Episode 200

I look forward to your comments.

I knew Hasti was listening to Alexander's instructions to his men. So glad he's not dead and that his injuries are treatable. He's going to be physically weak for some time. It's great that he managed to to send a message to his own soldiers. Finally we'll get to see the secret Sindhi army coming to the rescue. They must be very loyal to follow the commands of their part-time king who is never living in their kingdom.

Alexander was throwing spears - good to see that for a change.

I am wondering how Bhairav goes back and forth between the forests and the PR palace so fast. He doesn't even have a horse! He gives Porus the news about Anusuya and Laachi preparing the soldiers to defend the palace, and Porus asks him about Chanakya and Olmypias! I still don't believe Chanakya is not appearing because of health issues. He must have gone on some secret mission for another one of his yojnas, but goodness knows how much more damage this will cause everyone around. He should just stop. I want to see a fallout between Porus and him. I think he either went to Taxila or to Magadh, or maybe even to find CGM. 😕

Porus said "mere paas ek yojna hai, and I thought "uh-oh, not another yojna. The track record for yojnas on this show isn't too good. His plan was to divert Alexander and make him follow his men, but he doesn't know about the Taxila soldiers yet.

The Farsi fairies managed to escape, with a few PR soldiers to protect them during their journey. I am so glad Alexander didn't end up marrying Barsine and I really hope we don't see that on the show. The question is, will she make it to Faras or will she be stopped on the way? If she gets to Faras then I want to see Seleucus greet her with his army after receiving a message from Alexander. I must say the cotton-like substance they used to depict snow made me laugh. The Farsi fairies obviously don't need winter gear - the snow just melted but the temperature is still very low!!! 😆

Learning about Hasti being alive gave Anusuya and Laachi added confidence. Anusuya's heart broke when she saw her brother lead the Taxila army towards PR. I would hate to be in her position, having to fight my own brother, but like a shatrani she didn't let her emotions get in the way of her duty and was prepared to fight them the way she would any enemy forces. I think she finally realized that her brother had wanted to attack PR for many years but could not do so because he was unable to cross the river or take the difficult land route. The truce they had called during the fight against Darius was only temporary. With Ambhikumar being locked up, there is no one to stop Ambhiraj from harming the PR people. They sent a good message today about woman power: that behind every strong woman, there is another strong woman. The men were far away but these two PR ladies were making decisions and planning how to defend the PR palace, despite their soldiers being low in number. They wanted to point out that wars can be won with courage and not mere strength.

No one has died on the PR side this time. The funniest for me is Bamni's situation. We were all worried and fretting about him being killed off tragically and look at him today. Ek kharonch bhi nahin aayi! My affection for this character is increasing by the day. He was so rational when he received the message from Porus and he was just executing everything with a cool head. He really acted like a king today. The moment he learned that Taxila had also arrived to attack the palace, he figured out Alexander's strategy and started thinking about the best way to create the diversion. 👏

Olympias saw them in battle gear and understood that her son was nearby. She's still roaming around the palace freely! I'm wondering if SidT will try to show that her observation of the PR people's strength of will eventually change her opinion of them, which is what Porus wanted. Anusuya had a strange feeling as she was about to leave the palace on horseback, and wanted to see her husband and son.

Bamni's idea of laying the trap was quite smart, but I was a bit surprised to see how fast the PR soldiers were uprooting trees and laying their barks across the ravine! The moment I saw that overhead shot I was scared that Bucephalus would fall and be killed, and Alexander would end up flying in the air or some stupid stunt like that, but thank goodness it didn't happen. This also showed that one of the advantages people have against invaders is their knowledge and understanding of their terrain. The only thing Bamni didn't know was that Bucephalus was going to save Alexander from that fall but he was sure Porus would kill Alexander once his path was diverted.

Bucephalus sensed the danger and prevented Alexander from falling into Bamni's trap, literally. He saw that the soil had been trampled on but didn't get it right away that something bigger was at play. Alexander asked his trusted companion to keep moving but he wouldn't budge so Alexander knew something was off. I loved the way Alexander was gently coaxing him, pleading with him as if to say "now's not the time to let me down or be stubborn, we can't afford to waste time here. When the horse didn't follow him, he knew it must be for a very good reason. How in tune are they! Bucephalus is as smart and as brave as his master - they are made for each other! I was so happy to see another scene between the two, but the more I see the more I am scared about what will happen to this wonderful horse. 😭

Alexander remembered what Ambhiraj had told him, and that prevented him from going forward. Looks like that strategy meeting was very long indeed! 😆

Alexander was supposed to have taken half the soldiers with him, yet there were only a handful of them beside him who then ran forward to fall into the ravine. The area looked like the location we saw in the Instagram video, so he obviously wasn't going towards the Hindu Kush route.

What I don't understand is, why were the Macedonian soldiers rushing ahead when their commander was not moving forward? Also, why did the rest of them not stop moving once their fellow soldiers fell down? Alexander was just staring at it, stunned, instead of stopping his men from advancing, just like we saw during the elephant scene. I also cannot believe he didn't suspect an ambush and was just watching the flaming arrows approaching them, as were his soldiers. No one even raised their shields. How are we supposed to believe these men were part of the strongest army in the world with 10 years of experience? Even a new soldier would know that! And then Alexander had to announce that they were under attack! Come on! 😡

There was another language error when one of his soldiers said "disha instead of "taraf and it was jarring, but then we had this wonderful line of Alexander's:

He's not going to stop until he finds his mother!

I was annoyed again that they reused old shots of Alexander riding his horse, where his hair was clearly much shorter. Also, there were lots of shots today of men riding horses, but it looked like they were all in the same part of the jungle! And what's with all the continuous war cries? Soldiers do that when they are about to depart, not during the entire time they are marching or running! 😆

I wonder if Alexander will smell a rat about this diversion and do something last moment, but it doesn't look like it. Olympias seems destined to be stuck in her blue tower a bit longer.

Where on earth are Cleitus and Hephaestion when Alexander needs them? I find it hard to believe that Hephaestion is still lying in the forest and not trying to follow Bamni, who seemed to have escaped without any problem. 😡 Cleitus did his job by setting fire to the tent, so now what? Is he going to roast another chicken? I think Alexander might be injured in this rescue mission and worse, he might still not see his mother. Possibly Bucephalus will die trying to save him. Or maybe he will carry Olympias out of the palace.

I still think the pre-cap is misleading everyone because it happened inside the palace although clearly Anusuya was in battle mode today. I think the pre-cap was shot that way just to hint at Ambhiraj killing Anusuya but not necessarily that it would happen that way. I still think she might be severely injured and not dead, just like Hasti and Bamni. I don't know how they can have another 50-60 episodes without Anusuya. 😕

I can't tell yet if it's the final war or not. The Farsi fairies escaping means Alexander will have to deal with that mess a bit later, and Chanakya needs to reappear at some point.