Remember Remember the beginning of November
BONFIRE NIGHT
How we all raved and wept and beat our breasts
How we mourned the end of MSK- we mourned the end of the love that bound him to the light, his surrender to the hatred that dragged him towards the dark
How we sympathised with those who kept the faith- perhaps pitying them in their blind devotion to the CVs and Barry Dhillon
HOW THEY LAUGH TODAY!!!
The last few days have been some of the most traumatic in Geet history-- this short-lived show which has, in the past 6 months, gone from a gentle amusement to perhaps my deepest obsession
In the last 10 episodes, we have gone from the heights of ecstasy to the depths of despair.
Much has been written about the IP track, about the blind rage which obscured MSK's mind, about the lack of faith in love which obscured Geet's heart-- I don't want to rehash a topic which has been done to death
Suffice it to say - at the beginning of the week MSK and Geet's love was as deep as ever, but the ground between them was split by a crater as deep as the Grand Canyon-- and I could see no way to bridge it without of the characters being sacrificed on the altar of necessity by the writers.
I'm going to talk about each episode on it's own and also as part of a 3-part arc.
Monday
The aftermath: After the dhamakedaar Diwali episode, we saw an MSK overwhelmed with hurt, a man unsure of how his life had ended up in the state it was in, unsure what mistake he had made, unsure how his perfect love had been found wanting-- a wounded lion lashing out at the one he loves most in the world, trying to prove that the fault lay in her, that it was not the fact his love had been found wanting.
(God I'm turning into someone who's name should not be mentioned, trying to tie every aspect of MSK's character into my belief that he is a deeply insecure man with massive lack-of-confidence issues-- I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT)
We also saw Geet- more sure of her place in the world- with the confidence to beard the lion in his den, to try and pull the thorn out of the wounded lion's paw , with the kindness to try and give comfort to the man who hurt her and broke her heart- with the ability to see that they were BOTH at fault.
In short, she proved that women are stronger than men in many ways, and certainly she proved that her EQ is higher-- she proved that no matter what happens, she'll always be able to face him-- she'll never fear him, and she'll be able to make him face the darkest aspects of his soul
He tells her to go, he tells her that they have no relationship-- and she made him face the truth-goddam GC's eyes, goddam him for being able to break my heart with a single facial expression--he pulls her towards him, and we see his helplessness in the face of his love, how unable he is to control himself around her, how much he wants to just break down and beg her to explain how they ended up like this.
And he reacts the way he always does-- with anger shoring up his emotional defences. He sends her away again-- but before he does, he tries to convince her of the things that he wishes he believed-- but even whilst speaking words of hate-- his uncontrollable fingers cannot help but caress her. I'd like to believe that Geet's distress at that moment is not just at his words but also at how much he's hurting himself.
MSK's face as she walks away is tortured- he hates himself for the words he has spoken, he in pain-- and then she throws her parting shot and makes him face the truth-- he is lying to himself and she knows it.
Geet walks away the victor from that battle-- as much as anyone can be a victor when the same heart is being broken on either side.
MSK reacts the way men tend to-- with the zid to prove himself right.
I'll give the CV's credit-- they highlight the love between them in the smallest moments-- Geets concern when she hears the wheels squeel, her concern that he may have been hurt-- his unwilling realisation that she'll always know when he calls her-- cos kehte hain na, dil se dil ko rah hoti hai.
I'm going to skip over the bandar and the bandari-- us arhana ko to marna chahiye, Sasha ke saath saath usko bhi kisi cliff pe se phenkdete hain
GOD, MSK's eyes, his face, his reaction when he sees her jhumka-- he can't hide his love even from himself at that moment.
And then he starts to make a spectacle of himself-- and you can feel the moment when she recognises it--when she realises that though he's trying to hurt her, all he's actually managing to do is hurt himself and his self-respect.
I can't help but think that her tears at that moment are not so much for the hurt he's giving her-- but more for the wounds he's causing himself-with the perspicacity of love she knows that he will find it hard to forgive himself when he comes back to his senses.
Tuesday
We continue where we left off-- with our tour of the highlights of the Maaneet love story- its a bit of a roundabout tour, cos we're back at the beginning.
i liked the way the differences between the first and second rescues are highlighted-- the first time he saved her, it was impersonal-- he carried her out of the lake like a piece of meat, a burden he couldn't wait to shed, he hardly looked at her.
The second time he saves her from water- he cradles her like a fragile precious ornament, his eyes caress her face, he hold her close to his heart and they can't look away from each other.
She realises the differences-- she's always more aware of their relationship than him-- and reminds him. You can see the moment HE realises the way he's behaving-- with love-- so he protects himself again-- by hurting THEM. Her tears again are not for her own hurt, but for the way he's hurting the relationship that has not died- the way he's refusing to understand that they are bound almost against their will-- that there is no faida in fighting.
She chases after him- not as the weak supplicant, begging for mercy, more as the angel of truth- trying to force him to open his eyes-- and finds him lost in a moment of further self-deception.
God, she's strong then- she won't back down, she won't take it anymore. What words-- "I'm going to make him realise that he's not the only one who can get angry, he's not the only one who hurts"
Sher ki Sherni in truth- willing to make her mate face his inner turmoil, make him face the fact that he's only hurting himself if he falls any further.
(I love the way that he immediately goes to jump to her defence-- but she stops him in his tracks by reminding him that he's lost the right to be her shield-- and baccha reacts again to fight back-- and throws her words in her face)
God the dance-- you can almost feel MSKs disgust at the way this woman is touching him-his disgust at letting anyone near him who is not Geet-- not once did even a hint of a smile cross his face; in fact his body language was screaming rejection (well done GC)
He walks towards her, willing her to show any reaction-- willing her to understand how dirty he feels-- willing her to rescue him from the depths to which he is falling-- constantly drawn to her side like a moth to a flame-unable to tear his eyes from her.
And when she doesn't react- he decides to hurt THEM even further-- he reminds her of the helpless passions between them, of the way he first was unable to stay away from her, of the way he first jataoed his haq on her, of the way their bodies recognised their true mates from the first time they danced together-- almost begging her to pull him away from the interloper the way she had previously-- you know he wanted her to react the way she did with Pari-- all he wants from her at that moment is acceptance that she was the one in the wrong, she was the one who failed to give enough bharosa to the love between them-- all he wants is that she accept that no matter what has happened SHE KNOWS THAT THEY STILL BELONG ONLY TO EACH OTHER
But she remains stronger than him even then- recognises that they cannot have any meaningful discussion until he stops simply reacting and starts thinking.
He can't bear it, can't bear that she is able to turn away from him-- this is his biggest weakness; he can't bear to be ignored especially by her-- he wants an answer, he wants what he wants and he wants it now
He follows her- and hearing her condemnation of his actions enrages him-- mainly becuase he knows that she is right and he is wrong.
As ever, he tries to force her to answer him-- he knows how she feels, he wants to make her admit it-- in many ways, its similar to the way he wanted her to admit her love the first time round-- remember all the things he put her through (making her find a girl for him, making her help Pari, asking her how she would feel if he danced with pari)--its the same determination to make her accept that she is as helpless in the grip of love as he is, that she is as vulnerable and needy as he is-- he holds her and pulls her close to himself with HAQ-- a haq he refuses to recognise he's lost- he hurts he with his words, desperate to make her admit that she's as affected by his closeness as he is helplessly in thrall to her.
Even in his anger, he doesn't hurt her-- he is forceful but cradles her in the turns, holds her close to him-tries to use the power of the sexual attraction between them to force her to turn back the clock to the moment before it all went wrong
Watching it now-- I can't help but think that if she had yielded then, he would have fallen at her feet-- but it was necessary for the health of their long term relationship that she stayed strong-- the balance of power would have stayed in his hands if she yielded, he would have known that she was unable to stand firm in the face of his strength-- in time, he would have steamrollered over her and made her bitter.
He may not realise it now, but she is a woman strong enough to withstand his machinations-- strong enough to keep him on the side of the light
With one tamacha- she woke him from the nightmare world he was living in- where his anger was ruling him and turning their love into a bed of nails.
Wednesday
Aaah, a moment of isolation and meditation-- a moment for both MSK and we, the audience, to recollect and regret what has passed.
He remembers the love he has for her-- her words remind him that love is what binds them. Whilst immersed in the water that has always bound them he thinks about what has happened-- tries to make sense of how things went so badly wrong.
The poor man tries to understand how any two people can be so controlled by emotion as to lose any ability to regulate their own actions-- tries to make sense of how a love can be a negative as well as a positive emotion; tries to understand how his life has gone so out of his own control.
He finally recognises that his own actions are destroying him; he understands that if he doesn't stop where he's going- the only ending can be utter annihilation for any relationship or softness in his life. He realises that he's dragging her down with him.
Geet is as always more aware of what is happening between them-- she's aware that two wrongs don't make a right.
However, I loved the fact that she is only regretful that she reacted badly-- it is not that she doesn't think he needed a wake up call-- her only regret is that she has gone against her own principles and used violence-- remember her dislike for violence is based in a desire to be better than her upbringing-- its grounded in a desire to prove herself stronger than simply taking the easy route. She doesn't want to apologise for anything except slapping him-- and that I can understand; she feels that SHE is the one who is hurt by the use of violence-- she is the one who has stained her soul by allowing herself to give in to anger. In fact, though she doesn't think it, she knows deep down inside perhaps instinctively that she will be the one who will keep the moral high ground if she apologises when he is the one so gravely in the wrong.
The next day, they meet in the lift. Remember the last time they met in the lift-- the love between them then- the distance and shame between them now. He's ashamed of what he has become-- an out-of-control animal unable to protect the one he loves from himself. He projects him shame onto her actions-- and walks away, unable to bear the condemnation he's sure he'll see in her eyes.
Even when she enters his office-- he can't meet her eyes; how can two people who are so in love be so far apart, so unable to read each other's words and souls; Devil has a lot to answer for.
Even in his shame, he can't stop caring for her-- he betrays his love by his action, by his helpless need to catch even a glimpse of her as he leaves.
I don't know if anyone has read the book "The Scarlet Pimpernel"- but there's one scene where the pimpernel bends and kisses the steps where his wife's feet had touched-- they are estranged at that moment, but he is helplessly in love-- whilst his self-respect won't allow him to ask her to talk to him his love controls him when she is not around-- he just can't show her his adoration.
That was the feeling I got from Maan at that moment-- he doesn't feel himself worthy to meet her eyes, he dreads hearing further condemnation of his actions from her-- he fears the searing heat of guilt that will lash his soul if she says anything more.
In short, MSK is hiding from Geet- hiding behind a shield of formality and power.
BUT Geet bhi sherni hai-- usko jo bolna hai woh to bolna hi hai
She has been taught by the master; she forces a confrontation.
GC is so amazing-- the same eyes that can convey power and anger here are used to convey shame, guilt, fear and helplessness. Here, or the first time in a long time-- MSK and Geet are speaking to each other the way they used to-- whilst their lips are saying one thing, their eyes are speaking of love, desire, longing, yearning and regret.
Note he is the one to let go of her-- I don't think he feels worthy enough to touch her. And then she apologises, and he is cast into a dark pit of guilt and shame-- shame that she's braver than him, brave enough to take her share of the guilt. His face when she reminds him of what he did; uff.
He's fully aware that she is stronger than him- but right now he doesn't think himself worthy of her-- he remembers what the Khurana khaanadan has done to her so far and how he's compounded every error; he can't bear to be around her. All he wants is to go away and lick his wounds
Niru and everyone who think that he's going to walk away from her are right-- he will. He's not just going to walk, he's running away from her and his guilt.
I think its good for them-- they've given each other such deep wounds, they need time to recover and remember the love
She'll cope without him-- she is the strong one, she is truly self-reliant.
He'll leave and watch over her-- unable to stay far from her, but unwilling to subject her to his presence.
I'd bet that its NT that brings him back-- he'll come back to protect her, even though she doesn't need or want his protection. either NT or the baby-- I can't help but want him to remember the baby, and the fact that he promised to protect them both
in the end-- we're in for a separation-- but one based in love not hate, one which I pray will be shortlived, and one into which we enter safe in the knowledge that neither MSK or GEET's characters have been sacrificed-- they are both as strong and unique as ever.
Well done CVs
GC and DD-- I have no words left with which to praise you, they are all redundant-- well done!
LOL Doc
