Spice Girls Hangout:A new beginning...

A disjointed episode calls for ramblings. Episode had no head or tail. Love story is moving at a snail speed while the past is a bullet train on steroids.

Joey's version of what the apology scene could've been i.e. What she wanted to feel after the scene:

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FROM: barging into the GH and declaring main tum say baat kar raha hoon to look at me
TO: Main Khushi kay ghar waalon ko kiyon tang karoon just because mujhe us say milna hai - What a difference in ASR! Like Anjali said 'pyaar insaan ko badal daita hai'. Restless and bogged down with the burden of guilt, he is about to walk away from his heart's sanctuary when a familiar gust of wind stops him, the same gust of wind that relays their sansien to each other, his green signal that she is awake, waiting, thinking! His eyes welling up with guilt-ridden water, searching for her, hoping she sees her reflection in them and knows why he is here. Gasping for air, head bowed a bit and with heavy feet he walks in.

Than Ranjha said:

I am sorry. For every single time,I am really sorry.

aur phir Heer nay kaha:

jab jab jo kaha us ka koi matlab nahi hai
jab jab jo kiya us ka koi matlab nahi hai
iss pyar main sahi aur galat ka koi matlab nahi hai
matlab hai to sirf iss baat ka kay...

aap ko yeh sab kehnay ki zaroorat nahi hai. Hum jaantay hain aap hum say bohat pyar kartay hain DAMMIT!

A heartfelt apology and an equally heartfelt acceptance. An explicit apology was never needed but one was given to set the conscience free. A conscience that weighed so heavily that Arnav Singh Raizada couldn't tell the rajkumar and the shaitan apart. The Beauty once again rescues the Beast and reconciles him with the Prince. She assures him that see yourself through my eyes, see what I see and be free. There is no mirror in the world that can distort your image if you see what I see.
An apology that goes back in time to the very first encounter and culminates every hurt inflicted, intentional or unintentional. A promise to a fresh start and a validation that he can be the big bad, stubborn, egoistic ASR for the rest of the world but for her, he is and will always be Arnavji. Conscience is clear, check. Heart is full, check. Mind is at ease, check. A genuine, ever-endearing smile, priceless!
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What Joey got: 🤢

Ab kya boloun? Lessons in history have taken over chemistry. Morance is fizzling. The intensity is just not there anymore. It is just not about today but the chemistry has been lacking for sometime now. To think that pre-wedding intensity and passion can be brought back, is unrealistic and naive and I am neither! I very well understand the changing dynamics of a relationship and the evolution of love. Agreed both characters are going through drama right now but the drama was also at peak post-kidnapping and we got some amazing, beautiful and memorable scenes. At that time neither the contract nor the marriage was on there minds, feelings were haywire and yet they just wanted to be there for each other. Now the feelings are out in the open and everyone knows about everything, so why this kolaveri? Today's scene was about reassurance, so were the poolside hug and the stair scene after kidnapping, compare the three and you will see a marked difference. It is a well-understood fact now that the drama quotient will be predominant and his here to stay for a while. If you have already made up your mind about quantity, at least don't compromise on quality. If I am to get 5 mins of ArHi and that too not daily, make those 5 minutes count. Make it worthwhile for my YT playlist. I shouldn't have to justify the scene in my head to be able to enjoy it, I shouldn't have to think 'maybe this was the intent or that was', please keep the morance free of riddles. Viewers are so spell-bound by the leads' chemistry that they are suffering from a halo effect. As long as the two are together in the same frame, a hug and rabba ve, we are happy! NOT! CERTAINLY NOT! It is pathetic. Don't play with viewer's confidence. Bas. I don't know if the issue is with the direction or acting. Maybe all the media talk and rumors have gotten to the leads and they are holding back. Maybe the director is over-confident that sub chalta hai.. Jo bhi hai, PH needs to sit these 3 down and have a talk. If the PH is too busy with 'samajhnay, samjhanay' over the weekend, I'll gladly volunteer! Skype is free after all.

As for apology, please go back to the very first apology at the Gazebo. Bas. If you don't understand why I am referring you back to that scene, shame on me. I was never in the favor of a formal apology but if you had to give one, why the half-ass job? I am a proud member of the 'show and not tell' club but today, there was no show and the tell lacked conviction.

Anjali, Nani, Dadi, Garima, John, Jane, Pinko, Chinko, everyone else in the show:

Garima's 'crapping-in-the-pants' look at the mention of Dadi is intriguing. So What? Dadi's one and a quarter expressions need to grow. Yeah yeah we know there is a big bad past lurking. Dadi knows something about Garima, Garima is shit scared of dadi. Nani questions, Dadi doesn't answer. Again, So what?

Anjali - Twilight zone. Why the eff is she so happy?? She is supposedly pregnant with something and the father is nowhere in the picture. Itni khush kiyon ho bhai?

Other sore points:

1. Body doubles! Can the camera work be at least a tad bit better so they are not glaringly obvious? And NO! saying that well at least they are not in the ArHi scenes is not a justification. I thank god everyday for small mercies in AD but no.. god has nothing to do with FD. It is all you buddy!

2. Continuity is not your forte but can you at least try? If a feeling or an emotion has to be carried over to the next scene, it only makes sense to to keep the scenes together. Yesterday's reflection and today's apology should have been part of the same episode.

3. Dadi-Potha confrontations are inching closer to being monotonous. The debate is running low on steam and the momentum is dwindling, not to mention the pattern is somewhat predictable. Majra kiya hai? Aagay ka kiya game plan hai boss? hai bhi ya nahi?

What a rollercoaster week its been so far in terms of the pace, it started out at lightening speed but has since slowed down which I am happy about. I know the CVs had to put a rush on things because of the TRPs but given this track is their chance at TRP gold, things needed to slow down a bit so viewers could take all in.

As the precap indicated, we saw Arnav go to the GH but worried about it being late and not wanting to wake anyone up, what a long way he's come from someone who he used to be. There used to be a time he could care less about disturbing someone's sleep but today he has respect for the Guptas and puts them ahead of himself. Arnav is about to leave when the gust of wind blows giving him a sign that Khushi is still up.

I loved the next scene, these two are so not your typical couple he compliments her beauty and what does she do, ask him if that is what he called to say! It then dawned on Khushi that he couldn't have known unless he was nearby, she falls into his arms and then worries when he says there is something important he had to tell her.

The apology scene for me was another 360, I remember when Arnav was telling NK of how he met Khushi and how difficult he made her life he smiled but now its different, now there is pain and remorse. For Khushi none of that mattered anymore but for Arnav it was important to tell Khushi how sorry he was for wreaking havoc on her life. The face cupping returned, Khushi is no longer bothered by the past for she sees her prince and knows he loves her damnit!

I'm really impressed with the Guptas and Raizadas reaction to Khushi and Arnav's late night meeting, I fully expected them having to meet secretly but that is not the case at all. Bua teases Khushi, finds it cute while Arnav returns home to face the same teasing from Anjali and NK. Arnav who in the past who get annoyed now welcomes the tease, he's in love and no longer hides this fact. Good to see NK in on this, he's adorable with his messed up Hindi, saawal and jawaab, jo saach hai wahi mooch hain.

Dadi continues to find faults in Khushi and attempts to instigate Nani against the Guptas but is unsuccessful, Nani won't hear ill of them especially Khushi. Nani knows everything Khushi has been through and done for their family and she just adores her, always has. Unfortunately with this defense came a trigger for Dadi to find another reason to stall this wedding, Arnav's defense didn't help much either. There is something cooking in that mind of hers. I'm all for the drama portion to this track, its needed as this wedding cannot be shown going smoothly but with that I hope the balance remains like shown in this episode. This is a TRP goldmine for the show, they need to play their cards right here and I have faith they won't disappoint.


Few things I noticed, seems CVs do read our posts about Anjali's non existent baby bump. In today's epi and in the precap the illusion is there so good job! The editing needs to be better since the BD can still be spotted a mile away! Why can't they focus on close ups like they did in the office scene with Barun and Sanaya? Dadi did refer to Khushi as Arnav's wife in the last scene so somewhere she does acknowledge their marriage but does not accept it. I wonder how Garima dodges meeting Dadi since its obvious Arnav and Dadi did not go that night after all. How long will Garima be able to avoid Dadi especially with preparations underway for the wedding??? Overall a good episode, I liked it.

If you are one of those peeps who are floating in your sapnon ki duniya today because of the apology from ASR, you might want to stop reading right now and move on to the next post. I have nothing for you guys today. 'cos my post is floating in the trenches of asli duniya today.

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Yes, he apologized today. He said sorry.. for everything he knows he did and for everything he doesn't know he did. So now everything is fine, right??? He is her effing rajkumar now, isn't he?? Arre sorry bola na yaar'

Jo kiya uske liye sorry, jo shayad kiya uske liye bhi sorry aur jo aaj tak nahi kiya *wink, wink* uske liye bhi sorry. let's all forget everything now, hold hands and sing effin' kumbaya around the pheres, right??? Didn't you hear.. even NK knows that Nannav badal gaya hai .C'mon gals.. Jo sach hai wohi mooch hai' (*snort*)

It's all good. Bachcha "redeem" ho gaya.. sorry bola na yaar.

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Dear CVS'

I humbly request you to watch this video. It is an awesome moment between two people, as different as they could be'--chalk and cheese really.. and yet they are the same. Their ghosts are the same even though their ways of dealing with them is different. This scene highlights the first moment where they both realized that at this level they share something. And the man who doesn't believe in apologies, least of all to a chit of a girl he has little respect for, climbed down the mountain of his ego and status to say sorry, to apologize for a remark - about a pain that he is very, very familiar with. A pain they both share.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQqGwAY24ZA[/YOUTUBE]

Yes, you created this. Now see the apology scene from today.

Now, I have always maintained that the show didn't need the precise apology we saw today, I admit. But I am in the minority. Most people needed to see this and it would be a big moment of every one of them. And most of them will be happy but how many would go back and see that scene again, as the above scene is still watched?? Just look at the views on this particular vid. And yet, today's apology was a much more deeper realization, a much more important level of remorse than this one, wasn't it?

So, would it have killed you to do it a little more dil se even though the dimaag is protesting?? Would it have killed you to inject at least 50% of the emotion we see in the above scene? Would it have hurt to effin' make it count for something???

Because when you commit to show the scene, you know that it becomes one of the milestone minutes, true??? And yet what did we have in the end?? 6 months of love and hate, 6 months of angst, 6 months of emotional push and pull, all reduced to 4 minutes of insipidness. Yes, you heard me. Insipidness--a scene that didn't have even an iota of emotion that the above scene did'.It was exactly what you call it.. a khichdi - served to a wounded soul with not an iota of spice or salt or sugar. Just bland fare in an episode where Garima's fear of daadi was enough to write away the scene from memory. Aaargh!!!!!

And this not the IPK I fell in love with. The IPK I fell in love made me feel every moment between these two lovers, had me rooting for them, shedding tears for them, tearing my hair apart at their stubbornness, laughing at their silliness and had me forgetting every other thing that conspired to tear them apart' they were incidental to the whole thing. The IPK I fell in love with made me feel.

"I can accept anything, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the just-about, the in-between."
-- Ayn Rand

Here is the thing, CVs. The show needs to stand for something.

Either you commit to being a TRP generating machine

-- and God knows, you have a storyline now that can rake that cow in with the traditional SP audience. If you went all out with the drama.

Or you acknowledge your true USP and own it -- a 2.5 TRP with a million YT hits that can be a cash cow in itself, if harvested right -- and an audience and a genre that you introduced SP to. That the channel is going out of their way to woo -- not one of the shows that have been introduced on the channel in last 3 months cater to the traditional SP audience. An audience for which you would go all out with the emotional pull, angst, passion and intensity.

Neither choice is wrong. What is wrong is you guys coasting on the middle ground which is really a path of being ' average. Not only are you not making either side happy, what you are getting is a lukewarm response from both. Which is exactly the response to every other show out there. People watch those shows, enjoy it, turn the TV off and forget.about.it.

That is NOT this show. That is NOT you, 4Lions.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it's yours."

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Look at the video above, look at the apology scene from today and ask yourselves -- What is your road? What is your battle?

Theek Thak episode with a bit of every flavour.

We start of with Prince Chotte visiting Khushi. He realises its late and the family will get disturbed if he rings the bell. So Kya Kare?😕 Chotte in dilemma, biwi se mile to kaise. And the magical wind of rabba ve's blow and chotte feels wifeys presence.😃

Chotti on the other hand, is lost in her thoughts until she gets a call from chotte. "Chotti Chotti let down your gangotri!"

Ok i'll stop with the rubbish and get to the serious stuff.

So Arnav calls Khushi and compliments her for like the first time ever.(Yes, he did on sangeet but today was a no bars compliment).

"Tum white colour mai bohat achi lagti ho, aur khule baalo mai bhi" And we all say aww. Sachi Muchi...😍

Khushi asks "Acha toh yeh bataane ke liye phone kiya?" till the batti flickers and she realises how on earth does he know what she is wearing. Phone call kar sakhta hai telepathically now he has skype installed also eh?

And he comes up to her and says " mai tumhare baare mai har khabar rakhta hoon" Well done you, Keep on doing that, we have a chipkali dadi on the loose...😡

He sneaks up and frightens the life out of causing her to slip into his arms and we have a perfect slip and catch, aankhon ankhon mai rabba ve.😳

Till he tells her that he has a "serious baat" to tell her.

He sits her down apologises for every thing he has put Khushi through. From when the first met till the wedding and beyond "for every single time"

What a beautiful apology. He holds her hand, stands up and says sorry in that perfect voice with the right amount of pain and guilt in his eyes 😃

Did we need a sorry? No I don't think so. Iss pyaar ko no sorry, no thank you ka naam doon. Am I going to complain we got one? No.

Khushi gets up and with tears in her eyes tells him he doesn't need to apologise because she knows "aap humse bohat pyaar karte hai..dammit". And thats our selfless Khushi. Who doesn't need words. Just acceptance and love.⭐️

And we get another hug. Wonderful stuff, and oh my gawd my feelings. 😳Excuse me while I recover from the awesomeness of these two beautiful people and the camera zooms out and dadi appears.🥱

Say what? Bas thats it? Satyanash Cvs whats the rush, thoda aur lamba scene kardete. Beda gark!😲

And dadi is having her tantrum because Arnav wants to marry a girl whose buaji insulted her. How could she Haww! Ehm dadi aren't you forgetting something? Actually you are forgetting a lot of thing. First you insulting our buaji and Khushi and your potha is already married to that "Larki" so what you say does not go. Okay! Oh and her brain gears click at Garima's name.

On the other hand Garima is in full panic mode in front of DM and explaining that she can't tell anyone anything about whatever and buaji arrives to ask her what on earth is wrong with you lady?

But Amma doesn't of course. And buaji gets distracted by the chori chupke milne wale couple. Aww I love this chup chup ke milna. Can we get more Cvs? Dil abhi bara nahi and buaji has no objection also.😍

Switch to a happy Arnav coming home and being ambushed by Di and her pet jester NK, who try and tease chotte. You can't tease chotte guys. He has nothing to hide. And NK being the cute thing he is with my kind of hindi skills (ok his are far worse) says "Jawab hum denge sawaal tum karoge" Really Cvs? Another jab at us eh?😉

And chotte and sayani di have a funny moment and khatti meethi Di chokes on her spit and chotte freaks out and takes her to her room to pump her with meds again. And we get another dal black moment, with a suspicious looking medicine bottle. Hmm? Ab yeh kya hai??🤔 and I am amazed Chotte that you can find something out of the ordinary in Di fully loaded sweetie box.

Next Dadi having her rant because Amma bauji didn't come to meet her. Lady please, you are older than me and I respect you and you are partly the reason why we have chotte in the world. But you abandoned these kids and you want people to come meet you. Dadi you are Dadi, not Beyonce!🥱

Chotte gets annoyed and plans to take Dadi to meet amma and stop frying his brain. And when Amma finds out she begins to sweat like a 🐷.

But looks like luck is on Ammas side for now because on the other side chotte is narrating Khushis history to dadi and dadi comes to some form of a decision.

Cvs now you have started this shaadi business and got our hopes up once again can we get a full proper shaadi with everything. All those Rasams and full pheras and less dadi drama. I am not going to be a happy Ippy if you ruin this shaadi. Okay.😈 Shukriya.

Oh and does it kill you guys to linger on Arshi scenes? Itni kya jaldi hai to zoom through them and jump to dadi. You have 20 mins a day. If you do 10 mins each we would be really happy. what on earth is this 3 mins arshi and 17 mins drama.

Oh That BD with his head screwed at a 45 degree angle and sticky out lugs. I understand you probably can't find a perfect dude like our Arnie but can you find somebody with some similarity or with his head in the right place?🤢 Or better yet. don't show his back at all. We peeps are shaatir and very familiar with Arnie's form. so don't think of pulling wool over our eyes because it just dissolves like wet tissue paper.

Rabba ve, masala ladkiyon!!! How is everyone doing today? 😃 Aaand this greeting will be the only exuberance in my post tonight. 😕

For me today's episode was NWIW wonly. (That's not worth one word. Shukriya, doc). Par ab jo kalam thaam liya hai, to kuch na kuch likh hi dete hain.

I was one of those who didn't think a redemption track was necessary, but I did want verbal closure on the wedding contract. CVs, what exactly were your thoughts regarding this much-touted redemption track that was your supposed trump card to end the doldrums caused by the marriage and kidnapping tracks? I ask, because, intriguingly enough, it is not yet apparent to me from what was shown today. Was that ASR's redemption we got in the first few blink and you miss it minutes? Or was that a token sorry for that section of viewers who were thirsting for some ASR blood. Or was that a scene marking the end of the love story that never really began and the beginning of the family drama our beloved show was supposedly all about. I'm fine with any direction you would like to go; it is, as you love to keep reminding your viewers, your baby. You have me as a loyal viewer, for now, but please remember, it was the passion that drew me in and a lack thereof will also be what drives me away.

You do realize that you have at your disposal two lead actors that are talent powerhouses by themselves and simply phenomenal when together. Use them wisely. Everything fell woefully short today- the intent, the script, the direction, the execution, the editing, sab kuch. What could possibly explain the lack of just about everything in the scene that should have gone down in IPK history along with so many other classics we have been treated to over the last 14 months? Why the fizzle in the sizzle, CVs?

Love story, hate story, family history drama, saas-bahu sagas, 8 pm trp generator -please decide which way you want to go and follow that path faithfully. Or else, the show is headed to being that doomed dhobi ka kutta.

Evening ladies,

*edited*

On the same page as most about the half-hearted nature of the episode ... especially the ArHi scene and the much awaited apology. Since Sari, joey and veeps have said most of what I wanted to say, and I agree with them as usual 😛 ... am just adding a few thoughts here.

Things I liked ... Khushi picks up the phone and doesn't bother with 'hi hello' ... neither does Arnav. Such a typical husband-wife thing ... straight into conversation ... showing the comfort level these two now share. 😳

Kwostin - did Arnav apparate into the room? 😆

That compliment ... you look good in white, and with open hair ... and Khushi's matter-of-fact acceptance ... did you call to tell me that? Hey bhagwan, ek toh this man takes forever to get romantic, and when he does, he gets no encouragement at all! 😆

The look of apprehension in Khushi's eyes when Arnav says he has something serious to discuss ... scared as to what is going to come ... scared to trust that things are finally going well 😕

The little gulp before Arnav talks about his MU about Shyam-Khushi affair, as though it hurts even now to remember what he thought back then, and what he felt ...

The way Arnav takes Khushi's hand in both of his ... as though for a proposal 😳

Khushi cupping Arnav's face ... the 'dammit' after a little pause ... telling him she knows he loves her, but is unable to say the words, except under gunpoint or in extreme temper ... telling him in other words that she understands him completely, and loves him, tongue-tied behaviour, warts and all ... 😳

The shy smile on Khushi's face, the teasing by Buaji, Buaji is obviously so delighted that her niece is so much in love and so happy 😳

The worried look on Garima's face caught in a dilemma ... to speak and risk cancelling the wedding when her second daughter is also head over heels in love, and her husband obviously reciprocates completely ... in those few seconds, all three actors were excellent. So much conveyed in so little time, especially the contrast between Buaji and Garima.Again, can the cv's linger on some of these expressions?!

The slight smile on Arnav's face when he re-enters RM ... that night meeting with Khushi obviously did his mood a lot of good.😳😆

Also liked the teasing by NK-Anjali ... ignoring Anjali's bipolar disorder and temporary amnesia for the moment ... is her kameena pati sneaking her some happy pills? 😕

Aap sawal karenge aur hum jawab denge .., is this an indication that Arnav is finally going to start questioning the past?

What I didn't like ... Barun is a fantastic actor, and his biggest strength is his eyes, he talks through his eyes. Today the expressions were just not there ... the scene was again far too rushed, not enough time was given for the emotions to seep in fully ... again one of the most significant scenes in Arhi's journey ... a 360 of the first 'Sorry' ... posted by veeps on the first page ... what a difference in the eyes between that day and today!!! Why are the cv's rushing through the ArHi scenes?! Especially all the significant ones?!

The trip fall and catch was just not needed ... this couple is way beyond all these contrived clichd clinches now. They don't need them. That's for hormonal teens .. can the writers think beyond them to really mature romance now? Skip these and spend some more time on the emotional side ... that's the ArHi story we want ...

The hug at the end ... would it have killed you to show Arhi coming out of the hug and facing each other as though finally getting their first kiss? You don't need to show any awkward angles, any trick shots ... just show them come close and fade out. I remember a similar scene in Sanaya's last show, where this was done ... no need for any trick shots at all, just the suggestion and the expression was enough. That would also have explained Khushi's shyness as Buaji and Garima teased her, and Arnav's smile as he entered RM.

The rest of the episode was all about the shadows of the past gathering force to cast their darkness over the present ...

Interesting points from yesterday and today ... Garima is petrified of facing Dadi, but not adamant on cancelling the wedding, just wondering how she can let Khushi get married into the same family, and worried that Payal is already married into it. Also yesterday, when Arnav insisted that he would return today at 10 with the shagun, Garima seemed relieved, as though happy that the past would not repeat in this instance. So the possibility of Khushi being a sibling, or even half-sibling, seems remote.

Garima is sure Dadi will recognize her. And it seems she is right. Dadi remembers Garima from the past very clearly, and once she hears the name, is in all-fired hurry to meet her right away ... the tantrum about Garima not coming to meet her was geared to achieve that. She forgot her peeves about Khushi in the more important question of meeting her family, especially Garima. Her questions to Arnav about Khushi's family were aimed at getting all the information she wanted. But has she got all of it, and correctly?

Arnav recounting the story of Khushi being an orphan and her parentage seems to satisfy Dadi that her suspicions about Garima being the Garima she thinks are well-founded. But Garima is not Payal's real mother - does Arnav know that?

Her stopping Arnav from going with them for the shagun is a clear indication that she's ready to fire the next volley. Again indicating that Khushi can't be Arnav's sibling because if she was, Arnav accompanying or not, would not make a difference, in fact, it would help her case if Arnav heard that. Marriage would be out of the question then.

So an affair between Arnav's father and Khushi's mother also seems less likely ... Dadi knows Arnav worshipped his mother ... wouldn't hearing that Khushi's mom was the 'other woman' who wrecked his family put him off Khushi? Or had Dadi not thought that far ahead, and is first bent on proving her own suspicions right? I did think at first that Garima herself was the 'other woman'. But where does Khushi then come into the equation?

But Dadi's expression when she first heard Garima's name was more of pain and remembered sorrow ... not the hatred with which she uttered the words 'voh aurat' the first time with Nani. And confusion ... humein sochna padega ... and then determination to meet Garima ... humein bhi unki maa se milkar tasalli hogi.

So on second thoughts Garima being the 'other woman' seems less likely. Did she protect the woman and Arnav's dad? Or was she instrumental in the truth being exposed?

And what is Garima hiding from Dadi? The whereabouts of the 'other woman?' And possibly a child?