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Credit goes to Maham(Allbut1) for this beautiful Banner
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A quick message to all. The list of names was getting really long and since most of us know each other by now and don't have that many new members at a time, we are removing the names list from the second post and keeping it just for announcements and reminders. If you want to figure out anybody's name, you can refer to one of the old DC threads. The link is given in the post below.
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Episode Analysis
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A quick message to all. The list of names was getting really long and since most of us know each other by now and don't have that many new members at a time, we are removing the names list from the second post and keeping it just for announcements and reminders. If you want to figure out anybody's name, you can refer to one of the old DC threads. The link is given in the post below.
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Episode Analysis
Today, I felt there was a clear message that resonated throughout the episode and it was beautifully contextualised by the effect of that fateful day replaying for Yash. In many ways today, he got to right the wrongs that happened on that day and led to the loss of his beloved wife. But the righting of these wrongs was not up to Yash alone, Aarti played her own vital role and in the end I came up with this conclusion, Aarti and Arpita are pretty much identical as mothers, but very different as wives.
This thought hit me strongly when Aarti went to stop Yash from going to the meeting. I kept expecting a flashback of when Arpita tried to stop him from doing the same on the day she died, because we know he was coming back from a meeting the day that Arpita passed away. That was the reason he wasn't there to get the cake and Arpita forged out in the terrible weather on her own. I waited for there to be a flashback of her too telling Yash not to go to his meeting but nothing! Nothing about Aarti reminding him that it was his daughter's birthday and that nothing was more important rung a bell for Yash and this is what got me thinking...Arpita never stopped him from going to that meeting. This is where Aarti is different. I thought it was adorable how she mustered her courage, marched up to him and told him on no uncertain terms that he was not to step out of the house because nothing could be more important than Palak's birthday. And then, to add to the endearment, Aarti turned around and apologised, told him that he could go if it was really important. I loved this little addition to the scene because it was like Aarti was both conceding that she didn't have a right to boss him around, testing him and deep down, it was also like she was saying sorry for making the easy way out impossible for him to take. The contradictory messages made it playful, challenging and at the same time emotional, but our Yash rose to the challenge and re-stated, there can be nothing more important than Palak's birthday. And for this whole exchange, not a thought of Arpita! In that moment Aarti became his wife and his child's mother, independent of Arpita.
The pattern was of course reversed in the scene of the orphanage children coming. This was Arpita's tradition and a mighty sweet one at that. She was teaching Palak the pleasure of giving and giving her the gift of perspective from such a young age and I applaud that. This is what makes me say that she and Aarti are so alike as mothers. Both of them were full of fun, excitement and masti but also a deep sense of compassion and conviction. Here Yash sees Arpita in Aarti and the lines begin to blur. This makes me realise that most of the times that Aarti has sent Yash into Arpita-land over these past few days has been something concerning the children. If we take the hose pipe episode of last week, as long as the children were around, Yash kept going in and out of his Arpita flashbacks, but the moment he and Aarti were interacting one on one, she ceased to be a part of his conscious thoughts. I speak specifically of the towel scene where he didn't remember Arpita until Vidhi came in and prodded his memory and his pain alive. Until then he was enjoying his moment with Aarti and Aarti alone. Again, the time he once called her "Arpita" of late, it was in relation to Palak, as Palak's mother. This is what the orphanage matron also echoed today, that his new wife is just like Arpita. Yes, Aarti is maternal, compassionate, fun-loving, out going, full of love and most of all she makes his children happy, much like Arpita and it is these qualities that blur the lines for Yash.
But there are certain other qualities that distinguish the two women very clearly and that became apparent when it started raining. A moment of appreciation for GC here because his horrified expression as the weather changed and it started raining was beautifully done! And back to the episode. He sees Aarti leaving and upon asking her where she is headed, lo and behold, his worst nightmare, she is going to get the cake! He vehemently puts his foot down saying that there is no need, as she tries to defy him and say there is no trouble. Aarti knows why he is stopping her and yet she doesn't yield right away. She allows him to have his little outburst, express his frustration and then she agrees not to go anywhere, whatever he wants her to do. This is precisely what did not happen with Arpita that day. He was not able to stop her from going in the first place because he had gone to that meeting. And then when he heard she was in a position of danger, he ordered her, much like he ordered Aarti today not to move, to stay still and to wait for him. She did none of those things. She was "apne dhun mein mast" and went on driving in those dangerous conditions and in the end, Yash couldn't save her.
Aarti contradicted that today by allowing Yash to "save her," by listening to him, but most of all through her sensitivity to his feelings. This is where I feel Arpita might have been different. In all the flashbacks we have seen, it is never Arpita's prerogative to really understand Yash's feelings. Most of the time when we see them talk, she mocks his deep feelings for her, as she did in that phone conversation just before her accident. "You can't stay for a moment without me, can you?" There is a lack of seriousness in her, which I don't blame her for, having had the carefree life that she seemed to have, she must have felt invincible! Aarti has a much more concrete sense of mortality, having grown up without parents and because of this she is able to connect to Yash on a level, in the present after his loss, that Arpita never really touched. Aarti respects the depth of Yash's feelings with all her heart and that is what sets her apart. I loved that little touch when Yash walks away after Aarti agrees not to go, and he looks back, which felt like he was making sure she wasn't going to just slip away once he turned his back. He is used to the stubborn, willful and contrary Arpita as a wife, not the wiser, compliant and sensitive Aarti. That is why I think this side of Aarti, in their one-on-one interactions never summons Arpita to his mind.
Other favourite moments in the episode were the ones between Aarti and Palak! I love that Palak said if her mother didn't come, she wouldn't talk to Aarti or cut her cake. I know this doesn't bode well but what I saw was that Palak understood that her not talking and not cutting her cake was something that would upset Aarti. She has sensed that investment from Aarti and what is more, she is talking to her like she owns her and I loved that! I am sure Aarti does too and I realise that the more she is getting attached to Palak the little person rather than the abstract mission she took upon herself when she came back and buried her past, and the less clinical this whole "becoming Arpita" gig becomes for her, the more she is freaking out. That development is actually being beautifully developed.
And of course Aarti's delusion that lies can become truth if people's happiness lies that way...ermm, no.
Finally, that Palak/Ansh scene was just ADORABLE! I love how Palak sort of gained her strength from watching Ansh being so easily social with his friends and she mustered the courage to go up and apologise for her behaviour. And Ansh was the first one, not the least wronged by any means, who forgave her and declared himself her best friend. These two are going to be great, I think! And if that wasn't sweet enough, I loved that Palak forgot to say nayi mummy for a second and just said that her mother was organising a big party for her. She is still fixated on the gift, but I have to say, Aarti's plan is working. The lines are blurring for her too and Arpita is becoming more and more a gift that her mother is giving her rather than a person in her own right. How Aarti chooses to define this gift remains to be seen, of course.
This thought hit me strongly when Aarti went to stop Yash from going to the meeting. I kept expecting a flashback of when Arpita tried to stop him from doing the same on the day she died, because we know he was coming back from a meeting the day that Arpita passed away. That was the reason he wasn't there to get the cake and Arpita forged out in the terrible weather on her own. I waited for there to be a flashback of her too telling Yash not to go to his meeting but nothing! Nothing about Aarti reminding him that it was his daughter's birthday and that nothing was more important rung a bell for Yash and this is what got me thinking...Arpita never stopped him from going to that meeting. This is where Aarti is different. I thought it was adorable how she mustered her courage, marched up to him and told him on no uncertain terms that he was not to step out of the house because nothing could be more important than Palak's birthday. And then, to add to the endearment, Aarti turned around and apologised, told him that he could go if it was really important. I loved this little addition to the scene because it was like Aarti was both conceding that she didn't have a right to boss him around, testing him and deep down, it was also like she was saying sorry for making the easy way out impossible for him to take. The contradictory messages made it playful, challenging and at the same time emotional, but our Yash rose to the challenge and re-stated, there can be nothing more important than Palak's birthday. And for this whole exchange, not a thought of Arpita! In that moment Aarti became his wife and his child's mother, independent of Arpita.
The pattern was of course reversed in the scene of the orphanage children coming. This was Arpita's tradition and a mighty sweet one at that. She was teaching Palak the pleasure of giving and giving her the gift of perspective from such a young age and I applaud that. This is what makes me say that she and Aarti are so alike as mothers. Both of them were full of fun, excitement and masti but also a deep sense of compassion and conviction. Here Yash sees Arpita in Aarti and the lines begin to blur. This makes me realise that most of the times that Aarti has sent Yash into Arpita-land over these past few days has been something concerning the children. If we take the hose pipe episode of last week, as long as the children were around, Yash kept going in and out of his Arpita flashbacks, but the moment he and Aarti were interacting one on one, she ceased to be a part of his conscious thoughts. I speak specifically of the towel scene where he didn't remember Arpita until Vidhi came in and prodded his memory and his pain alive. Until then he was enjoying his moment with Aarti and Aarti alone. Again, the time he once called her "Arpita" of late, it was in relation to Palak, as Palak's mother. This is what the orphanage matron also echoed today, that his new wife is just like Arpita. Yes, Aarti is maternal, compassionate, fun-loving, out going, full of love and most of all she makes his children happy, much like Arpita and it is these qualities that blur the lines for Yash.
But there are certain other qualities that distinguish the two women very clearly and that became apparent when it started raining. A moment of appreciation for GC here because his horrified expression as the weather changed and it started raining was beautifully done! And back to the episode. He sees Aarti leaving and upon asking her where she is headed, lo and behold, his worst nightmare, she is going to get the cake! He vehemently puts his foot down saying that there is no need, as she tries to defy him and say there is no trouble. Aarti knows why he is stopping her and yet she doesn't yield right away. She allows him to have his little outburst, express his frustration and then she agrees not to go anywhere, whatever he wants her to do. This is precisely what did not happen with Arpita that day. He was not able to stop her from going in the first place because he had gone to that meeting. And then when he heard she was in a position of danger, he ordered her, much like he ordered Aarti today not to move, to stay still and to wait for him. She did none of those things. She was "apne dhun mein mast" and went on driving in those dangerous conditions and in the end, Yash couldn't save her.
Aarti contradicted that today by allowing Yash to "save her," by listening to him, but most of all through her sensitivity to his feelings. This is where I feel Arpita might have been different. In all the flashbacks we have seen, it is never Arpita's prerogative to really understand Yash's feelings. Most of the time when we see them talk, she mocks his deep feelings for her, as she did in that phone conversation just before her accident. "You can't stay for a moment without me, can you?" There is a lack of seriousness in her, which I don't blame her for, having had the carefree life that she seemed to have, she must have felt invincible! Aarti has a much more concrete sense of mortality, having grown up without parents and because of this she is able to connect to Yash on a level, in the present after his loss, that Arpita never really touched. Aarti respects the depth of Yash's feelings with all her heart and that is what sets her apart. I loved that little touch when Yash walks away after Aarti agrees not to go, and he looks back, which felt like he was making sure she wasn't going to just slip away once he turned his back. He is used to the stubborn, willful and contrary Arpita as a wife, not the wiser, compliant and sensitive Aarti. That is why I think this side of Aarti, in their one-on-one interactions never summons Arpita to his mind.
Other favourite moments in the episode were the ones between Aarti and Palak! I love that Palak said if her mother didn't come, she wouldn't talk to Aarti or cut her cake. I know this doesn't bode well but what I saw was that Palak understood that her not talking and not cutting her cake was something that would upset Aarti. She has sensed that investment from Aarti and what is more, she is talking to her like she owns her and I loved that! I am sure Aarti does too and I realise that the more she is getting attached to Palak the little person rather than the abstract mission she took upon herself when she came back and buried her past, and the less clinical this whole "becoming Arpita" gig becomes for her, the more she is freaking out. That development is actually being beautifully developed.
And of course Aarti's delusion that lies can become truth if people's happiness lies that way...ermm, no.
Finally, that Palak/Ansh scene was just ADORABLE! I love how Palak sort of gained her strength from watching Ansh being so easily social with his friends and she mustered the courage to go up and apologise for her behaviour. And Ansh was the first one, not the least wronged by any means, who forgave her and declared himself her best friend. These two are going to be great, I think! And if that wasn't sweet enough, I loved that Palak forgot to say nayi mummy for a second and just said that her mother was organising a big party for her. She is still fixated on the gift, but I have to say, Aarti's plan is working. The lines are blurring for her too and Arpita is becoming more and more a gift that her mother is giving her rather than a person in her own right. How Aarti chooses to define this gift remains to be seen, of course.
