Friends, yesterday was another of those episodes that builds up the storyline but in itself is not a super-spectacular episode. To me there were two high points.
One was that Shehnaaz had a huge poison scar on her own hand, betraying that she was the one who had poisoned the crown. Maham too has seen this, and at the very fag end of the episode in the precap, Todarmal also sees this. So we can say that Shehnaaz is on her way to getting caught.
The other high point for me is that in the meanwhile, poor Zakira is finding the needle of suspicion on herself. Everybody from Jalal downwards is remembering that she has an old Abul Mali connection (via Benazir) and that she is a sort of resident expert on poisons. Zakira is unable to come out with a stronger reason why she did not do this crime, because she is being suspected not for her own self but as an agent of Abul Mali. To top it all, Maham is helping Shehnaaz by making Resham put the empty poison bottle in Zakira's room. Naturally then, when Atga found it there, the suspicion on Zakira has deepened.
As I said yesterday, I like Zakira, but I was expecting that she would get to be the first suspect in the absence of any other proof against Shenaaz. But luckily for me, Shehnaaz has that poison scar on her hand ... and luckily for me again, Todarmal got to see it too ... and so I think Zakira will now be off the hook and Shehnaaz will be watched from today's episode onwards.
But one thing we all have to notice is that Jalal has not learnt from his many mistakes not to be hasty again. Despite Todarmal telling him to be patient and deliberate, when he thought the poison bottle found in Zakira's room nailed her, he immediately ordered Zakira back to prison ... till Jodha had to tell him that this was not justice and it was too soon into the investigation to come to any conclusive proof, for Zakira could have been easily framed! I was expecting to find a slightly changed Jalal after all this time, but he seems as impulsive and as hasty as ever!
For those who wish to have the whole story of the episode, here it is ...
The episode opened with the DEK, with Ruq characteristically losing no chance to pounce on Jodha for being so lax about the poisonous crown. "How could Jodha have been so careless as to put Jalal's life in danger?", Ruq cried out with venom. But to my happiness (and Maddy's great happiness) Jalal as good as told Ruq to shut up. He said "If the crown was a danger to me to touch, it was a danger for Jodha to touch as well. Think about that!"Ruq then promptly piped down!
Todarmal at that point told Jalal "Be patient Shahenshah, for this matter needs deliberate thinking and investigation. The person who did this can't have been alone in this palace. That person must be having accomplices here!"
At Kabul, meanwhile, poor Haider was pacing up and down in his room in agony. He and his uncle were obviously staying as guests at Mahchuchak's palace, and so had to keep their voices down. "I can't marry this Mahchuchak!", Haider told his uncle, "She is older than my mother and her daughters are of my age! I can't ... I just can't. My whole life will be ruined." But his sagacious uncle made him sit down and explained two things. One, it would be foolhardy to reject Mahchuchak, because she was a lethal woman who could resort to any lengths to get what she wants. Secondly, an ambitious young man like Haider has to be willing to do some sacrifices to get what he wants and help his own people, so he should think of this marriage as his own sacrifice in the cause of his people. Poor Haider had to swallow these two reasons which he did with a big lump in his throat!
Later on in Agra, Jalal and Todarmal were still talking about this crown poisoning. Todarmal told Jalal to relax as they would sooner rather than later get the culprit. But Atga was not convinced by this and wore a hangdog expression. Jalal asked him what was troubling him. Atga said "Even as we speak the culprit is still inside this mahal. Maybe he or she has accomplices right here too, and they can attack Jalal at a time and place of their choosing. We are at a disadvantage."
Just then a sipahi announced that Jodha had come and so politely Jalal told Atga and Todarmal to leave and wait outside the door. Jodha was crying copiously, which seemed to break Jalal's heart. He wiped her tears and says those eyes of hers should never shed tears. "It's all because of me" said Jodha loaded with a lot of guilt because that pagri present idea was hers. But Jalal beckoned her to sit beside him and asked "You did not put that poison on the pagri, did you? Then why feel guilt? I know for sure you could never have done this!"
But Jodha could not be made to smile again. She said with distress "These repeated attacks on your life are killing me, I can't bear this!" Jalal said, holding her face with his hands, "I promise I am not going to become a victim. I will go nowhere leaving you. And at any rate, no poison in the world can match your love for me!" Jodha seemed slightly placated.
"Who among my helpers could have done this?" Jodha then exclaimed to Jalal. "Moti I can trust always and I know she would never do this. Shehnaaz seems such a babe in the woods ... and Zakira actually proved her wafaadaari to us by getting rid of the snake that was too close to Rahim!" But just at that moment Jalal summoned back Todarmal and Atga into the room as an idea began to strike him. "Zakira needs watching again" he said, "she is a resident expert in poisons and has the antecedents of having been in Benazir's employ. What if she is acting at the behest of Abul Mali?" Jodha did not seem 100% convinced but Jalal charged Todarmal with investigating Zakira further.
In her own room, elsewhere in the palace, Shehnaaz was throwing a mighty tantrum for having had her chaal spoiled and for having missed hurting her target ,Jalal. At the very moment when Shehnaaz was ranting about her plan being spoiled, Maham entered her room and found it curiously in disarray. "What is the matter? " asked Maham, and then with a sudden calculation in her mind she asked "Could it perchance be you who poisoned the corwn Jalal was to wear?"
At first Shehnaaz hid the truth from Maham and said "I know nothing about that!" But Maham was too shrewd for she had seen Shehnaaz's hand as she waved it to shoo off Maham. In the middle of her palm was a huge poison scar similar to that on the hands of Todarmal. Maham accosted Shehnaaz with this discovery and soon Shehnaaz had to admit "Yes it was I who poisoned the crown. I want Jalal finished!". Flashbacks were then shown to us on how when she was pouring poison into the crown Shehnaaz accidentally poured some of the poison onto her own hand scarring it!
Maham, the ever shrewd one, then gave Shehnaaz a bit of sage advice. She said "You are being a bewakoof if you are using these petty methods to kill off Jalal. What is the guarantee that if Jalal is thus killed the people will then accept you as their Queen? No! The way to get Jalal's takht is by openly challenging him to a war. If you win the war against him, you will also earn the respect of those you have to then rule. And if I were you I would hide that scar on your hand from Atga and Todarmal!" After Maham said this and also praised Chand Begum a lot and and left, Shehnaaz started thinking. She saw the merit of Maham's arguments and said to herself "Yes, I will now come out in the open and challenge Jalal!"
A little later we saw Resham running into Maham's room with the information that she had found the empty poison vial in Shehnaaz's room and quickly put it into Zakira's room thus making Zakira look like the suspect. Maham was in the process of telling Resham not to shout all this out and to speak quietly, when Adham came to her room. He said "Ammijaan, neither have I done this crown chaal nor has Sharif. Could it perhaps have been you?" But Maham then told him the whole story of how Shehnaaz had done it and a stunned Adham then took it all in that this Shehnaaz was actually Chand Begum's daughter Nigar vying for the takht! "What a neat naatak she has been doing", said Adham, marvelling at Shehnaaz's disguise to stay in the palace. Then his usual doubts took over and he said "Ammijaan, but I am your favourite aren't I?" to which Maham replied that she would double cross all to get him his due!
In Hamida's room Salima was talking about the crown poisoning issue when Ruq also joined them. Ruq was trying to unleash her oratory at least here since Jalal had given her no chance in the DEK. Ruq said with a flourish "These crown poisoners are cowards, nothing will happen to Jalal." Hardly had she finished her sentence than Gulbadan Begum came into the room with hot news. Zakira was being made the subject of all investigation at the DEK!
The scene then shifted to the DEK where Jalal and Todarmal were grilling Zakira, in the presence of Jodha. Poor Zakira was trying hard to defend herself because Jalal was bringing up her employ with Benazir, her connections with Abul Mali, and her knowledge of poisons against her. "Why would I do this Shahenshah", cried Zakira, "you have so kindly released me from prison, and Jodha Begum has cared for me so much now, why would I do this to both of you. I have no external connections left at all.". Just as she was mounting a strong personal defence, however, Atga rushed into the DEK with nailing evidence. The empty poison vial had been found in Zakira's room! "Someone may be setting me up!" cried a desperate Zakira, but Jalal was in no mood to listen. "Send her to jail!" he said ... as Jodha rose to protest that the evidence against Zakira was insufficient!
In the precap, Todarmal was seen banging into Shehnaaz as both of them rounded the corners of the terrace corridors at speed. Shehnaaz fell over, at which point the gentlemanly Todarmal offered her a hand to get up. Just then his eyes fell upon the other outstretched hand with which Shehnaaz was bracing herself up. It was poison scarred exactly like his own hands were, and a gleam of understanding seemed to come into Todarmal's eyes!
My comments on this episode:
Many of us were dreading that Ruq would make a great show yesterday of abusing Jodha for the crown threat to Jalal's life and we also were dreading even more that Jalal may take Ruq's side ... or rather, he may not say anything to Ruq, which was as good as taking her side. But thankfully, within the first one minute of the episode this issue was sorted out. Ruq started on a diatribe against Jodha, but was stopped with much gusto from Jalal. As Ruq started her insults, Jalal fired back in sharp defense of Jodha saying that by handling the crown she was putting her own life at risk also. That should have shown Ruq that Jalal cared less of his life than he cared about Jodha's life! Those of us who had expected worse from Ruq and were dreading a benign acceptance of her insults to Jodha by Jalal, heaved a huge sigh of relief! So much for the Ruq non-show ...
The other point I want to state here is that yesterday Diksha wrote a super post on my thread that this whole Meena Bazaar, and crown poisoning etc. was actually a Creative ploy to start highlighting the importance of Todarmal in the coterie around Jalal, and to probably start taking Todarmal to new heights by showing off his smartness to all of us. I thought about what Diksha had written and it made utter sense. We were all wondering "Why this Meena Bazaar, why this crown poisoning ... was it all to show Shehnaaz as the rotten egg to be shortly exposed?" But in all this we failed to notice some other key facts. For example, why was Todarmal put in charge of inspecting the gifts to Jalal? He was hitherto just used for some accounts management so how diid he suddenly switch places to become a gift inspection guy? And why then this rape charge against Todarmal which is to follow? Diksha's post showed us that this whole track is probably to start slowly justifying Todarmal's place in this coterie around Jalal and to show his smarts - thus gradually elevating him into one the nine gems.
Todarmal is continuing to be seen as the major domo of the investigation against Zakira, and now Todarmal is again being shown as the one who sees the scar on Shehnaaz's hands. Soon in revenge Shehnaaz may cast a rape charge against Todarmal with Maham's encouragement and we may well see Todarmal absolve himself adroitly (showing how sharp is his brain) and he may also solve this mystery of the crown poisoning and exposing Shehnaaz for who she really is. What Diksha in essence has shown us is that we should not be querying the logic of the Meena Bazaar and the logic of the crown poisoning at this stage for we will miss the fact that in stages the whole Creative plan seems to be the elevation of Todarmal into our mindspaces. That's good, I should think, because all of last week and even before that we have all been asking why Todarmal has been brought to Agra and then made to cool his heels. But now it is clear that his big moment has arrived in the story!
Two other points struck me about the episode yesterday.
One I have already mentioned in my opening remarks ... that Jalal seems not to have lost his impetuosity despite so many tribulations having come into his life just by his impatience. He is a fair guy most of the time, but he is just that bit hasty with his decisions that he is forced to make U-turns later. Yesterday again, where was the need to declare so fast that Zakira should be imprisoned just because a poison vial was found in her room? What Jodha is telling Jalal, can Jalal not think for himself - anyone could have put incriminating evidence in Zakira's room to frame her, couldn't they? And has Jalal established the line of connection between Zakira and Abul Mali without doubt or is he letting his past knowledge of her antecedents colour his present judgement? And what motive has he found why Zakira would do this to him? He is rushing with jail sentences even before thinking through the consequences. Jodha is a deterrent in this impulsiveness of his, to an extent - and she has helped change his habits a bit - but old habits die hard. Jalal is still jumping the gun, I am afraid! Even Todarmal tried to warn him not to have these knee-jerk reactions, but Jalal seems not to be able to see that he has a fault in this regard, for if he knows he has this weakness I am sure he will do something to rectify it!
The second issue that struck me in yesterday's episode was this Maham "double-cross " advice to Shehnaaz to come out in the open and fight Jalal. What Maham told Adham is the truth. Maham is planning to completely double-cross Shehnaaz at the very first opportunity, because I think Maham believes that if she does not trip up Shehnaaz fast, Shehnaaz may soon discover that it is Maham who is holding her mother captive. In order not to be found out by Shehnaaz as the abductress of her mother, Maham needs Shehnaaz to vanquish herself, faster than she vanquishes Jalal. For that she has to make Shehnaaz openly fight Jalal in an unequal war and lose. Only if Maham keeps Shehnaaz at risk of losing her life, is her secret regarding Chand Begum safe. I think Maham is making a shrewd calculation that if she encourages Shehnaaz to openly wage war on Jalal, she will be killed by Jalal and won't be able to let out the secret of Chand Begum being in the surang, and thus Maham will not get exposed. But Maham may get exposed eventually - and her ruse may fail - because Jalal will refuse to fight a woman (Shehnaaz) and instead Jodha will fight her but not kill her. Thus Shehnaaz will be alive to tell Jalal and Jodha why she is against Jalal - and all about her suspicion that Jalal is hiding her mother in the surang. Then the whole bag of lies will come tumbling out that Chand Begum is being held by Maham!
