Originally posted by: aye-masakalii
Yeah, so I haven't watched any pre-Aryan episodes except for a couple of random ones either for vids I was making or clips I came across on SM, but even those glimpses are frankly horrifying in terms of how abusive and toxic the entire set up was.
I mean, honestly, one of my reasons for never checking out this show before was my grandma telling me she can't enjoy so much negativity, and she watches legit every other show on TV, so her thresholds are pretty damn high.
So yeah, Imlie, clear victim of abuse who's definitely internalized an extremely low sense of self. She measures her worth in units of 'services provided' because I don't think she realizes her life has inherent value separate from what she can do for others to 'earn' their love. Which is why she also plays so fast and loose with her own life, it doesn't really compute to her that her dying in the process of serving others may not be a fair trade. Which also, heavily internalized- I mean, the Tripathi family WANTED to send her to a village held hostage by a terrorist to save their son, when in reality if there was unconditional love there, the attitude would have been "one of our kids is already in danger, let's not send another."
There's a lot of such internalized stuff she needs to unlearn to be happy, and that's a frustratingly but also realistically slow and iterative process.
I also think (hope!) to see Arpi and Narmada be a part of this process. I found it interesting, and lovely, that Arpita and Narmada bonded with Imlie wayyyy before Aryan did, and the love between the three women is not tied to Aryan. They love her for her, not as an extension of their son/brother or dependent upon the relationship she shares with him. Infact, I was kindaaaa disappointed with the scene where Aryan tends to Imlie after she comes back all shaken up and caked in mud, because I was hoping for more of a family scene there. You know, all three of them fussing (kinda like the three women ganged up on Aryan when he was ill). But oh well, who are we to turn down a visit to jaaaniyaaaaaa-land?