25/4 Dragon Club: 'Ji Nahin'

Can I just say in case we have started to take it for granted, that this is a wonderful show! And I am so glad to be watching this story and dissecting it as I see it unfold in all its messy glory! In short I am so very happy to be here with you all. GROUP HUG. 🤗

And now to the episode that inspired these sentiments. Since the episode was pretty clearly divided between the four couples, I will do my take likewise.

Aarti and Yash
First of all that car scene was so adorable! No matter how many times they articulate this awkward tension between Aarti and Yash it just does not get old because of the power of GC-KS' eyes, all four of 'em. I thought it was interesting that Yash was bothered by the silence today and decided to turn the radio on and what should come on but a sexy love song? 😉 I love how they matched the lyrics of the song to the moment when their fingers touched. That was some wonderful direction and even though nothing much happened, one of the best and most real song sequences I have seen on TV.

The mind reading is also becoming quite a trademark of these two. Both with them wanting to talk about PayPal at the same time and then with Yash answering her about where the meeting was before she asked. And finally we get some clarification about Payal and Palak's ages through their class/standard. Payal 6-7 and Palak is 5-6. I don't know if it was Yash's OCD about time winning over his hesitance but I was touched that he let Aarti go ahead without him, that he trusted her to do that.

Even though yesterday I was irritated that Aarti kept quiet during the principal's speech, in retrospect I realise that she was really taking responsibility and understanding the situation. Perhaps the principal would not have been so frank had Aarti confessed the truth of the situation. Of course PayPal are following in Daddy Dearest's footsteps! 🤔

I loved how Aarti's heart reached out to Payal and Palak when she heard about what was happening and subsequently Yash's declaration. I am glad he is not always quiet as a tomb (pun intended) and knows to speak when it is necessary, especially with regards to his kids. As for him not acknowledging Aarti as their mother, I think this was with respect to the responsibility for their upbringing. I did like the sentiment behind Aarti's speech but I thought it was insensitive of her to say that she would be their "first teacher". That just completely discounts all of Yash's effort and while he does have some drawbacks, so does she! That particular dialogue did not sit well with me.

And finally the argument! I am so sure I am not the only one who found that utterly HOT! ☺️

Both of them have this tension and it is getting resolved in an argument where both of them forget the presence of the parents and each present their viewpoints and try to make the other understand. They were having a real debate and to me there is nothing hotter.

While Aarti did have a point, her speech reeked of irony in the context of our discussion earlier today about how she is making Ansh grow up too fast by treating him too much like an adult and companion rather than a kid. But it is always easier to view other people's kids objectively rather than your own and she was right about PayPal, only not innocent of a similar crime herself.

I just LOVED how Aarti used all these metaphors and flowery language, with soil and rain dancing and jumping in puddles to clipped wings, to say what she wanted and sort of went into a poetic trance and Yash stared her down and said, "so basically you are saying we have trapped our kids with discipline" and all Aarti can do is stare back and stammer in the affirmative. SO HOT. And then Yash puts his very valid point forward that there may be some issues but it is not fair to blame the entire system of upbringing for that. No matter how tactful Aarti is, Yash is just not a guy who falls for words so the "humari" etc did not have any effect given that he knows very well the situation. Aarti was not there so she is blaming them. And I think Yash has a point too. Just because there is one drawback, you don't have to throw out the baby with the bathwater! Payal and Palak are certainly not badly brought up, they are just in need of something more to develop properly.

So hot. Goosebumps. ☺️

Gaya3 and Casanova
So these two really had only one scene today, the one where they were discussing the issue with Yash. I love how Gaya royally put her foot in her mouth when she was on and on about how great PayPal were and how they had taught them discipline, clearly this was a barb at Aarti but one with a boomerang effect that came back to bit Gaya's ample posterior. On the other hand Papa S was totally silent until Yash said what he had to. This man's greatest strength is that he listens first and talks/acts later. That is how he is able to keep so much respect with his sons.

And for all those Casanova detectives, I thought it was interesting that while Gayatri was looking all smug at her son defending their parvarish, Casanova was looking for Aarti's reaction. I think he was enjoying the argument as much as I did. 😈

Prateek and Paridhi
Paridhi's venting session was so adorable and I am glad that she let it all out because I am feeling the same way. She sort of feels like the liberal girl's connection to this show, who voices our thoughts and irritations with Gayatri. Prateek is a sweetheart to listen patiently and then boost her confidence but even he doesn't realise what a hindrance his family is to their relationship. He was uncomfortable with Paridhi talking about his mother and he was upset when his mother called Paridhi away. I thought it was really interesting that this scene seemed to show the beginning of what the Vidhi-Pankaj scene went on to depict

Vidhi and Pankaj
These two were full of pathos today. It started out with such a happy prospect of them going to the movies together and then one entrance from Vedant and the whole thing came crashing down. Pankaj was pretty patient with her, offering to do it at another time but she just wasn't hearing it, being completely absorbed in all the work she felt obligated to do. I also thought it was sad that this scene came right after the one where Vidhi feels the unfairness of Paridhi getting brownie points when she has done all the work for so long. She is feeling generally overworked and there are too many expectations from every where. I guess Pankaj was the only one she trusted enough to take for granted but even that fell through.

The sad thing is that Vidhi doesn't realise it is very much her choice to be this way. If she puts her foot down and says she is going out, the house will not in fact stop because nobody will want to starve without her. She also has to let go a little for other people to fill in. Pankaj was also justified completely on his side of the argument.

The thing I love about Vidhi is that she is the perfect bahu and mother, the ideal heroine of the Indian epic story. But here that stance is being challenged. She has given up her happiness for the family but does she have to? Is it really making everyone happy? Can you really make other people happy if you are sacrificing your own happiness? And all the stuff she said in self thought should have been said out loud. Every time she said "mein aapko kaise bataun?" I was like just like you are saying it in your head! I hope she realises in time that it is her decision holding her back, not Aarti's Ansh jaap or Pari's makhan or even Gaya's zimmedari.

Phew. Excellent episode!

😆

In school Principle blasts Aarti saying PayPal r good in studies but r reserved and dont talk to others ..in short OCD like their father 😆...But Yash comes in Aarti ka rescue and tells Principle that Aarti is not at fault because she just came to the house 2 days back as his wife 😲😲😲 ...

So in short Yash saves Aarti ka honour in front of principle which is the duty of a husband as no husband will want to see his wife being humiliated for no fault of hers 👏👏😳but at the same time he refuses to introduce Aarti as PayPal's mother and says she is his wife but PayPal's mother Arpita died few yrs back ...COMPLICATED THOUGHT PROCESS 😕...

This again tells me that Yash fears that if Aarti is publicly addressed as PayPal's mother ,then this will wipe off Arpita's existence forever and so he is fine with Aarti getting the wife tag officially but he has issues with Aarti getting an official mother tag when the biggest irony is that he married Aarti so that she can become PayPal's mother ..Isn't it 😕😆😆...

This again shows that he is terribly confused about Aarti's existence in his life and is desperately trying to protect Arpita's existence which is no more 😆..But Aarti will prove herself both as a wife and mother by making her own separate place both ways without trying to replace Arpita's existence 😳😳

Aarti says that PayPal needs love and care of a mother , more freedom and informal love in thier own house without too many strict rules ...discipline is important but in the name of discipline ,dont tie up their wings and cage them ...they r kids and so they should b treated like kids and not adults with too many rules ... 👍🏼...Aarti also says she wants to take full responsibility of PayPal and try to make them a free bird just how kids should b at this young age 👏👏👏 ...She is right here ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yash is angry on Aarti because of the accusations she puts on Yash and his family by trying to say that their discipline made the kids unsocial today ...Yash feels that principle might hv issues but he dont agree with Aarti's accusation that his upbringing is faulty ..👍🏼/..Yash too is right here since Aarti did go a bit overboard regarding the whole "Parvarrish" sentence even though her intention was good 😊...Aarti should not hv made that Parvarrish commnet but rest of her thoughts were perfect ...Yash does not agree simply because that whole Parvarrish sentence of Aarti hurts him hard 😭

chalo ! I'll do a mini take which will keep expanding. and my eye is on Papa Scindia tonight!😆

What do I say about Papa Scindia he is too quiet and does not do much in this episode.