The Week that Was

The Week That Was 26^th ... 30^th March

The cv's seemed to be on damage control mode this week, trying to bring back a semblance of the characters we originally fell in love with ... a task made difficult by the absence of Sanaya, whose character, Khushi, has been played with the most ... they had to use the scenes she had already shot, and blend them with the new ones for damage control, and the awkward joints showed. But if this means that they are genuinely trying, I'm all for it ...

Mar 26^th Mon ... We Go On Hurting Each Other

So first we get a reminder that this is supposed to be an intense love story, where two people who love each other, are hurting each other for all the wrong reasons ... one unknowingly, the other mistakenly ...

I keep reading that Khushi knows she has hurt Arnav and she should magically connect the dots ... she should realize that he was so bitterly hurt because she kept the truth of Anjali's husband from him. So logically, he should know that she broke off her engagement with Shyam, that she is trying her best to keep away from Shyam, that she is hiding the truth from Anjali to safeguard her marriage, that's all that Khushi is doing ... and she should realize that some or all these things have hurt him ... to the extent that he married her for revenge.

But the problem is that Arnav is not doing anything to Shyam as far as Khushi knows ... so how can she think that he does know about Shyam? If he's mad at her for hiding the truth, it means he would have acted differently, he would have thrown Shyam out ... but he hasn't. So either he knows and agrees with what she did, because he's doing the same thing, or he doesn't know, and is therefore treating Shyam exactly as he did earlier ... in either case, Shyam is not the cause of his anger. At most, he would be angry that she didn't tell him ... but why then would he have married her? He would have shouted at her for that ... he shouts at her for all faults, imagined or real, why would he have kept quiet on this huge one?

Khushi has no idea about Shyam's lies ... and Shyam's concern for her after her marriage doesn't help either. He's been asking Khushi if she is all right, if she was forced, showing his concern for Khushi ...she can't dream that he would willingly have planted the thought in Arnav's head that she is in collusion with him. And she does not know Arnav's feelings for her ... Hence even if she has considered the possibility of Shyam being the cause for Arnav's anger, she has discarded it ... for the moment.

So we get a tense poolside confrontation, with Arnav furious at Khushi's duplicity, pretending to be fond of Di, when she's actually back-stabbing her ... and Khushi, bewildered, what did she do to hurt Di? When all she's been doing has been to try to prevent Di from getting hurt!

And mixed signals here completely, as they do what they do best ... hurt each other ... he tells her her tears won't weaken him, he won't believe them or her words - she will never get what she wants ... meaning Shyam,

she mistakes that he means she will never get him, he will never be hers, her marriage will never be real ...

and she vows she won't shed tears for such a stone-hearted man, he's furious that she calls him stone-hearted, when she's the one breaking his sister's marriage cold-bloodedly ... he shuts her out again, slamming the door shut on her hand, and turning back in instant contrition as she cries out in pain ... she wants none of his sympathy ... she deserves all the pain, for being such a fool to dream ...

"We go on hurting each other, making each other cry,

breaking each others' hearts, tearing each other apart ..."

Shyam overplays his hand again, in his zeal to prove to Anjali that Arnav and Khushi are having problems, their marriage isn't working ... although Khushi covers instantly again in front of Di, it takes an effort, and she misses the face off between Arnav and Shyam.

Nani is brought into the picture, and in her wisdom, she decides the warring couple need some alone time ... without everyone in RM poking their noses into their business, especially the ever-loving, ever-interfering Di and her slimeball hubby.

But Arnav doesn't want to go ... and neither does Khushi. Although both are looking for different signals from the other.

And Arnav and Khushi finally share a room ... from their wedding night when he said he couldn't bear to be in the same room with her, to Khushi moving into his room, his cupboard and his bathroom ... to tonight, when he can share the same space ...

Movement in story today ... Arnav will not believe Khushi's words. It will take more to convince him. The question is ... what?

SN ... Body doubles for Sanaya today in the pool scene, and mismatched editing of dialogues made the scene awkward ... Sanaya and Barun had obviously shot separately for the scene. Pity ... it could have been much better if shot together.

Tues 27^th Mar ... With This Dance, I Thee Claim.

Nani's plan takes off ... (SN ... cheapskate PH, can't they afford a new location and hire a hotel room for the Bali party? 😕 )

Mama, Mami, Nani looked great - and acted even better - in their new roles. 😃

Daljeet looked fabulous ... Shyam is an idiot to ignore his own sexy biwi for his Saale Sahab's! 😆

Khushi looked pretty, I loved her suit ... they have obviously decided to release her front bangs only for authentic Rabba Ve scenes ... that's what gives her that stunning blend of innocence and sensuality ... it wasn't required today, so simple pinned back hair as usual.

Arnav looked smoking hot ... 😳

Key points today ... Khushi tells Arnav she's doing all this for Di as well, he's not the only one. Rebutting silently his earlier accusation that she could hurt Di knowingly.

Arnav misses his fighting feisty Khushi ... 'I said I'm going to change first ... didn't you hear me?' Why aren't you arguing? And her reply ... 'you wanted me to obey your every word ... that's what I'm doing.'

And of course the dance ... a reprise of Teri Meri, starting with the anger between Arnav Khushi, no smiles, tension palpable, physically so close, emotionally miles apart ... as he leads grimly, she just follows, no trace of her usual joyfulness, her zest for dancing ... in her face or in her eyes ... her emotions dulled, deadened ... not even looking at his face, his eyes, a lifeless obedient doll in his arms, in place of the warm vibrant woman that he loved.

And then changing tempo ... Arnav sees Shyam eyeing Khushi dancing in her husband's arms, while Shyam's own wife, Arnav's beloved blindly worshipping Di, is clasped unsuspectingly in Shyam's arms ... a sudden change of mood, dark, dangerous heavy background music and a dance of dark passion, of staking claim, of angry possession ... junoon ... proclaiming to the world ... she's mine, she dances to my tune, and there is nothing anyone can do about it ... especially not a stalking Reptilewa.

A dark character is Arnav indeed. She may be in love with you, but she will never be yours.

And Khushi bewildered, almost scared at the change of mood ... recognizing the passion, the possession ... he said he would never be hers, her dream would never come true ... yet his actions belie his words ... he did it again - threw her away, and then pulled her back to him.

A change of mood in the room post the dance ... editing blooper? Or changing scripts? Still at daggers drawn, but the tension of the dance dissipated ... Khushi can't help but exclaim at the romantic ambience ... some of her dreams coming true ... Arnav still brooding, but that raw edge of passion, of possessiveness gone ... both stumbling back to that comfort zone that they somehow always manage to reach after the worst of fights ... the all familiar bickering, sniping ... locked into a darkened room for the night ...

Wed 28^th March ... Meri Awaaz Bano

The slide starts 😕 ... the tension of the first two days gone, replaced by light-heartedness and a complete change of pace and emotions! If it hadn't been for the very intense Monday and Tuesday, I would have been happy with the next three days ... they were back to the 'getting used to each other but still kicking and screaming about it' phase. As it was, the change after the escalation of emotions was confusing and appeared badly thought out.

So Wednesday - Arnav's burning possessiveness gone completely, dissolved into much more patient tolerance ... Khushi's hurt likewise melted away under her concern for Arnav's hand ... and the child in Arnav is back as they race for the recliner ... another step in the relationship ... moving to sharing sleeping space even more closely ...Arnav making it a point to sleep as far away from Khushi as possible ...

Which isn't possible, as even in sleep, he reaches to cradle her head before it can fall, and struggling to find a comfortable spot ... as morning dawns, Arnav wakes to find himself sleeping comfortably against his wife's shoulder ... And Arnav lost again in Biwi's beauty ... he niharoes her for a long while ... probably cursing himself, why the hell did he ever make that 'six month, marriage in name only' clause - he could have been waking up like this every day for the last month ... and then gently rests her head against the cushion and moves away to get up ... only to find himself chained to her by her mangalsutra ... Khushi wakes up with the jerk, blinks her eyes sleepily and then jerks awake in shock to see him too close ... moves away, again pulled back by the mangalsutra, trying to disentangle it, but not even looking at it, her eyes keep going back to his face, till he has to hold her hand gently and help her.

What a difference from the grihapravesh, when he roughly jerked her hand aside to pull her earring free ...

And then the comedy re-stars, but better this time, as Arnav loses his voice, and Khushi is baffled, and then as Anjali discovers the mosquito coil, contrite and apologetic... though she can't help finding it a little amusing ... sorry, Devi Maiyya for being so un-SP bahu-like and laughing at my husband!

' I'm really sorry, I didn't know ... Okay, to make up, you can have the bathroom first ...' 😆

The rest of the episode (and the week) seemed geared to repair the damage to Khushi's character, by pushing it down the viewers' throats that yes, Khushi is still loving and caring and smart and funny ... she starts by lip-reading at the breakfast table, impressing everyone by how swiftly she deduces that a man with a toast at the breakfast table needs butter ... judging by the reactions of the rest of the Raizadas, this was a deduction almost worthy of Sherlock Holmes 🤣... and Akash comes up with the brilliant idea that Khushi should be Arnav's Voice for the Day ...

Liked Khushi's one liner ... aap mein aur kya kya takniki kharabi hain ... bata dijiye, hum aage se dhyan rakhenge ... darling, his biggest problem is his missing dimaag, if only you could locate that ... and yours with it ... 😆

And Anjali's one liner ... Arnav's writing is like keede makode crawling on a page ... 😆

Mr. Roy sends a file ... deadan ... dedan ... dedandedandedan ... dedannn (Pink Panther style) ... and Shyam twitches some more ... what is this file all about?

So he investigates ... and Blindly Worshipping Biwi catches him ... will she suspect anything?

Thurs 29^th March ... Anyone can Make a Mistake

Of course BW Biwi won't suspect anything ... there's a reason she's called BW Biwi. Shyam caught without an excuse ready, falls back as he did once before, on the simple truth ... I was looking for property papers, making everything that is yours, mine ... And as before, Anjali doesn't believe him ... or did she? Just for a second or two?

For once, there is a witness to this conversation ... HP.

In the office, Khushi's business is going great guns, with an effusive Shuklaji praising Khushi bhabhi ... till Arnav glares at him, and he changes it quickly to Khushi madam ... and Khushi runs to her new day job ... Voice of Arnav ...

First job ... tell secretary where to send Sethi brothers. Second job ... answer phone (doesn't Arnav have a secretary?) ... and get puzzled when Arnav obviously doesn't want to speak to Mr. Roy in front of her ...

And the Men In Black enter ... looking straight out of a Govinda- Sanjay Dutta gangster comedy 🤣 ... Khushi is all nervous at the thought of the important job entrusted to her, then she sees the MIB and is reassured ... no problem, they look like LG, I handle one LG every day, today I'll handle three ...😆

Can the PH hire a better set designer please? Rephrase that ... can the PH hire a set designer??!!! First the horrendous bathroom ... now this apology for a conference room ... with bar stools??? And no table??? What the ...???!!! 😕😡

Khushi called out by random phone call - why am I mentioning this? Because I caught it only on the second watch - why she was outside to catch the MIB.

And she wonders why the MIB left already, and why they're wearing goggles inside ...

MIB re-enter, Arnav is justifiably flummoxed at the cartoons in front of him ... Khushi bursts in, huffing puffing (all this definitely made more sense on second watch. Khushi's one liners again - 'he can't speak, but it doesn't make so much of a difference ... vaise bhi he doesn't talk too much, today he won't talk at all. No big deal!'

If this had been a serious deal, I would have been tearing my hair out already at her idiocy ... I was, on first watch! 😆

So Khushi holds forth on everything but the deal - reason for Arnav's silence, the price of vegetables, her dabba service ... ending up by presenting her cards ... and Arnav's look of sheer horror ... priceless!!! 😆

Akash is disappointed with Khushi, the brothers try to salvage the deal, and heroine Khushi saves the day ... as the police and the EOW enter in the nick of time ... and Khushi's flashback shows how she overheard them discussing their planning in the car park ... not very smart of them, was it?

But it does go to show how important it is to eavesdrop properly ... when you're eavesdropping, listen to the entire conversation, not just a part! Arnav bitwa, savvy??? 😆

A few more key sentences spoken today ...

Akash ... sorry, Khushiji, I should have known, whatever you do, you do have a reason for it. It seems Akash will always be a silent supportive champion for Khushi.

And Khushi to Arnav ... everyone makes mistakes... anyone can make a mistake ... you too, right? Yes, he made a mistake ... in judgement... and in refusing to rectify it, he continues to compound it. Arnav Singh Raizada is not infallible.

Khushi to Arnav ... you can tell when someone is lying when they don't meet your eyes. Those who are telling the truth, can face you when they speak.

And the car journey home ... Khushi knows why Arnav is fuming ... she didn't tell him before calling the police - she explains she didn't have time ... and she carried on with the ridiculous business talk - oh, that one was just for fun ... she had to stall for time, so she enjoyed herself doing it ... 😆

And Arnav fuming even more ... now was he play-acting already or was he really mad? 😕

Fri 30^th March ... Big Ego vs Big Heart

Again the cv's are treading a thin line here ... Arnav veers dangerously close to stepping over it ... he is the one who has supposedly realized his love, and is fighting it ... yet at times, the turmoil in his heart doesn't come across as a fight between love and hate, it comes across as an ego battle ... he loves his battles with Khushi ... only as long as he wins them. And when he loses, he's a sore loser.

So Khushi rubs it in that she did something smart and saved Arnav's company, so he can be a good boy and say sorry and thank you. Of course Arnav's ego is into top gear immediately ... thank her?! Acknowledge that she proved smarter than him?! After all his pompous remarks on his brain and her lack of it?! No way!

Stop car with screech of brakes, glare and disappear ... as he can't tell her to Get Out this time, he does the needful.

And Khushi being Khushi, can get into trouble even sitting in a parked car ... parked in a No Parking zone, pretending to drive ... no license ... 😆

Arnav reappears and is amused ... wifey in trouble and he isn't going to help her out unless she says sorry for all the things that annoyed him ... 😆

I didn't care for the public uthak baithak he made her do 😕 ... the beauty of the Khushi-Arnav story was in the extreme privacy of their battles, every time they take them out into the open, it lessens the magic. If it had stopped at her holding her ears and saying sorry, I would have appreciated the teasing smirk more ... it was good to see the absence of the viciousness that Arnav usually displays in these encounters.

Back home, next day, Arnav's voice is still missing ... and Khushi getting more and more worried and guilty ... she makes kadha, rudely refused, till Nani shamelessly uses Anjali's name to make Arnav drink ... the entire family has figured out how easy it is to manipulate Arnav ... he really needs to grow out of his Nirupama Di fixation!

And Bitwa's voice magically returns ... to his further mortification ... Khushi was right again? No way!

So he plays dumb ... literally ... and watches in unholy glee and Khushi frets and worries more and more ... what if his voice never returns ... mops and cleans and dusts and polishes for all she's worth.

Nani tries to reassure Khushi that Arnav will be okay, but Khushi is too worried ... it's all her fault, she has to fix it. Again a pointer to the future - Nani was always Khushi's champion, and now she sees again Khushi's genuine penitence for what was a simple mistake, not a deliberate misdeed.

Shyam tries again to get a look at the file ... foiled this time by Payal ...

Khushi's last resort ... tried and tested Bollywood masala movie ... scare him into shouting ... and it works! Much to her glee and the joy of the family... all hail Khushi and her gharelu Bollywood nuskas ...

And Arnav has had enough ... the stupid Bollywood nuska didn't work, my voice came back three hours ago, after drinking the kadha ...

Oopsie ... didn't mean to admit that ... 😳

Mama and family are tickled ... so Arnav was playing pranks? But Khushi is annoyed and hurt ... you lied to me ... you deceived me ...

Hit him hard? Was that why his mood changed so suddenly? She, who has been lying to him, deceiving him for so long, she dares to accuse him of lying?

Mama again cute ... we've overstayed our welcome, let Khushi bitiya do hisaab kitaab with Arnav ...

Again cementing Khushi's place in the family ... let his wife deal with him ... it's her job, not ours.

Alone with Arnav, Khushi blasts again ... 'why did you lie to me? Did you enjoy seeing me so worried and tense?!'

And Arnav lets loose ... 'I didn't want you to get the credit ...'

Thoughts ... this week the cv's seemed to be working on bringing Khushi's character back on track. Childlike rather than childish, always ready to accept her fault and try her best to make amends ... and always sensitive to other people's pain. Unfortunately it seems that Arnav is still wearing the blinkers of the terrace scene, which blind him to seeing anything else.

The last dialogues of Arnav's - emphasized his ego more than anything else. On re-watch I got that his mood changed when she said that he lied to her, deceived her, but it wasn't very obvious from his expressions ... I had to look hard for the change. Cv's should have emphasized it more ... with some change of bg music or something ...

So the last three episodes seemed to be about bringing ArHi back on track, redeeming Khushi and reviving Arnav's ego ... and his blinkered outlook on life, in spite of the confession he still remembers partly, if not wholly.

His eyes saw a scene, his brain processed it, and gave him a hazy conclusion which the frightened, abandoned child in him accepted as the truth - another person he loved has abandoned him, just like his mother did, and all he has left to hold on to is his Di - again. And he can't and won't forget that ... even though his heart tells him time and again that he's wrong. He will not allow himself to soften towards Khushi, admit that she has any redeeming qualities, because he's made up his mind that she abandoned him, and he hates her for that. Even though it gets difficult to remember that at times. And lately he seems to have a tougher and tougher time remembering that ...

Is this track about building trust between Arnav and Khushi slowly and steadily till Arnav reaches a stage when his heart finally triumphs? Tells his vacationing brain that there are too many gaps between what he saw on the terrace and what he has been seeing ever since then? And start questioning whether what he saw and what he was told by a self-confessed liar, is indeed the whole truth? Because once he starts questioning, the conclusion is certain ... there are enough gaps in Shyam's story to drive a truck through. The problem is that he hasn't started questioning it till now.

Or will we have a dramatic no holds barred confrontation where the truth is revealed to Arnav in one dramatic sweep? And if so, how? It was made clear on Monday that Arnav will not believe Khushi ... not her words alone. Will her telling him make him start the questioning process, even if he doesn't believe her instantly? Or will she first find out what's bothering him, and then find a way to show him the truth, rather than tell him?

Also, Khushi has three champions ... Nani, Akash and Mamaji. And silent support in the form of Payal. Anjali is the decider ... her realization and her reaction.

Comments, feedback, your thoughts and opinions please? Lots of varying thoughts on the forum for this week ... since the cv's do appear to be trying to do damage control, am willing to wait and see what happens this week.

Am travelling, so replies will be late ... but please do post your thoughts!

Beautifully detailed analysis Diya! Like always...love it!!

For me...this week was good...Not because it was very well scripted or well executed...in fact far from it. But what this week brought was a hope that teh story is moving in the direction of bringing Khushi's essence back to the show...and resolving the MU.

Over the past few weeks the damange that has been happening to Khushi's character was fixed to some extent...We got the Khushi who has child like enthusiasm but also child like...willingness to accept when she is at fault without too much of an ego...do what she can to fix it...as well as her ever caring nature for those she loves...And this time it included Arnie...which is what I loved!!!

Episode wise...of course...Wedday made the week...With a genuine rabba ve...and closeness...that we love... (It helped that both leads are thin enough to fit in one recliner comfortably...!!!)😃😃😃

The best things about this week were...

• Khushi showed her love and care for Arnie😊
• She felt bad about hurting Arnie...and wrote about it in her diary😃
• Arnie got a chance to see the old Khushi...and he got a chance to have his ego stroked...😆😆😆
• Shyamu screen time was kept to a minimum😃
• There were lots of nuggets like Khushi saying..."So do you think people can make mistakes...and theycan be forgiven? and "Khushi Kumari Gupta...Kuch bhi bol sakti hei..." Indicating steps that COULD lead to resolution of the MU...

Am I confident that this is where the story is going? I wish...

Am I hopeful based on this week? Yes...😃

Diya, you are nothing less than a treasure. With your measured tone, the beauty of your analysis and the generosity of spirit you add beauty to what we watch. Thank you!

Updated:

A wonderful analysis' I do so look forward to reading your posts over the weekends' there is just the right amount of scrutiny without reading symbolism into every little catch in the throat or tilt of the head' many times it is just that.

I do agree that the writers are trying to redeem Khushi's character here' after taking her down to the level of a bratty 8-year old, they are bringing back the true Khushi whose middle name was 'spontaneity'. She had been lost in the dark passages of the writer's minds since last mid-December and I see a glimmer of hope that she is about to find her way out of that sticky maze.

You said it' Arnav's ego talks more than he does. In a past episode where Khushi remarked that when Arnav is angry his mind stops working, it is more readily applied to his ego, i.e. he gets angry because his ego is hurt and then of course, arrogance rules completely.

Still, I do feel that the writers' are thawing this iceberg, too. This had to happen over a period of time and they have not been flashing the terrace scene as his flashbacks at the drop of a hat as they were doing a few weeks ago. Showing this subtle but dramatic shift in his thinking to us viewers, I think, is setting up the stage for something ' a fall again (over yet another misunderstanding), or redemption, remains to be seen.

All the necessary dialogues that need to be used later in flashbacks during redemption (Anyone can make mistakes, even you + Kushiji does everything with a reason + those who lie don't meet your eyes, etc.) are being thrown at us willy-nilly lately. I am almost forced to the conclusion that these Three Stooges (Oops, two here) characters and the rest of the W*F* - from where did that come ' scenes are being staged simply so that such dialogues can be spouted and made to fit the situation.

From this point of view I think it is actually building up towards a Big Reveal (perhaps in the episodes after the Mahaepisode ' I feel Mahaepisode will be the platform for it) rather than Arnav connecting the dots and filling in the gaps in the story on his own.
From the point of view of TRPs, especially during IPL season on TV, plus the fact that viewers are just plumb frustrated (not that the latter ever affected the writers) this makes better sense.

God forbid any SP hero actually develops the gray cells necessary to THINK.

I do hope they also bring back the GH people. The intensity of the attraction between the leads was definitely more when they were living in their respective houses. Familiarity does seem to breed contempt here (even from the viewers!), and I am sure we could all do with a break from seeing the daily life of those at RM ' fancy dress competition and Dubba Service, indeed! Also, Buaji and Babuji are important supporters of Khushi in the BIG matter. They seem to have fallen off the face of the earth.

Regarding Anjali, I feel that the revelation will be hidden from Anjali at the moment. I am not sure who all will be in the know (other than Arnav and Khushi), but it makes sense that some people have to be in the inner circle, if for no other reason than to support Khushi's story.
If they leave it that way, then the suspense and the tension/negative part of the story still remains intact, and that is necessary... for without a villain, there is no need for a hero.

I am sure we viewers will like the story without Shyaam/villain, but we may not love it. TRP charts seem to point towards that from all other shows.

So even though I am disappointed at how the story is going, I do agree with you in that I think the writers are trying to do some damage control. Here's hoping they don't make soup of it.

In a hopeful mood,
Jayne

Thanks Diya for the post. I love reading them for they summarise the week so well.

Hi Diya,

Wonderful summary as usual. I was looking for it to see if I missed it this week. This week was way better than last week and looks like things are finally moving post holi.

The key elements for me this week that was all the characters remained pretty much in their scope. The main focus was to show that Khushi's caring/concern and also show that she is one who understands him the best. Will this set the wheels in his mind in rotation is to be seen? The thawing of Mami and Payal's icy relation was also nice to watch.

I re watched Friday's episode and as you mentioned her words "betray" and "lie " definitely triggered his words of not giving any credit to her. The problem with Arnie boy is he still considers the terrace incident in isolation and does not connect his past interactions /feelings for Khushi to that incident. He is like a jilted lover and does not want to delve into that. The instant he starts considering/evaluating the past with the terrace scene he will start digging to find the full truth, till that happens he is going to have hot/cold attitude with her.

He is the one who took the huge decision of the marriage based on something he saw/heard without investigating it completely and I feel he will be first to know the truth. I think the steps this week and next week are to get more of their feelings for each other back to the surface so that his brain can start working again? Lets see what Monday brings.

Good analysis of the week, but one never knows with the cv's, what they are upto, it's kind of draging now, the sory doesn't seem to move...?????There are lots of loops n holes, the cv's shud actually try to move on Khushi's thread of Snakewa getting to bold in his behaviour, I wonder whatever happend to this thought of Khush'si, look's like it vanished in the air...????The story seems wather disjointed...?????? I wish they sort out that snakewa fast, gets boring to watch the lovely story drag like this.

On mon. When they were having the fight, asr said, u deserve that, and it will be much worse.

absolutely true! anjali is the decider. its all up to her reactions.

Loved your thought. A very confusing week indeed. But, CVs giving viewers opinion a thought, bringing SI back from break, reshooting some of the scenes---making me feel about cursing them to death. So, will wait and watch.