Regarding @bold, I wrote on page 1 above:
He looks splendid in that golden coronet; I used to wonder why he had stopped wearing it. Every inch an emperor. Erect, unafraid, and wonderful to behold.
But not to worry, I have no copyright on descriptions of Alexander's superb stance and his cool, proud looks, so you can praise him to your heart's content!😉
As for the rest of your post, and all your fully justified carping, there is no answer to any of it. Especially as regards the incongruity of Alexander talking to his mother about her fears in front of an outsider whom, as you rightly point out, he does not trust at all, witness his caustic comment about Chanakya's explanation for his blowing up the bridge.
I too am beyond fed up with the kata hua sar syndrome. 😡 It now seems to be vying with Zeus ka beta, aaj ka khuda, with Puru koyi kaam adhura nahin chodta as a now distant second.😆
Finally, I am not at all sure that Alexander does not have a weapon on him. I am pretty sure he has something, exactly as in Bactria, and I would not be surprised if he whipped it out and halted Puru's sword at the end of its swing. And where are Hephaestion and Cleitus?
As of now, it seems to me to be a toss up between
a) Puru halting his sword at the very last and then making a speech on the one hand, and on the other hand,
b) Alexander stopping the sword with his own weapon and then fighting his way out of the hall with Hephaestion and Cleitus for support .
Let us see what happens tonight. I think option one is more likely, mainly because of the extra coat of gilt it will add to Puru's escutcheon.
Shyamala Aunty
Originally posted by: inlieu
Aunty, I think it was too much to expect the CVs to end this show a few weeks ago. I fear even more weird tracks are coming up! Much as I like watching the Alexander-Chanakya scenes for the potential mental games being played, I wish they could be used or shown to better effect in terms of upcoming tracks. A game of intrigue is what I was looking for but well, who am I to expect such things? 😕
Also, since Alexander doesn't seem to trust Chanakya at all, it's very annoying to see his stance of "A lion does not extend an offer of friendship to the other animals in the jungle" change to "let's go meet this king in Paurav Rashtra who wants this truce". Isn't he going to do any research before making this trip?
Chanakya knew how to push his buttons, but still. Alexander is known for sticking to his word/plan so why would he change his mind so soon, that too because of and in front of an outsider? Surely not just for his mother? He "appears" to be laying his cards on the table where this aalem is concerned, except this is no Aristotle. One more thing that I found jarring - Alexander's way of pronouncing "Chanakya" - too accurate and Indianized when he couldn't even say Ruksana!
Alexander without weapons? That seems so difficult for me to accept! Even in the jashn in Bactria, he seemed to have hidden that dagger in his clothing, which no one saw of course! 😆 The promo's definitely going to increase viewers' curiosity.
I wonder whether this will indeed be a repeat of the Faras track where Puru gives some lectures about bravery or whatever and lets Alexander go. Since Kanishk is in jail, I don't expect him to play any part in the upcoming events. The presence of other kings might mean something, though. Are they all going to do like Ambhiraj and choose to side with Alexander, leaving Puru eventually outnumbered?
I wish Alexander would stop promising the women in his life to offer a king's kata hua sar. Who's he going to get this time? Bamni, since in the absence of Kanishk he is the "king" and Puru doesn't seem to have been crowned yet? No wonder the other kings were confused because the ruler in Paurav Rashtra seems to be changing very frequently. Could this contribute to their lack of faith in the ruling family of PR and hedge their bets on siding with Alexander?
Can I say how royal Alexander still looks standing in that big hall, pure white amongst all the blue, his stature and aura not affected in the least by his being outnumbered?
