Episode Discussion Thread #17 01/08/2016 - 31/08/2016 - Page 4

Originally posted by: capricornrcks

Bindusar has put the fox to watch the hen house.Siamek is in charge of the Royal Treasury.Since they have the access, it'll be easy to move it through one of the underground passages.The whole palace is riddled with them. The plan is good as long as long as Sushim and Siamek have a clear idea on how to share the spoils.

Oh my goodness, August already 😲😲 Time flies by doesn't it.

Dear Babur,

Now this is fun! Exactly the kind of thing I revel in. My supplementary comments are in blue.

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: babur1527

Not for the first time Bindusar does a complete 180 personality change. I am not surprised. Watch the post Agradhut track episodes and how quickly and unreasonably the relationship between him and Ashok deteriorates, and how he even casts Dharma aside.

And despite Chanakya showing him the reality of the matter he conveniently overlooks the crimes of Sushim and co. Again.

For the sake of continuing the "political intrigue" Bindusar's character is butchered over and over again.

You see, I am substantially handicapped by having missed out on a crucial 5 month period after the assassination of Chanakya. And I cannot ginger myself up to watch all that stuff online. But even so, just take the most recent example. Helena was clearly running a parallel govt. right from inside the palace. It never occurs to Bindusara 1 (his dominant personality) to wonder how she did all that on her own and perhaps just a few loyalist servants, with no top level insider support. Or even how she dug herself out of that grave. Ashoka refers in public to this angle even before he learns that Kondana is Helena, but it all washes over Bindusara 1's head.

The question now is this: All of Bindusara 2's ranting of the day before against Kaurwaki was playacting. But did this extend to his dressing down of Ashoka as well, especially when Ashoka, suddenly and loudly, comes out with his accusation againt the Foul Foursome? It will be interesting to see if Bindusara's present avatar , Bindusara 2- sticks around long enough to think this one thru. Unlikely, I have to concede.

Bindusar's bhashan is just straight up hypocritical nonsense. He treats all his wives like crap. Even Dharma. Though admittedly except Subrasi and Dharma none of them had shown genuine affection.

This is a masterpiece of understatement, seeing that one cheated on him and the other is planning to have him bumped off at the earliest convenient opportunity.😉Nos. 5-7 are invisible so one had no idea about their level of commitment to him.

Again, the attempt of the CVs to show how right Kaurwaki is for Ashok.

Logically speaking, no woman to this date has been right for Ashok. Except probably Devi until she turned into a hare brained matchmaker. From Ahankara to Kaurwaki, all of them have nothing but an obstacle for Ashok.

I think Ashoka would be best off alone on his ABN (Akhanda Bharat Nirman) campaign, to quote Sandhya. I do not see what any of the females now on offer could actually contribute to either his well being or his future success. But then, as the French say "The heart has its reasons, of which the mind has no knowledge" (It reads better in the original, Le couer a ses raisons que la raison ne connait pas, with the pun on "raison", to mean both reason and good sense). I mean the heart of the CVs, and as for the mind, it is ours!😉

🤣

Ankit is the ONLY actor that is on par with the former cast. Simply brilliant. Mohit is good. But when he starts angrily talking he turns into Nolan's Batman(the guy who sounds as if he has throat cancer).

Yes, but Ankit too has a tic, his sly, sideways look, with one eye narrowed, making him look almost cross-eyed, that is quite tiresome, like a 1990s screen villain. And I am glad his daanav persona has faded out, for that was so stagy as to set one's teeth on edge. However, when he gets a chance, as he did in this scene, he does remarkably well. He was excellent in the other one where Kaurwaki mistakes him for Ashoka and hugs him from behind. The sudden, hesitant, almost shy realisation of his crush on her was superbly done.

As for Mohit, he is a favourite of mine, so I make excuses for him when I can! It is a pity, but I have never seen Nolan's Batman, so I cannot relish the comparison as it surely should be relished.

This plot is quite unique. But I wish Lassandra had a better back story. And Siyamak should have his own set of political players from Khurasan. I don't get it. What is the deal with CVs ignoring the political landscape of Magadh? They mentioned Sushim's other brothers but they are conveniently forgotten for this crap Swyamvadu.

Probably out of budget constraints. They did show them in a catwalk parade after the leap, but since then they are invisible, joining their mothers in this respect!

It was good to see Ashok back on track. Even if temporarily. The next week though entertaining is yet again dragging the story for no reason at all.

So many things could have been shown till now. They could have shown how Sushim spread his influence across Magadh through his brothers. They could have shown Ashok with a the aid Subhao(?), Vasunandan(?), Radhagupt and Nayak preparing a force to tackle Sushim's army of doom.

They could have shown Siyamak consolidating his power in Khurasan.

But no. More SBS nonsense. Oh well. What can you do when you CVs do not understand their core audiences.

I think they do, understand their core audience, I mean. That is the really sad part of it. I do not think a cerebral show like the one you crave would have even broken even , not to speak of yielding profits. We are in a distinct minority here, and we have to accept that and move on.

I completely agree with you about the might have beens. Just half of all this would have been a scrumptious treat. Even without a map!!

I would have liked to, Abinaya my dear, but this is already almost too much for me.

I have rheumatoid arthritis, which, among other things, has affected my right hand badly. So typing too much is tough. I have been doing this much over the last few days only because of a new treatment that was started last week which has produced marked improvement.

But this treatment has to be of short duration, as it is of steroids which cannot be taken for long. So, in due course, I will be back where I was in terms of the pain level, and will have to drop out of this EDT. Till then, however, I mean to be active here, and I am delighted that you liked this one so much.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: fairyabi

Really nice analysis aunty

It is already know that bindhu is capable of doing anything but didn't expect this from him

But aunty why don't u participate in other topics also in this forum, it will be more interesting to have u in other posts too

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Episode 395: The Revenge of the CVs

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Dear Babur,

Now this is fun! Exactly the kind of thing I revel in. My supplementary comments are in blue.

I think they do, understand their core audience, I mean. That is the really sad part of it. I do not think a cerebral show like the one you crave would have even broken even , not to speak of yielding profits. We are in a distinct minority here, and we have to accept that and move on.

I completely agree with you about the might have beens. Just half of all this would have been a scrumptious treat. Even without a map!!

Originally posted by: sashashyam

I would have liked to, Abinaya my dear, but this is already almost too much for me.

I have rheumatoid arthritis, which, among other things, has affected my right hand badly. So typing too much is tough. I have been doing this much over the last few days only because of a new treatment that was started last week which has produced marked improvement.

But this treatment has to be of short duration, as it is of steroids which cannot be taken for long. So, in due course, I will be back where I was in terms of the pain level, and will have to drop out of this EDT. Till then, however, I mean to be active here, and I am delighted that you liked this one so much.

Shyamala Aunty

Dear Babur,

Thank you for the concern and your suggestion. I shall probably have to try that out some time soon.

The problem is that while I used to dictate all the time to secretaries when I was in service, including the editing, now I not only type it all out but edit it a lot as well to polish and fine tune the text. Even the punctuation marks. That has to be done by hand, and in the end I get fagged out. But I agree with you, I will have to try out voice typing, especially as my RA gets worse, if only to take my mind off the pain!

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: babur1527

Shyamala Ji, I suggest you try voice typing. Would save you a lot of trouble.

Yes, but don't you see, all that TRP boosting stuff was not serious political drama of the kind you have outlined now. You said so yourself earlier, that it was only court politics. A succession of often unbelievable twists, exactly like the ups and downs in a soap, only dressed up in (non) period costumes.

The ingredients are pretty much similar in both cases, so it had wide appeal, both for the soap addicts and for those who craved an intelligent historical, and made do with what they got for lack of anything better on offer, while constantly hoping that it would improve;

1)One main (preferably female) villain - Tick
2)A bunch of sidekicks for the aforesaid villain - Tick
3)A bumbling, dumb patidev, always fooled by Nos.1 & 2. - Tick
4)A mahaan patnidevi, suffering in silence and upholding dharma - Tick
5)A benevolent, wise mentor, who is however always overtaken by Nos 1&2- Tick.
6)A turbulent but mathrubhakht Goody Two Shoes son, again always being diddled by Nos 1&2 - Tick

The script had nothing to do either with the real history, or something approximating that, or with the kind of show you are now describing, with credible, competing power centres. To cite just a few minor points, when did they even explain where Seleucus Nikator was located physically, how many of his troops could be moved to back a Pataliputra palace coup, or where Khorasan was, or the ethnic composition of the Mauryan army?

Moreover, the so-called history was largely ahistorical, right from their Helena and the Dharma-Ashoka vanvaas till he is 14.

It was much the same with Jodha Akbar, which had even higher ratings than this show. I only hope that some day, someone actually gets around to doing the kind of production you have described in so tempting a fashion. The 1990 Chanakya had all that you want and more - it was so dense in terms of political and social detail that it was tough to follow at times - but it was not meant as entertainment at all.

Shyamala B.Cowsik

Originally posted by: babur1527

They don't understand their core audience. CAS used to fetch 3.5 ratings during the days of Chanakya. The show's popularity was so sky high that it bumped off Big Boss for the prime time slot.

People watch historical shows for something different. Not more of the same. The loud minority that likes this SBS nonsense either tolerates it for their favorite actor or likes watching romance no matter what.

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Dear Babur,

Now this is fun! Exactly the kind of thing I revel in. My supplementary comments are in blue.

I think they do, understand their core audience, I mean. That is the really sad part of it. I do not think a cerebral show like the one you crave would have even broken even , not to speak of yielding profits. We are in a distinct minority here, and we have to accept that and move on.

I completely agree with you about the might have beens. Just half of all this would have been a scrumptious treat. Even without a map!!

@Shyamalaji

Originally posted by: babur1527

1. This is out of character for Bindusar. But then again Bindusar IMO has multiple personality disorder. His decisions have no coherence.

2. You might want to hold your breath before making such statements. You are a newbie here.