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Episode Analysis
Episode Analysis
Today's episode was an interesting parallel narrative of two women, who were working towards a common goal: Aarti and Paridhi. Both of them sought the prize of going to Mumbai, but for different reasons, with different purposes and in completely different contexts. It started with each of them reacting one way and all the events of the episode conspired towards a role reversal by the end.
The Husbands
At the start of the episode, Aarti was locking horns with her husband who was simply not on the same wavelength as her. To him, there are certain boundaries that define the ways in which Aarti is allowed to engage with Arpita's memories, and while they are perfectly clear to him, he has never taken the time to explain them to her. Aarti sees how the evocation of Arpita's memory worked to draw Palak out of her grief and out of her greatest fears. She tries the same tack for Yash. Why don't you go to the place where Arpita's memories abound Yashji, why don't you relive those happy moments she created? Because of her own separation of her relationship with Prashant from raising Ansh, she fails to see how Yash can let his relationship with Arpita over power a request of Palak's and a promise he has to break. Without realising that she is making him angrier, Aarti plods on stubbornly, forcing her righteous intentions down his throat until Yash can take it no more and walks out. At this point Aarti has high hopes for Yash to come around, and her hopes are crushed.
Paridhi on the other hand, chooses to remain passive and deal with her frustration in the confines of the kitchen, where she was unconsciously about to add salt to her MIL's coffee. Here, Paridhi had lost all hope and was completely dejected, taking it for granted that this fight was over. She didn't even seem to think it was worth talking to Prateek.
The Family
Aarti has the full support of the family, but not that of her husband. Having honestly and painstakingly worked her way up to a trusted position in the family, Aarti's stance is unshakable so much so that Gayatri has faith that she will bring Yash around, even when Bua has assured everyone that Yash will not budge. Aarti, knowing this, she uses the family in her argument to persuade Yash, citing their desire to see him happy and living a full life. But the family's wishes cannot sway Yash's resolve and the realisation that what she says is right has to come from within himself.
Paridhi is the opposite, she has the support of her husband but not that of the family which puts her at no advantage. Prateek is unwilling, despite his promises to support Paridhi when the family is against their trip. Her favour with Gayatri is momentary, just as long as Gayatri's moment of vanity lasts. And Paridhi fails to realise that she is dealing with a new, secure and strong Gayatri who is not as easily swayed as she once was by empty flattery followed by the sugar coated self-service. She is unable to sustain Gayatri's interest because Gayatri has now seen the real thing. She will not be fooled, though she will be flattered. Paridhi's problem is the opposite of Aarti. Prateek puts his family before his own feelings and his own marriage. The realisation for him as well, to help Paridhi must come from within himself.
The Counsel
Aarti receives counsel, following her initial reaction, from the wise, sensible and invested Shobha who wants nothing but good for Aarti and Yash. She wisely gives Aarti perspective on her own stubbornness in the face of Yash's and how that might be having the reverse effect from the one she intended. She doesn't take sides, but lightens Aarti's burden and shows her Yash's side of the story, which till now Aarti had refused to see in all her well-intentioned, stubborn over enthusiasm to magically fix Yash. And an Aarti who was inclined to think ill of Yash for being so stubborn, despite the fact that he was making the people he loved most unhappy, does a complete turn around and sees her own faults in the situation and with Shobha's support, is eager to rectify them.
Paridhi, on the other hand, receives counsel from the malicious Bua, who claims that her intent is justice, but has much more nefarious motives...mostly to see Aarti fail in her quest to bring Yash around to this idea and in general. Instead of helping Paridhi understand what she could have done/ could do differently, she points out the flaws of every other person in the house, making Pari out to be the lone victim of grave injustice. She intensifies the insecurity and anger within Paridhi until she really feels like she has been terribly wronged, for absolutely no fault of her own. Finally, Bua's last move is to turn Paridhi decidedly against her own husband, holding him up as the one responsible for her state. Instead of giving Paridhi the tools to make peace, she instigates her to make war. Paridhi, who was eager to think well of everyone from Aarti to Prateek is now feeling like they all wronged her, thanks to the counsel she received in her sensitive state.
Back to the Husbands
Aarti, after her talk with Shobha and her decision to act upon it, does not broach the subject of Mumbai with Yash but drops it all together. A tentative Yash, who walks into the room dreading another onslaught is surprised and intrigued to be greeted by nothing but silence. The tension builds within him, and is released suddenly when Aarti finally calls his name, which causes him to answer her assertively and stride forward towards her. He is further intrigued to see her talking to him about daily sundries and his confusion continues as they settle in to bed for the night. His first though, Aarti is playing a game with me, but that doesn't last for long. His second thought, and the most important one where he considers that what she said was right is crucial. This is where he processes that Aarti fought with him, heard his point about not going to Mumbai, accepted it and dropped the subject. No longer occupied with defending and justifying his reasons not to go, Yash is left with a vacuum in his conscious mind, into which the words that Aarti spoke finally find their meaning. He actually hears the words only now, where before all he heard/felt was coercion and frustration. As the legitimacy of Aarti's words creep into his mind, after her silent plea, he immediately silences them with a stubborn declaration that he can't go to Mumbai, after which he abruptly turns off the lights. Aarti is startled by this, but soon falls asleep. It is Yash whose eyes are left wide open in tortured contemplation.
On the other end, it is Paridhi's turn not to see eye to eye with her husband. He simply cannot understand why her career is as important as his brother and bhabhi's marriage, because he does not understand the worth of dreams, and the satisfaction of honest work. In his eyes, Paridhi and he loved and they married. They got their happily ever after and he simply doesn't feel the need to keep writing the story after that. Pari on the other hand, did not see this marriage as any sort of landmark, starting or ending, with relation to her career. The young couple's inability to negotiate their relationship is costing them, and although everything that Pari said was absolutely true and justified, it is just not going to help her cause. She feels trapped and helpless, and instead of empowering Prateek, she is trapping him in turn. I understand that Prateek is useless but Paridhi does not have the power to change him. The only one she can change is herself and if confrontation is not working for her, then she should be open to trying a different method. The saddest thing though, is that she just doesn't know how, and there is nobody to help her along. Her mother tells er everything she does is right, which is not very helpful. Her desire to go to Mumbai is just as legitimate as Aarti's but she has nobody to help her communicate the importance to Prateek, who thinks words and intentions are enough.
Her line about Lakshman and Urmila just tore me up because that is how she feels, like a supporting character in someone else's story. That is not how a newly-wed girl who married for love should be feeling, and that's a fact.
I will end this by saying that Yash and Prateek are behaving in a similar manner. They are stubbornly holding fast to their priorities. But while Aarti pushed Yash, but then gave him space to think and reflect, Paridhi did not. She left no space for that feeling to grow within Prateek that he should live up to his promises, as it has been one ultimatum after another from day one. I am definitely not absolving Prateek of fault, just like I won't absolve Yash for his selfishness, but this is where Shobha's advice comes in. Everyone has flaws, so be patient with them and give them time to think about them. I guess, today's episode comes down to that.
The Husbands
At the start of the episode, Aarti was locking horns with her husband who was simply not on the same wavelength as her. To him, there are certain boundaries that define the ways in which Aarti is allowed to engage with Arpita's memories, and while they are perfectly clear to him, he has never taken the time to explain them to her. Aarti sees how the evocation of Arpita's memory worked to draw Palak out of her grief and out of her greatest fears. She tries the same tack for Yash. Why don't you go to the place where Arpita's memories abound Yashji, why don't you relive those happy moments she created? Because of her own separation of her relationship with Prashant from raising Ansh, she fails to see how Yash can let his relationship with Arpita over power a request of Palak's and a promise he has to break. Without realising that she is making him angrier, Aarti plods on stubbornly, forcing her righteous intentions down his throat until Yash can take it no more and walks out. At this point Aarti has high hopes for Yash to come around, and her hopes are crushed.
Paridhi on the other hand, chooses to remain passive and deal with her frustration in the confines of the kitchen, where she was unconsciously about to add salt to her MIL's coffee. Here, Paridhi had lost all hope and was completely dejected, taking it for granted that this fight was over. She didn't even seem to think it was worth talking to Prateek.
The Family
Aarti has the full support of the family, but not that of her husband. Having honestly and painstakingly worked her way up to a trusted position in the family, Aarti's stance is unshakable so much so that Gayatri has faith that she will bring Yash around, even when Bua has assured everyone that Yash will not budge. Aarti, knowing this, she uses the family in her argument to persuade Yash, citing their desire to see him happy and living a full life. But the family's wishes cannot sway Yash's resolve and the realisation that what she says is right has to come from within himself.
Paridhi is the opposite, she has the support of her husband but not that of the family which puts her at no advantage. Prateek is unwilling, despite his promises to support Paridhi when the family is against their trip. Her favour with Gayatri is momentary, just as long as Gayatri's moment of vanity lasts. And Paridhi fails to realise that she is dealing with a new, secure and strong Gayatri who is not as easily swayed as she once was by empty flattery followed by the sugar coated self-service. She is unable to sustain Gayatri's interest because Gayatri has now seen the real thing. She will not be fooled, though she will be flattered. Paridhi's problem is the opposite of Aarti. Prateek puts his family before his own feelings and his own marriage. The realisation for him as well, to help Paridhi must come from within himself.
The Counsel
Aarti receives counsel, following her initial reaction, from the wise, sensible and invested Shobha who wants nothing but good for Aarti and Yash. She wisely gives Aarti perspective on her own stubbornness in the face of Yash's and how that might be having the reverse effect from the one she intended. She doesn't take sides, but lightens Aarti's burden and shows her Yash's side of the story, which till now Aarti had refused to see in all her well-intentioned, stubborn over enthusiasm to magically fix Yash. And an Aarti who was inclined to think ill of Yash for being so stubborn, despite the fact that he was making the people he loved most unhappy, does a complete turn around and sees her own faults in the situation and with Shobha's support, is eager to rectify them.
Paridhi, on the other hand, receives counsel from the malicious Bua, who claims that her intent is justice, but has much more nefarious motives...mostly to see Aarti fail in her quest to bring Yash around to this idea and in general. Instead of helping Paridhi understand what she could have done/ could do differently, she points out the flaws of every other person in the house, making Pari out to be the lone victim of grave injustice. She intensifies the insecurity and anger within Paridhi until she really feels like she has been terribly wronged, for absolutely no fault of her own. Finally, Bua's last move is to turn Paridhi decidedly against her own husband, holding him up as the one responsible for her state. Instead of giving Paridhi the tools to make peace, she instigates her to make war. Paridhi, who was eager to think well of everyone from Aarti to Prateek is now feeling like they all wronged her, thanks to the counsel she received in her sensitive state.
Back to the Husbands
Aarti, after her talk with Shobha and her decision to act upon it, does not broach the subject of Mumbai with Yash but drops it all together. A tentative Yash, who walks into the room dreading another onslaught is surprised and intrigued to be greeted by nothing but silence. The tension builds within him, and is released suddenly when Aarti finally calls his name, which causes him to answer her assertively and stride forward towards her. He is further intrigued to see her talking to him about daily sundries and his confusion continues as they settle in to bed for the night. His first though, Aarti is playing a game with me, but that doesn't last for long. His second thought, and the most important one where he considers that what she said was right is crucial. This is where he processes that Aarti fought with him, heard his point about not going to Mumbai, accepted it and dropped the subject. No longer occupied with defending and justifying his reasons not to go, Yash is left with a vacuum in his conscious mind, into which the words that Aarti spoke finally find their meaning. He actually hears the words only now, where before all he heard/felt was coercion and frustration. As the legitimacy of Aarti's words creep into his mind, after her silent plea, he immediately silences them with a stubborn declaration that he can't go to Mumbai, after which he abruptly turns off the lights. Aarti is startled by this, but soon falls asleep. It is Yash whose eyes are left wide open in tortured contemplation.
On the other end, it is Paridhi's turn not to see eye to eye with her husband. He simply cannot understand why her career is as important as his brother and bhabhi's marriage, because he does not understand the worth of dreams, and the satisfaction of honest work. In his eyes, Paridhi and he loved and they married. They got their happily ever after and he simply doesn't feel the need to keep writing the story after that. Pari on the other hand, did not see this marriage as any sort of landmark, starting or ending, with relation to her career. The young couple's inability to negotiate their relationship is costing them, and although everything that Pari said was absolutely true and justified, it is just not going to help her cause. She feels trapped and helpless, and instead of empowering Prateek, she is trapping him in turn. I understand that Prateek is useless but Paridhi does not have the power to change him. The only one she can change is herself and if confrontation is not working for her, then she should be open to trying a different method. The saddest thing though, is that she just doesn't know how, and there is nobody to help her along. Her mother tells er everything she does is right, which is not very helpful. Her desire to go to Mumbai is just as legitimate as Aarti's but she has nobody to help her communicate the importance to Prateek, who thinks words and intentions are enough.
Her line about Lakshman and Urmila just tore me up because that is how she feels, like a supporting character in someone else's story. That is not how a newly-wed girl who married for love should be feeling, and that's a fact.
I will end this by saying that Yash and Prateek are behaving in a similar manner. They are stubbornly holding fast to their priorities. But while Aarti pushed Yash, but then gave him space to think and reflect, Paridhi did not. She left no space for that feeling to grow within Prateek that he should live up to his promises, as it has been one ultimatum after another from day one. I am definitely not absolving Prateek of fault, just like I won't absolve Yash for his selfishness, but this is where Shobha's advice comes in. Everyone has flaws, so be patient with them and give them time to think about them. I guess, today's episode comes down to that.
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