Posted:
The episode was fine.
Well, HC stole the show tonight. That was one helluva performance, I'll admit. The writers did a better job at not rushing things as much as they have, and allowing some scenes to play out without interruption. I'm not satisfied, but I'm not dissatisfied either.
I'm glad that the leap is cancelled, but it doesn't bring me any hope for the future track as the focus continues and will continue to be V. Like I mentioned in another post, the script seems to be built around him while everyone else are fillers. I'm kind of sick of it. But not much can be done about it. We've all been complaining about it for months. If they'd any intentions of focusing on anyone else but V, then it would've happened by now.
Kher.
Moving on.
>> Pros:
1) Raghav stares V down which makes V uncertain
Fantastic shot of Raghav turning his head, staring at V. It unnerved V. Raghav knew it. In fact, I think that he's starting to understand the inner workings of V's mind.
I'm hoping that he'll never forget what V is capable of.
2) Raghav mocks V and The Grin
I frigging loved this scene. When Raghav smirked at seeing V frustrated over Sia being in love with him, and then when he started laughing at V's anger/outburst. HC was fantastic, simply mindblowing in this scene. Raghav mocked V. Provoked him. He laughed at him. He laughed at V's desperation and anger and frustration -- and by God, I loved it.
The entire scene was awesome. Even when Raghav was on the floor, tied to a chair, and bleeding from every wound -- he looked powerful, stronger than V. His smirk and laughter just took the scene ten notches higher, making it more awesome and intense.
Just outstanding performance. Never seen anything like it. He was shot, tortured, kicked, smacked, and yet he grinned at the psychopath -- because V was the one squirming and Raghav was enjoying the show.
Best part was when he laughed, saying "you lost, Sia won", and kept laughing even as V kneeled down to threaten him. What a hero, I swear. This was a unique scene for me. A scene that added so much awesomeness to Raghav's character and overpowered every angle of the villain with just one smirk. There was power in that grin.
Not many men can be tied to chairs and lie on the ground and still look kickas#. Raghav did.
3) Gayatri demands that the police do something now
I demand it too.
I was so relieved that Gayatri told them that they were wasting time they didn't have. And that something had to be done right now. That she couldn't lose her son. Sumukhi was, as always, fantastic.
4) Sia arrives and bargains with V
Finally she arrived. I liked that she didn't hesitate to call V and bargain her life for Raghav's.
Note how she's not just doing this to save Raghav's life. She's doing it because she owes him this much. Because she believes it. For everything that he's done for her and for all of the sacrifices that he made for her. Plus she knows that V will never release her. Thus she knows that she might not come out alive -- and if she does come out alive, then it'll be with his blood on her hands.
There are only two options. Kill him, or be killed.
5) Raghav's reaction to Sia's call
My heart broke for him in this shot. The way that his expression crumbled in desperation, the way that he struggled all of a sudden, pulling at the ropes, and the way that he made desperate sounds as he fought to free himself -- only to protect Sia -- it all just made the entire scene intensely heartbreaking.
I felt sick, horrible for him. I liked the shot of his hand too. Nice details that made it all the more intense. Fantastic performance.
6) Sriti's performance when alone with V
I loved that her makeup had been dimmed. They put way too much makeup on her, most of the time. But in this shot, her makeup was perfect. Anyway, that was a sidetrack. What I loved about her performance here was the concentration on her face, the fearlessness. She has made a choice, determined her own and V's fate.
I'm praying to God that the writers remain consistent with her character. If they show that she surrenders to V's demands [like, marriage], then I will rip my hair out and go bald. It's just-- I won't be able to take it. The choice that she made -- I sensed death. That either V is going to die, or she is. But there be no other outcome of this confrontation.
To show her agree to marriage or anything else will butcher her character.
7) Komal insists on Raghav being sent to the hospital
I liked that she pointed out how they had to think of what could save Raghav's life. Komal suggested the right thing for him -- the hospital. Where he could be given the proper, and much needed, medical attention. Doing a surgery on a dirty couch might not be the most safest and hygienic way to deal with his fatal wound.
Something else; I hope that the writers won't forget to treat Komal's past in the future. She has obviously been through a lot with Dev and now V's violence.
>> Technical pros:
1) Much better directing than yesterday, but still not as great as it used to be
I liked the directing of Raghav's torture. [Even though the focus was more on V and what crap was streaming from his mouth.] But HC's performance shone through the brief shots of him.
I would like to suggest that even when V has his repetitive monologues, the camera could focus on other characters in the room and their reaction to it. I.e. Raghav in this scene.
2) Dialogues were better
Better than they have been for the past week, at least.
3) Raghav's wounds were realistically made
I especially liked the detail of his nose bleed. Good job by the makeup crew.
>> Cons:
1) Three people are shot in the arm, including the female cop
First, Raghav was shot in the arm. Which was fine. Next, V was shot in the arm. That was fine too. But then they showed that the female cop was shot in the arm -- and that kind of bugged the hell out of me. Couldn't they have shown that she was shot in the leg instead? Because then it would've made sense that she dropped on the couch unable to follow him or do anything besides clutch her wound.
I mean, if V can get shot in the arm and still point a gun at her, then what's her problem? I thought that she was a trained cop? I swear that the writers have made a total joke out of the entire police force. In fact, the cops shouldn't even have gotten involved from the start as they only messed up the screenplay since the writers had too many characters, all of a sudden, that they had to juggle with.
If V had warned Raghav, told him to inform the cops that V wasn't there, then every single reaction, everything that has happened in the wake of Friday's episode would have made more sense; i.e. Raghav's confusion and mistakes over how to deal with V, the in-out and constant negotiation battle b/w Raghav and V. Everything would've seemed more realistic in the sense that with Raghav alone to handle the situation, he'd be confused and lost and time would run against him.
No one would've been frustrated with the cops either. The bloopers wouldn't exist.
2) No one's stressing over the fact that Raghav's shot and probably tortured
Everyone was just standing there, surprisingly calm. I get the cops -- with their strategies, their foolproof plans [which are never foolproof and always foolish]. I get Komal -- she's a mother and her concern for Krish came first. I don't get how Gayatri and Taashu could be so calm, knowing that every passing second was one step closer to Raghav's death.
Like, seriously. Gayatri should've been debating with the cops until they relented. And just as they did, Sia could've arrived and changed the course of events.
But to show that Gayatri agreed to wait while her son was dying in there? Um, wrong and definitely not in character for her. She's a woman of action -- and Raghav is her only son.
3) The cops don't follow V and Sia as he takes her hostage
Haven't these cops been trained for hostage situations? When a leader's shot in the arm, it doesn't mean that the entire mission is cancelled and everyone retreats. I was seriously speechless that none of them tried to follow V upstairs, that none of them shot at him. I'm sure one of them could've hit the mark. There were, like, five cops against one man.
They were given orders to shoot him at sight. Yet they let him take Sia upstairs. If not shot at him, then they could've at least followed him and positioned outside whatever room that he went inside. The closer to the target, the better.
Man, I seriously don't get it. When the doctor was looking at Raghav, the cops were gone. Did they go back outside? Like, for real? This is a complete joke. One frigging man. Cops, trained cops and an entire rescue team -- and they couldn't bring one man down.
Why didn't the writers simply keep the police out of this? Why?
4) The female cop is stupid enough to let her guard down when they find Raghav
I wanted to rip my hair out. The moment she pointed the gun downward, followed Sia, and didn't even care to think that this might be a trap -- I just wanted to bang my head against the wall over and over, wondering why I was watching this crapfest.
Like, seriously. She went in alone -- first thing. And then she let her guard down when she could clearly tell that the psychopath was nearby. For crying out loud.
I'm no cop, but even I would've stayed where I was and demanded that Sia doesn't move until V showed himself. And I would've called in another cop to pull Raghav outside.
5) V uses his wounded arm to hold the gun
Because he's a superhuman. Raghav drops to the ground because of a shot in the arm -- oh, and the female cops decides to take a nap on the couch when she's shot in the arm.
But V? No, V is a god and thus he doesn't fall or even stumble. In fact, he can hold a gun in his injured arm and everything.
6) Raghav's lost too much blood, but isn't taken to the hospital
Komal said that he'd lost too much blood. The other doctor said "oh, no, he'll be fine when we've gotten the bullet out". And I said "W*F?!" If the guy's lost too much blood, then he needs medical attention at a hospital, pronto!
Furthermore, all previous hostages were inside the house with no cops around to protect them in case V returned to take more hostages! What the frigging hell?! They should've carried Raghav outside, treated him outside. I mean, seriously, writers! Wake up! These aren't accidental bloopers. This is neglect! Screenplay neglect!
7) Rescue team's leader appears and disappears and does nothing else
The leader with the mustache was back again. He just popped up out of nowhere. I don't get it. I'm seriously just ARG over the whole cops deal. It's humiliating and ridiculous. If they didn't know how to tackle the cops' involvement in the hostage situation, then they shouldn't have involved them in the first place.
Rather that than the joke they've been made to be.
8) V, as per usual, had way too many dialogues that dragged the scenes
Self-explanatory.
9) Raghav said "as long as you're on the path of evil..."
Is that a hint as to V turning positive in nearest future, or something? Ugh. KVB's tweet is still fresh in my mind. V's gone red, then he'll go black, and then grey/white.
I fail to understand how the writers can even consider redeeming him after everything that he's done, and the stabbing that he's about to do. Like, seriously. I don't believe that a RT is ever going to work when it comes to V -- but what's worse is that the writers would even think of trying to make us sympathize with a psychotic rapist; as if it's not bad enough that the channel's promoting V everywhere.
Latest FB status asked "will V stab Jahnvi and lose her forever". I was like; "WTH?!" Why is this about V's loss? What about Sia -- who's the one getting stabbed? And what about Raghav -- who's the one losing something here; the very woman he loves?!
The channel/writers boast that they're all for victims and against abusers -- and yet they're contradicting themselves by constantly promoting the abuser, constantly focusing on the abuser rather than the victims of his abuse. And a redemption track will surely be the last nail in the coffin.
Whatever.
Done for tonight. Nite, peeps.
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
