not how you establish a character, it is simply lazy writing. Just like Ram being a foodie is not a personality trait! Basic writing 101 is that your characters' likes and dislikes don't define who they are as a person, it's their values and even their little quirks/mannerisms that should be showcased, matlab kya hai yeh?!
4. The double standard shown between Ram and Priya. So Nandini feels entitled to know everything about the Soods and Priya's past, particularly her dating history, and to some degree maybe she is, fine. But this then gives Meera that same right to ask about Ram's past and Nandini's role in his life as his stepmother. Meera has not wanted to pry, but I definitely think that she should. Ram and Priya treat each other as equals, at least from my perspective, so the same should apply to those around them within the writing itself. Nandini and Meera should also be written as equals, they are both single mothers who care about their kids and when it comes to the bare-bones of their characters, they are truly in the same situations and to some degree even their motivations align. Have them clash, make butt heads, but stop showing Nandini and the Kapoors as having more power, it's such a tired old trope, I've had enough of it to last at least 10 lifetimes, thank you very much.
Edited by foreverlazy - 3 years ago
