@DQ: That was a marvellous post! It framed the whole episode like a prism, using the supporting cast to show the different colours that diverged from the single beam that is Sonakshi Bose(-Dixit, apparently).
I was also incredibly impressed by Elena and I found the contrast very interesting. On the one hand, we have Sona assuming bahu status to question Khatri and on the other hand we have Elena asking her to reconsider her bahu status to give Soha her family. It is intriguing why one is so much easier for Sona than the other, and how she is behaving so much like Dev in this respect. The Dixits are paraya to her on a personal level; she can't think of forging a relationship with them again, but once a foreign threat enters the picture in the form of Khatri, they become apna and she goes all out to protect them as her own. The day Sona and Dev become apna out of love, instead of fear or threat, is the day this relationship stands a chance. What she hasn't considered is that Khatri is a problem outside the scope of her own experience, a problem that she can't fix using the tools she is used to. I hope this will help Sona see how much of a luxury moral absolutism is, reserved for a lucky minority.
What Elena doesn't see: Ishwari has not really changed. It's just that "Vicky's wife" doesn't cloud her sensibilities and her judgment the way that "Dev's wife" does. With Elena, she can be the wise, balanced, and sensitive matriarch that she couldn't be for Sona. What's more, Elena set everyone's expectations at zero, so there was nowhere to go but up. She impressed Ishwari by being a foil to Sona, a tool through which to further villainise her. When Elena could stay for a good for nothing like Vicky, Sona couldn't stay for her flawless son? And it's "misery loves company" all over again. All the women of the Dixit household were resentful of Sona because she got the rich, successful, supportive husband who worshipped the ground she walked on, and she still found room for improvement. Like I have said before, there will only be resistance to women who demand equality when they already have a husband that other women would kill for. They see it as ungrateful and arrogant. There is, however, a strong solidarity to be found among women suffering horrible men and sticking it out. I believe this is where Ishwari's support for Elena comes from.
What Elena does see: Dev. In the last seven years, Elena has a unique perspective on exactly what Sona and Soha have missed, because she and Golu benefitted directly. Dev supported her career and was a friend to her, and he brought Golu up almost single-handedly. For Sona, Dev is still stuck in the same place she left him seven years ago, and to be fair, he doesn't do much to contradict that impression in her eyes. This is where Elena is instrumental. In S1, she was instrumental in helping Sona admit and surrender to her feelings for Dev. Even then, she was the pragmatic one, advising Sona not to take pontential rejection so seriously. Yesterday, I saw her assuming an updated, married lady version of that same role.
Lastly, it was very cute that Jatin read Dev like a book. I am all for this love-hate bromance. He cleverly sidestepped all the Dev-Sona mind games and went to meet Soha, which he knows is not Dev's problem any more. But what was with threatening Vicky so openly? Vicky still poses a significant threat to Sona and Soha and Jatin isn't in IN to follow through on his threats. Wouldn't it have been better just to go with a "jo sochna hai such lo" kind of response? Is this Jatin's lover-boy junoon? 😕 On the other hand, could this confrontation be a foreshadowing of a possible Jatin-Elena pairing?
CVs, I could really, really use some more depth for this character. Can we have a conversation about his late wife? What was their story? Does he soulmate-love Sona, or does he see her as a great potential life partner? Did Sona know his wife, and when/how did she pass away? Jatin's character is extremely flat at the moment, even compared to Natasha and Ritwick which is uncharacteristic for this show. Since he is playing such a pivotal role in the story at the moment, I would really like to care about and relate to him much more than I currently do.
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
