Naina Thag Lenge

This is one of your best efforts so far, my dear. I will be back after lunch to send you my comments, but it was a treat!

Shyamala Aunty

OK, here I am. My comments, as usual, are in blue,

First things first. Your title is superb. Unusual and oh so romantic! Only, it should be Naina thag lenge, not "thug", with its distressing associations!😉

What do I say about today's episode? Rohit owned it as Alexander but so did Aparna as Roxanne. There are so many things I wanted to cover but it's late here and I need to go to bed soon!

What you mean is the Alexandrian segment. It is appropriate to call it "today's episode", as the rest of the episode was excruciating, almost in the literal sense.

As for this part, I think Rohit owned it, Maybe Aparna has a short term lease on the property, but that was all. Hers was the standard issue femme fatale act, which is not so difficult if you have a slinky figure clad in clinging robes and an intriguing face with deep brown eyes.

It is to Alexander that we had to go for all the nuances, the facial expressions that seemed micro-controlled to convey exactly what he wanted to convey. In fact I watched the whole segment once again, and certain snippets three times over, to make sure that I got the nuances right.

But poor Rohit, most of his labour of love will go clean over the heads of the bulk of the TV audiences, who would not be able to spot a nuance if it was garnished with watercress and served up to them on a plate!😆

Role Reversal

So first things first: role reversal. We had Alexander sleeping/resting and Roxanna throwing a stone at his glass to get his attention (perfect aim, but we knew that from her knife-throwing scene with Mausius, didn't we?). Usually we see men doing that, at least on TV Shows. He doesn't even take his soldiers along as he goes looking for her.

(Side note: I've been wondering recently why we don't see anyone in this show sleeping, especially on the Macedonian side! So thanks for that scene CVs. It's great to see Alexander at rest like a normal human being).

An interesting comment. But what I noted was that Alexander sleeps - actually I think he was only resting - with his (Achilles ka) bakhtarbandh and his boots on, ready for all eventualities. I wish they had shown us the copy of The Iliad under his pillow, the one with annotations by Aristotle. 😉

Also, a propos your remark about none of the Macedonians sleeping, there was the Argus-eyed Olympias, wide-awake and alert.

Hide and Seek

They then play a short game of hide and seek but the question is, who's playing whom? I'll elaborate in a bit.

Flattery never fails, and Roxanna uses it very well to stroke the ego of this great emperor. She knew exactly who he was when she snuck up to his tent and threw the stone, and he was well aware of this when he snuck up on her. Yet she doesn't bat an eyelid when telling him that she recognizes him to be Shah Alexander from his gaze. She doesn't flinch as he moves the sword closer to her throat. Her voice is calm and her gaze steady as she introduces herself as the general's daughter.

But what does Alexander want to know? Her name - we know the importance of his name in his own life.

They are both trying to read each other's eyes, each inferring something different, but what's important to remember is Alexander ki aankhon se kuch nahin chipta. But he has only her eyes to go by in this moment. So what did he read?

She lays it on with a trowel, does she not? She knows that there is no such thing as too much flattery. But Alexander, as he never tires of reminding us, is no ordinary mortal, and he accepts the flattery with an unmoved face, for he knows that the other shoe (or the penny) is about to drop. It is Olympias who beams like a sunflower in the sun, delighted with this praise of her beloved son .

Veiled Messenger

Alexander has so far never been shown to touch a woman other than his mother and sister (let's forget about the Priestess for a bit), but when Roxanne turns around to see him as he suddenly appears behind her, he grabs her by the shoulder very briefly and then lets go to lean on the tree trunk instead. I don't know if this is accidental or not. The latter, I think.

No, my dear. He holds on to her right shoulder for a good long while, and moves back, after removing his sword from her neck, only when he asks " Paigham kya hai?" Even while he is holding her, I doubt if he is even conscious of it. And I suppose he has to hold the sword in place as well, and the hand on the shoulder would help with that!

He's fascinated by her steady gaze as she's not afraid when he surprises her. Contrast this with the experiences he's had of late. On one hand he has Barsine who doesn't give a damn about him and his generosity, who sides with his enemy, and who's always avoided looking at him. On the other hand, here's a woman who indirectly appeals to the charisma that he is known for, that he has this aura around him as the Emperor of Asia.

Roxanne praises him without any hesitation or inhibitions, something he never got from other women, e.g Barsine. He knows she probably thinks he's a vehshiya, but now she's lavishing praise on him. Very practical approach - he recognizes this in her immediately and makes her get to the point with her message!

He must have got plenty of praise from such other women, though there were not many, with whom he had intimate relationships earlier. Barsine's namesake, the widow of the Greek general Memnon who served Darius, for one, and his Thessalian mistress Campaspe for another. This Barsine was a ungrateful sourpuss, but Alexander was hardly going to go into a depression because of that!

Instant Connection

As Alexander and Roxanne walk back to the camp, there are a couple of things I notice.

Firstly, they are seen side by side. Roxanne isn't following him and this signifies the dynamics in their upcoming relationship where they are going to be seen as equals if I read the CVs agenda correctly. Secondly, in all that darkness at the camp she was the bright spot. She has already brought color to his life, the color of love, contrasted very well against the all-white clothing and tents around them. When they stand next to each other, you see that they couldn't be more different in terms of appearance, background, status, etc. But they are (going to be) soulmates if the CVs so decide.

You, child, are a poetess manquee! What a lovely interpretation of that scene! On both points, the equality one and the uski zindagi mein rang laanewaali one, you are spot on!

@LawlessLawyer made an awesome VM based on today's episode here:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/porus/4993529/ashis-vm-corner-imp-note-on-pg-1

and if you concentrate on the scenes she's used, you'll see a lot more details that you may have missed upon first viewing.

I shall watch it at the earliest, and I am sure it will be beautiful and then I always admire such tech expertise, being technologically challenged myself! - but I have already dissected the scene during repeat viewings..

Trojan Temptress

That godawful severed head! (I'm still hoping they have a better explanation for this and that Darius actually fled, but the chances are low, I know). Here's a woman who's not squeamish about bringing him this gift all by herself or to make it known that Bessus won't hesitate to turn on an "asylum seeker" in the interests of their people. When they arrive back at the camp we see Alexander with the three important women around him. (Yes, Barsine is also very important to him right now). The contrast between Roxanne/Olympias and Barsine couldn't be sharper than in this scene. Well done, CVs. Of course, Olympias is as intrigued by this mysterious woman as her son is.

There is something not just tough, but hard about Roxanne. I am not quite sure I like it. Or the idea of serving Darius' head up to Alexander as a gift, thus betraying the sacred canons of hospitality, and of refuge to the one seeking it, that have reamined unchanged down the ages.

The way in which she opens the chest and displays its content to Alexander, she reminded of Medea. A terrible woman, Medea was, and I feel that Roxana will be a close second to Medea. No wonder Olympias likeed her!

Alexander says that when the enemy sends a gift, it means they want to offer friendship. The manner in which Darius' head is presented shows the Bactrians are sure about their position and are not intimidated by Alexander. They show him the right amount of respect and Roxanne lavishes enough praise to make him change his mind and to agree to their terms to go the palace instead.

I don't see it quite that way. The Bactrians are intimidated by Alexander. This was clear from the initial conversation between Bessus, Oxyartes and Darius in the Wednesday episode. If they had been sure of themselves, they would have told Darius to go elsewhere and faced Alexander down. They are afraid of him, and this sar ka tohfa simply confirms that to Alexander. He would hardly think well of a leader who betrays the canons of asylum so readily. Or trust him in anything concerning himself.

I was reminded of the scene in the film "Cleopatra", where Julius Caesar meets the young Pharaoh of Egypt, and is shown the head of his rival Roman general, Ptolemy. The Pharaoh asks : "Does it please you, Caesar? They said it would please you. Caesar looks up at the sun and responds: "The sun is here too hot for kings. And the teenaged Pharaoh is promptly taken away.

I am wondering why Alexander accepts the offer, and that too so quickly. Yes, he's intrigued by the messenger, the air of mystery around her. I think he wants to decipher the real unspoken message she brought, which could be a masked invitation to his own death party instead of a royal welcome as she claims. He also knows that Bessus is no sheep, and Roxanne no lamb.

Precisely. Rohit shows all this beautifully with his eyes that speak volumes.

The thing about flattery is, no matter how in control you are of your emotions, a tiny part of you will be affected. Alexander is human after all, and in this moment when he doesn't have to worry about battle he indulges himself a little bit to enjoy this feeling.

He could have crushed the Bactrians or captured Roxanne, but he wants to see where this game leads.

Most importantly, here I'll quote what Alexander said to Hephaestion in episode 22 about Homer's teaching after reading to him about the Trojan horse from the Illiad (or Illias):

Dushman ka tohfa uski talwar se bhi zyaada katil hota hai

I don't think Alexander will forget this lesson easily, and considering what happened with Puru, I expect him to be on high alert.

A very relevant and apt reference. Your card index is perfect!! 👏He will be on the highest possible alert. And if it comes to a showdown, he will enjoy bearding the enemy in his own den .

Does Roxanne know the effect she has on him (or men in general)? Was she deliberately sent for that? I am quite sure there's an element of this to it, otherwise Bessus could have sent a man to deliver this message. This is the Bactrian "Trojan Temptress" and I'm expecting Alexander's seen right through it.

There is no woman who cannot gauge the impact she has on a man, or on men in general. Alexander might be impressed and intrigued by Roxana, but he will never forget the fact that the Bactrians are potential enemies, and that they have sent this Delilah to him on purpose.

Alexander has a gentle, indulgent (micro) smile when he accepts the offer of a royal welcome by the Bactrians and that smile reaches his eyes as she walks away. I don't think this smile is malicious. There may be flutters in his heart, but that brilliant mind of his can't just stop working, can it? He surely has some kind of plan in mind and will go in prepared. Unless the CVs go bonkers again and show him being fooled by Roxanne or her allies in the palace.

I did not see it as indulgent. To me it seemed to be an amused and slightly mocking smile. Not malicious, but as if he was saying to himself: Mujhe phansane ke liye isko bheja hai Bessus ne? The right corner of the mouth lifts for a millisecond, and then relaxes. It was fascinating to watch.

Soorat vs Seerat

I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of discussions here on soorat vs. seerat, because there will be a tug of war between these two concepts.

Alexander turns on the charm here when expressing his desire to see her face, albeit under the guise of wanting nothing hidden whether it's a friend or foe. He uses this as an excuse to see her face - she could have said no and I am willing to bet he would probably not have forced her to remove her niqaab.

I love his dialogues here: Mein tumhari soorat ka deedar karna chata hoon

as I love her reply: Soorat mein kya rakha hai, Shah huzoor?

She was being as gracious as he was. Look at that smile on Olympias' face! She knows what's going on here and also loves that her son is being treated so well, which in her opinion, he very much deserves. Rohit portrays extremely well here the anticipation in his eyes and body language as Roxanne is removing her veil.

Yes, this one part is purely flirtatious, without appearing to be so. Otherwise, once he has seen the tohfa and received the invitation from Bessus, where is the need for him to look at her face? Also, he is perhaps trying to gauge her, and see how she reacts to his demand, for that is what it is in reality.

When that niqaab comes off, he is captivated, there's no doubt! Because her face, her "beauty" matches the allure he senses when he first lays eyes on her and hears her speak. She's so nonchalant about her appearance that it makes it all the more striking when her face is revealed.

For a couple of seconds his hands are fidgety, as if they almost want to reach for her but then he stops. It might seem like an insignificant thing but I believe Rohit never does anything of this sort of thing 'accidentally'. To me it showed that he is thrown off by Roxanne in a way that he isn't 100% the calm and collected Alexander, and before he knows it, the spell is broken. She holds his gaze for just the right duration and then walks away in silence, leaving him and the rest of the people intrigued.

Well, of course he would be thrown off by such beauty (though that exists more in the minds of the CVs than in reality, for this is no Helen of Troy!)

I was intrigued by the expression in his eyes. It was not dazed, it was rather still, like the waters of a deep lake in the twilight. As if he was internalizing her eyes, the planes of her face, the whole of her.

The fidgeting movement was very well observed, my dear. I missed it at the first viewing, and looked for it during the second one.

This must have been some karmic connection, for Alexander consciously avoided the Persian beauties captured after Issus. For Plutarch writes:

"But as for the other captive women, seeing that they were surpassingly stately and beautiful, he merely said jestingly that ancient Persians were mysteriously beautiful beings. He describes the Persian women as torments to the eyes. And displaying in rivalry with their fair looks the beauty of his own sobriety and self-control, he passed them by as though they were lifeless images for display.

There is mediterranean background music due to which we think or are made to think that this is romance brewing. Time will tell. Someone said on the forum that they were looking forward to the height difference - well I guess the CVs got that bang on with this couple. LOL!

Power and Corruption

The episode had another interesting contrast in terms of authority and power. The CVs drew great parallels in terms of what Kanishk is now doing or threatening to do with his mother in terms of abuse of power, what Anusuya said about Bamni not becoming corrupted by power, and what we see Alexander do, for he too is not "corrupted" by power (yet).

Hephaestion ki Sautan

Has he been permanently friend-zoned? I want to see an exchange between Alexander and him about Roxanne, especially one where Hephaestion feels insecure of his position. Mate, you will have a hard time competing with Roxanne's beauty and influence over Alexander.

I don't think anything, or anyone, not even Roxana, could have affected the relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion. He fitted into a compartment all of his own. When he died in 324 BC of typhoid, Alexander was shattered, and was never the same again.

Sorry this post is so long, but I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Haven't proofread this so please excuse mistakes.

Phew! I am worn out. But I am not going to apologise for the even greater length of my comments, for your wonderful post called for them!

Originally posted by: sashashyam

This is one of your best efforts so far, my dear. I will be back after lunch to send you my comments, but it was a treat!

Shyamala Aunty

OK, here I am. My comments, as usual, are in blue,