Posted:
I'm still unwell. Thus the feedback isn't as thorough as I wanted it to be. Bear with me. Will hopefully feel better tomorrow.
Good episode tonight.
>> Pros:
1) Raghav/Sia mock V and tell him to waste his time on finding evidence
Fantastic scene. I loved how the dialogues shifted between Raghav/Sia in turns. It made them seem like a united force, powerful, strong, and kind of hot.
When Sia asked him why V was always chanting his "I want Jahnvi back", I cracked up. I liked the way that Sriti delivered that line.
Her "naa iss janam mein" line was repetitive though.
2) Malhotra tells Raghav/Sia what happened to his daughter
First, I loved how Raghav/Sia took his bike and how she mildly scolded him for it -- like a real wife -- when she saw that he was in pain. I'm loving her genuine care/concern for his condition, for him, lately.
Second, I'm glad that Malhotra showed up and we got to hear him talk about Priya. I just hope that justice will be served here. I'd hoped that maybe Raghav/Sia would attempt to help Priya out of the asylum somehow. That would've been nice.
I also missed Komolika. Though I'm glad that they showed Raghav was still in touch with her.
3) Sia forces Raghav to drink milk
Fantastical scene. Cute. I loved how the ease with which she ordered that he drink and I loved how he complained, but couldn't refuse her. He never can refuse her. Note how he will always complain and mutter and protest, but he'll do anything she asks, in the end.
4) Sia opens up about Krishna to Raghav
I'm glad that the writers had Sia remembering her dead child and that she opened up to Raghav about it. It showed how some psychological injuries of hers might never heal -- perhaps not until she experiences the birth of her child and what it's like to play with it in her lap.
I liked that she told Raghav the name of her dead child and how Krish had made her feel when she first met him at the ashram.
What was sweet about this scene was how Raghav didn't know what to say and instead did a male thing -- handing her a glass of water. But you could see that he could feel her pain and it unsettled him.
5) Raghav tries to make Sundar wake up from his coma
This was a fantastic scene and a much awaited one. It was about time that Raghav went to see Sundar again, that his frustration and concern boiled over, transforming into anger at first, raging accusations, and then grief. Brilliant performance by Harshad.
I especially loved the way that he sat in the chair and rocked. You could feel his thoughts racing, his emotional turmoil, and how he tried hard to restrain those emotions, but failed. Desperation came and went. The way that he threatened Sundar, coaxed, promised, and pleaded -- he tried everything. He spoke to him as a brother, a friend, and even a child -- nothing helped. When he swallowed the cookie, I was done for. That was heartbreaking.
Flawless performance. Just speechless.
Beating his head against the wall, sliding down, and gripping his hair... tragic.
I think that it wasn't just Sundar's condition, but the entire pressure of the situation that did it for him. He's been hurting his mother. He feels guilty about Sundar. He hasn't been able to protect Krish fully from V. The self-blame was obvious as well as the grief over loss of a brother and a friend.
I liked how he told Sia that Sundar was more than a friend. That he was family. That he'd always been there. The fear of losing him was evident.
Tonight, I felt like Raghav finally got this out of his system -- everything that'd happened to Sundar.
6) Sia crouches down next to Raghav and promises him that Sundar won't leave
I really liked that she crouched down next to him, eye-level, comforting him with her mere presence and a few words to raise his spirits. What was noticable here was how Sia was immersed in Raghav's pain whereas before she always seemed too distracted in her own.
7) Taashu wants to save her brother from Sia
Naturally. She already suspected Sia, and V just confirmed her suspicions. She'd believe anything against Sia at this point since she witnessed what she did in Sia's room.
>> Cons:
1) Not all scenes were played out
For instance, the scene in which Malhotra tells Raghav/Sia about his daughter. I would've liked to see it play out rather than cut short at Sia's shocked expression. For one thing, it's an important reminder that V has destroyed innocent people's lives -- his sister included.
2) How come Raghav/Sia don't turn in the CCTV tapes recording V's murder talk?
They have him scheming murder on tape. I suggest that they show the tape to Gayatri. It might just benefit their case.
3) Didn't Gayatri tell V to stay away from everyone in the house?
Then what was he doing with Taashu in her room, and what was Taashu doing letting him in her room? Another Priya in the making, I swear. Just a less extreme version.
4) Malhotra's comment on V and remorse
What is that supposed to mean? That V, at some point, will understand/feel the depth and meaning of the pain that he causes others and, what, feel remorse? Um, no. Not a chance in hell. V's character was established as unredeemable and every step of the way, he has been shown as someone without conscience, without even the slightest hint of remorse at the things he has done/does -- and most importantly, he represents the Devil.
Just what are the writers hinting at? That the Devil can feel remorse? That one day he will have a conscience, all of a sudden, after all the lives he has wrecked, all the pain and atrocities he has exercised upon others, all the assaults -- sexual, emotional, and other.
Let's get one thing straight. You cannot redeem a man like V. Komolika said it. It has been shown over and over and over on the show -- every single redemption track has failed. V isn't able to sell innocence, purity, goodness. He's evil. Simple. Redeeming him wouldn't just be out of character for him and wrong from every creative angle, it wouldn't just present the frigging message that "oh, yeah, all those FB guys who praised V for controlling his wife and condemned Jahnvi for leaving, for not keep trying to treat him -- they were right. Totally. Because lookie, V has changed for the better, so obviously Jahnvi should've just stuck it out and kept trying as he could've changed!"
Yeah, I'm not supporting that message.
V is evil. He's the kind of evil that's unredeemable and it has been confirmed by not just Komolika, but also by everything that has been shown on the show, and even creatives themselves have associated him with evil -- as in The Devil himself.
So, if they're going back on their word, hinting at remorse and another redemption track coming up... then I'll be skipping it and TRPs will be dipping it.
I hate it when they confuse viewers by showing something else and having characters say something else. Looking at V, there is nothing redeemable about him. But then they have characters like Malhotra hint at how V will one day feel remorse and it pisses me off. This isn't a story about how the abuser redeemed himself, it's a story about the victim and how she restablished her life after freeing herself from her abuser and punishing him.
5) Raghav's shirt tucked in again -- why?
I noticed how his shirts had become a bit tighter and untucked, but in tonight's episode we were back to the loose shirt and half-tucked look that he sported in the start. Um, are we going backwards in his character development here?
6) Krish -- where the hell is he?
Okay, I've been noticing how he's been gradually taken out of the frame for a while now. It just isn't funny anymore. He became an integral part of the show, an important character. His relationship to Raghav is half the reason why people love the show. Where the hell is he? And why has he been turned into another extra kid just like on every other show? He had depth and was uniquely perceptive -- all that seemed to have been forgotten and he's either been shown playing around only, or he hasn't been present at all.
Do the writers even know how many fans there are of KriGhav?
NOTE: This is a note independent of my feedback, but still a kind of feedback.
I'd like to remind the writers that though the leap is in their hands and though they do it in favor of V -- we, the viewers, have put a lot of hard work into promoting the show as well. We have fought for it, promoted it, and analyzed every angle of it, spent hours working on feedback posts and character analysis posts. We've done artwork and sat loyally in front of our TV screens at the exact time for the episodes to air, and we've supported the show even when it was all but going down the drain.
If we aren't heard when we say no leap, if we aren't heard when we plead with the writers to stop focusing solely on one character's growth, to stop doing it at the expensive of all the other characters, if we aren't heard when we request them to consider our feelings and love for the characters before they make a decision to alter everything irrevocably and make us feel that we've been cheated -- then I will, personally, know where I stand as a viewer.
In spite of providing us episodes that lull us into a fake sense of security, the fear of utter destruction always lingers -- that tomorrow, the writers will bring about something that will once again disappoint us [like a leap]. Funny thing is that it always has to do with V's character. Whatever twists or leaps or whatnot are shown or introduced -- it's always in favor of V somehow, and what's even funnier is how V's dominating power in the narrative is the only thing that we have consistently complained about. Because it has always been and always will be at the cost, at the price of the other characters -- specifically Sia and Raghav. And now it will be at the cost of the entire Singh family as well since I doubt that Krish as in Yash will be there post leap, for instance. I don't even think that Raghav's family will be given much screenspace post leap -- if they're even there.
I feel immensely stupid for having trusted the writers again. I've been through this TRP race hell once before on another show that was butchered in favor of one character's presence/importance. I hope that I'm proven dead wrong. I'd want that over a leap ANY day.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
