Dev's singular intention at this point is to get Sona out of his office. In order to do that, he is testing her boundaries. To what extent is she the Sona he once knew, and how much has she changed? What is the one strategical move he can make to ensure that she leaves the office once and for all? It is in that context that I understand their controversial conversation; Dev testing the boundaries and gathering knowledge.
Test number one was to demean her business, call it a small affair and compare it to his enormous, profit-making organisation. Sona didn't really react to this, so he moved on to point number two, accusing Sona and her employees of not understanding large sums of money. Sona, remembering the incident that led to their split asks if Dev still thinks she and her people are thieves. To be fair, Dev never thought this; it was Ishwari and RR who made the accusation. Dev 1.0 told Sona it was an investment, because he truly believed in her company, but Dev 2.0 is not interesting in having this discussion, so he answers sarcastically in the affirmative, and launches his third line of attack. The Sona he knew cared more about her pride and honour than anything else, so he deliberately pushes those buttons and insinuates that she used unsavoury means to rise to her current status. Snap! Sona's compusure breaks, "you are crossing your boundaries Dev," and there is the information Dev is looking for. That is the insinuation that gets a reaction from Sona, so she is not that different from Sona 1.0 after all, and Dev's confidence increases.
It was amazing to see, through out the episode the echoes of their previous existence. So much of what they are doing now, is what they should have been doing then. When they were married, they held so much back for fear of losing each other but now, all of their pent up feelings are coming out wholesale. Dev addressed Bijoy's constant skepticism when he sarcastically assured him that his daughter was safe, and that it was his responsibility, and Sona tackled Mami's nosiness with panache. I wish she had felt the same ownership of Dixit house that she feels for this office now. She didn't invest money there, but she invested something even more valuable... herself. I wish she had assigned as much value to that as she currently does to her money and pride. And I wish Dev had been as quick to knock down her walls and barge into "her space" back then.
Isn't it ironic that when Dev wanted her to stay, she walked out, and now that he wants her to walk out, she refuses to budge? But her walking out taught Dev some of the most valuable lessons over the past seven years... lessons about taking a stand, defining relationships, and keeping a healthy distance from people to leave room for yourself. Her refusing to leave comes with its own set of new lessons, reconnecting with attachment ane emotion. She has already had an effect, reminding him of how much this office means to him -- the same office he rarely visited, and was ready to abandon not long ago.
Vicky-Elena's fight about the wardrobe was also significant here, because it echoed the conflict that Sona and Dev had in Season 1. Sona didn't want to get a new wardrobe; she wanted Dev to learn how to share, to give her space in his wardrobe, and therefore his life. Now she is enforcing that with the office. He is still of the opinion that Elena and Vicky should just get another wardrobe, and that Sona should just get another office. You separate the opposing forces, and you cancel out the conflict. And that is how Dev has dealt with his split from Sona; he just avoided thinking about it entirely. Sona, on the other hand, uses that conflict as fuel for her struggle. It's no wonder that she didn't shy away from sharing an office with Dev... it's giving renewed energy to the narrative she has chosen for her life.
I have said before that I think Dev is in a better place than Sona, and as the season goes on, I am more and more convinced of this. It's because Dev has brought himself to a place where he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by interacting with Sona, so he engages freely and without fear. Except for the office itself, he hasn't really maintained ties with anything that she could threaten. That's why he was so chilled out, and even amused with her response to Mami... he talks to Mami with the same irreverence now. Sona, on the other hand, has brought herself to a place where she has everything to lose and nothing to gain by interacting with Dev. Dev threatens everything she has built.
This was so aptly illustrated when Dev locked her in the office. Sona consented to play the game with Dev. She didn't say, I have no time for your stupid games, or try this one more time and I will call the police. She said, "if you want to play your dirty games, then I am ready." so I find it difficult to see Sona as a victim here. However, while his enjoyment of their game put Dev in a good enough mood to unite his family in a fun pastime, Sona's enjoyment of their game alienated her from her family. She couldn't call Bijoy because it would be admitting that she had engaged with Dev in this childish exercise, and she couldn't ask for Dev's help for obvious reasons. With the information he got before, Dev specifically targetted Sona's weakest spot, and trapped her with her own pride. And Sona would have been happy to spend the night at the office had it not been for Soha.
I'll finish this rambly post with one last thought: If Soha's papa doesn't exist, how can Soha's papa lock Sona up in her office? 🤓
Edited by Samanalyse - 8 years ago
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
