Girls beating the goon?

First, totally loved the goon and the bag-bashing myself...lol...and yes, especially when the potential-housewife started it, by making the guy turn around where most women would just let it pass. And this did what I've also been saying about each episode. That there is a message, but there is never anything absolute about any part of it. Much like the whole Mahesh Shah and the don't-judge-a-book-by-it's-cover episode, where the book was effectively shown to be potentally good or bad. Here, you have in the simple girl who is apparently hemmed into the patriarchal idea of man as bread earner and protector, and woman as householder. This would be the stereotype I'd expect to see: someone who looks naive, a little dumb, and completely submissive to the man in her life, acknowledging her need for security. And this is what I see, but there is a difference. This girl accepts the role of the man as her protector, the whole romanticised idea of her Knight-in-shining-armour, perhaps. But when it comes to it, she can do the protecting herself too, and she knows it. So, believing in the idea Neil so vociferously posits in himself doesn't take away from the fact that she makes a very conscious choice to believe in it. It's not mere indoctrination at work here. The entire meaning of Rohan's earlier statement, that every woman isn't necessarily career-minded, also becomes clear when this goon-bashing happens. Rohan, and Rishta.com therefore, effectively point out that not being career-minded does not imply a lack of backbone. Here, being a housewife is a choice the woman makes, and is not a role that is socially imposed on her. Feminism ahoy! 👍🏼

Second, I see what you mean when you say Isha was the more generic character so far, of the two leads. And I was very happy to see that they're drawing her out, like they did with Rohan last week. You summed it up perfectly: there are flashes of personality now, unlike the earlier episodes. This one gave me so much more to chew on, as far as she is concerned. She's idealistic, yet at times confused when it comes to her own life; sensible, and yet childish at times; smart and yet a little short-sighted like with her dad and his whole wanting-to-look-young fixation; she's feminist, but in a grounded sense; independent, and yet emotionally attached to just about everyone she's close to in a very deep way...in short, like all other characters in Rishta, she's very human, just like the rest of us. And this is one of the things I love most about this show. The characters are people, not types. Good stuff.

Nice topic!

Nandini 😊

But it wasn't until Isha stepped in that I got my biggest shock. I burst out laughing when she raised her bag and repeatedly slammed it over the petty theif. She surprised me the most as I definately didn't expect her to react that way. The looks were expected though, that's an Isha thing!

I agree that Isha's character took a leap in the last epi. We got to see her more of her than just her worrying over her Dad or work...or Rohan. This time we saw some personality, some inner Isha.

That's the thing with this show, it breaks stereotypes. Love it.