Spice Girls Hangout:ASR vs Jalebi bhai!

After 2 disastrous episodes I finally felt like the show was attempting to return to normal with focus slowly shifting back to Arnav and Khushi, Anjali back in her SKD, Shyam finally back at RM. It was a hopeful sign desperately needed for a viewer whose patience was wearing thin

Khushi vs Arnav's thoughts:

Khushi like many at RM she just wanted Anjali to recover and saw the drastic measures Anjali was taking upon herself because Shyam was not there. For Khushi it was not only about Anjali but about Arnav as well, Khushi knows how much Anjali means to Arnav and if something were to happen then she knows how devastated Arnav would be. In Khushi's defense she did try to talk to Arnav earlier and did try calling him when things deteriorated but was unsuccessful so she took a bold step. It was impulsive but it was something she felt had to be done before it was too late.

Arnav wants Anjali to recover but not at the cost of bringing back a man who made his life a living hell. It was a man who lusted for his wife, who deceived his sister and who most recently tried to kill him he had every right not to want Shyam his home and Khushi knew this. Arnav bared his soul to Khushi, something he has never done to anyone so when it was her who brought back the one man who inflicted so much pain to both of them it was a crushing blow

I feel both Arnav and Khushi though justified in their POVs should try and understand the other. Arnav should understand he cannot turn a blind eye to the fact Shyam is still Anjali's husband and given the tragedy she's endured she needs him now more than ever. He and the rest of the Raizadas need to accept fault in Shyam's return since they failed to snap Anjali into reality and instead chose to keep her drugged most of the time thinking this will pass now Shyam has Di wrapped around his finger

Khushi needs to understand that sometimes even with the best of intentions, there are consequences to one's actions. Khushi should understand why Arnav feels so betrayed given what he confided in her, she was wrong to think Arnav would be okay with this. Things are not that simple, not even for the one woman who has held the most importance in his life until now.

The scene with Shyam and ASR was powerful and intense, ASR would have seriously strangled the life out of Shyam but somehow found a way to compose himself but this war is far from over. Shyam has won the first round but ASR will not make things easy for him in the future. I love that like ASR his family is not easily fooled by Shyam's act, they see through him now if only Khushi could do the same and not be so naive.

So wedding preparations are resuming, sure didn't take Anjali long to be back to her perky self not that I am complaining much since I've had enough of her drama but it wouldn't have hurt to spend an episode focusing on her grief instead of manipulations. The damage is so bad that even when we see glimpses of the Di we once knew, it is not enough to redeem her. To be honest I am ready to see Anjali back to doing something for Arnav and Khushi, its time to give back instead of taking all the time especially for two people who have and continue to endure so much for her

Laut kar Budhoo Ghar ko aaye..
LATHER.RINSE.REPEAT. AND...we are back to square one!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have come out to play again. Plus it seems the "bad cop" was not so dearly missed so I am shamelessly planting my butt here, with a little dose of reality 😆
(the hangout goes: "lo aa gaye phir apnay gyan aur stupid theories ka pitara lay kar, Anjali kahin ki").. kiya karoon, I guess... yeh meri aadat hai.😉

It is well understood by now that the train destined for Shantivan, carrying Shyam Manohar Jha, was driven on the tracks of ASR's trust with Khushi as the driver, who had a self-pointed gun to her head called Di. The train has crashed into Shantivan, the tracks are damaged and the driver, badly wounded. What's done is done. There is no reasonable explanation for why Khushi had to be the one to do the dishonors. If the idea was to put a crack in ASR's trust, there are at least four different ways the makers could have accomplished it without directly tarnishing Khushi. Even if there is a big game plan for future which is founded on Khushi's decision, I failed to see it because from where I sit, this is nothing but satyanaash in the making. I am not that dense (I think) but maybe, the show is indeed way above my IQ level. If the idea was to get the jealous lover out of ASR, than other than that one minute of mumbling and pretended asphyxiation of Shyam, the makers missed the mark. If you need tips on writing a jealous lover, ask any girl or PM me, Pro Bono is my middle name. How many people actually got the idea that ASR reacted to Khushi because of Shyam being the one who came between them? Probably a very few. Majority saw the scene as ASR being hurt because Khushi betrayed him, Bas. If the actual reasoning was that important and was missed, what was the point? Bread crumbs, glimmer of hope, damage control, more oxygen for a show on life support, etc. Take your pick.
The sad reality is every character will take a fall if that's what keeps ASR intact. This should make the majority happy because the fandom is biased towards ASR and doesn't really give a hoot about anyone else. But for hopeless rationalists like me, who care for the story, and know ASR is nothing without Khushi, I think our days of enjoying the show are numbered.

Now that we have beaten a dead horse over Khushi's action, Mr. Hyde would like to take a stab at justifying both ASR and Khushi (*ducks chappals and tamatars*)

The only way I can justify their behavior is to essentially ignore the character growth that they had shown for both post kidnapping. We seem to have hit a reset on the characters.

Khushi is back to being herself, making decisions without thinking about the consequences and doing things for other people to justify her existence, her soul, her purpose in life. She is Khushi, she makes others happy, even if that means making the cat in RM happy which in turn makes ASR happy. She did this for Di because if Di isn't happy, how can ASR be? During kidnapping, her conversation with DM, she had said that she didn't care what ASR thought of her, she only wanted him back in the house. She had realized her love for him but for all she knew, the man could throw her out the minute he is back. Her nature, the core of her being, the selfless act of making that one man happy at any cost. She hid Shyam's truth from everyone because she didn't want to hurt anyone. She is doing the same now, not telling the complete truth about Shyam because she doesn't want to hurt ASR on Di's account. She is willing to bear his wrath but she can't see the man hurt should he ever find out his mother like Di has been betraying him all along. This is Khushi. The same Khushi we have seen from day 1 (minus post kidnapping) who sacrifices herself for others because that's how she breathes. So, one begs the question, if she is so hell bent on making ASR happy, why does it have the opposite effect? Because ASR has always told her it is his Di who matters the most! Khushi needs to know that today she hurt the husband in ASR more than the brother but how would she know that? Until something or someone makes her realize this, Khushi will always be DKL because in her mind, that is the ONLY way to make ASR happy.

ASR - the insecure, paranoid and tarnished man who finally found one person he thought he could trust, the one person in front of whom, he can lay his wounds bare and just be himself, his true self. It took him a long while (11/28/40/45 days to be exact) to get here but he is here now, at least he seems to think so. How could Khushi, the only one who knows how damaged ASR is, can do this? How can she betray his trust and make him question his decision? He put blind faith in her by kicking the man out of his Di's life, no questions asked. How can she bring the same man back in and question his judgement? How can she bruise his insecurities even more that somewhere maybe, just maybe he made a wrong decision? He is hurt because faraq padta hai, he has come a long way but yet he is still too far. He is madly in love with Khushi, but does he truly understand Khushi? Does he not see this girl has proven time after time that she lives and breathes for other people? She openly asked him, if Di isn't happy, how can you be so? Does ASR not know, she married him to save her sister's wedding? Does ASR not know that behind the selfless acts of this girl lie a deeper issue of no self-worth? Does ASR not know that this girl doesn't exist for herself? Does ASR not know that she is in love with him madly but the only way she knows to make him happy is through hi Di? Does ASR not remember that he has always told Khushi it is his Di who matters the most! No, ASR doesn't. He is still learning. Until something or someone makes him realize this, Khushi will always be DKL and ASR will repeatedly get hurt.

(From an execution standpoint, I think there was a missed opportunity here. If the idea was to bring out the jealous lover, a line to the affect of "Khushi tum kaisay bhool sakti ho us nay humaray saath kiya kia, tumharay saath kiya kia" would have clarified the stance a lot better. I think the deeper reasoning for his reaction could've made an impact here, he felt betrayed and hated Shyam but why? because of his ego, Di or Khushi? this was important.)

Now that Mr. Hyde had some fun with his delusions, time for Dr. Jekyll to bring everyone back to reality:

I look at things holistically so it is almost impossible for me to ignore the character growth that they had shown for these two, perhaps that is where I part ways with a daily soap. Khushi knows what Shyam is capable of, she has first hand witnessed it. She knows how her impulsive and emotional decisions in the past have taken a turn for the worse. She lives and breathes for other people, how can she let a man in who nearly killed her husband and betrayed her husband's most treasured Di? What happened to her promise to ASR, "I'll always be there when you need me"? She is not justified in her actions.
ASR knows his anger gets the best of him, even after her realized his love for Khushi, his harsh words almost drove her out of his life. Time and time again, he has witnessed how his words hurt Khushi. Did he not apologize for every single time? Did he not realize she left for his Di before the contract was over? He did. So how could he use the same tone with her and ask her to get out regardless of what she did? If he understands her well, why would he completely shut her out? He has every right to be angry, no doubt, but to compare her with everyone else who has betrayed him is just wrong. To demean her by putting her in queue with every other person in his life is unfathomable. This girl almost gave up her life for him. He is not justified in his actions.

The saving grace here was the night scene where they both realized that they have yet to learn so much about the other person. The impact of ASR's own words "Just Go" on him, thinking what if she goes away and the jilted disappointment in Khushi about being misunderstood once again - both have put them back to square one: "What The.." for him and "jalebi making" for her. DM hi jaanay how long this 360 will last but this might be the only hope for the show now. Both of them have their own set of beliefs and they both think they are right. To us audience, they both are right and wrong but that doesn't matter. What matters is for these two characters to stand their ground and fight for what they believe in and in the process learn the other's point of view. It is not a question of what is morally right here, but a matter of self-preservation and confidence in their own decision.

The less I talk about Anjali, the better. I am all in favor of resilience and moving on because that is one of life's harsh realities but I am not at all in favor of insensitivity especially when it is portrayed at such an exponential level. The character of Anjali is a cascading effect of satyanaash! from conception to execution, input to output, the character is one of the worst portrayals of a woman and of all the roles a woman goes through in her life. Nothing more should be said about it.

Sari great post! ⭐️

Helloo!!

Got a thumping headache, but still I watched the episode.. that's my dedication CVs. The turbo watch was just Arnav thrashing Shyam, I had to watch it in detail to write a post. sorry CVs I like the Spice Girls more!

You know, I liked today's episode, a tiny silver lining and progress to moving things the way they were. A small hint of deja vu today. Hopefully, we're all heading back to the good story and times.. even during the MU phase, the story was good and I enjoyed watching the episodes and I had that urge and feeling again today after I don't know how long!

Seriously, what the f**k Khushi? I didn't watch yesterday, or I'm pretty certain I would've skipped every scene but Arnav's today because whatever Anjali was smoking, Khushi seems to have taken a whiff of it! Not at all convincing. I get that she doesn't care about the injustice towards here and she has this complex and this constant need to please people to feel love and accepted, but still, she crossed a line.
I was justified with every word Arnav threw at her. He stopped, there's a lot more she should've been told, but yes Sari, he didn't want to hurt her more than he had.
Classic Khushi, its just as frustrating as it was back in Decemeber and how it always has been when she deals with Shyam. Like, seriously? Do you want Arnav to die or yourself to get raped to figure out just how f**king ridiculous Shyam is?! Babuji needs to get better! I say we start a "Babuji's Recovery Fund", because clearly something's wrong with the meds they're giving him!

I don't want Arnav to apologize because this time he's not wrong. But, he will, not for Anjali, but because of his love for Khushi. He wants her back in his life and his house as his wife.

Khushi standing up against Arnav and breaking his trust and all... Major Foreshadow. Tough times ahead, Khushi will stand up against Arnav again, for Garima and for her righteousness. And the CVs will redeem Khushi again.

I legit skipped all scenes with Anjali, operational words "With Anjali", I watched the ones with Shyam and I loved Mamiji's reaction when Daadi goes "at least one person is being grateful in this house", when everyone shows him the cold shoulder. Btw CVs for that reaction from the Guptas and Raizadas (which btw PLEASE KEEP LONG TERM), you get 👏!
But, the second Rajkumari.. dear God! If she does conceive again, that's a slap on every infertile individual, people who murder their own child brutally don't deserve second chances.

Maybe its because I haven't watched the episodes since Wednesday properly, but Barun looked good today.. I don't what it was, and with that new haircut coming, it feels just like old days again 😳 😃
But seriously, you're still mumbling dude, either I'm going deaf or you need to speak up a little!

To feel hopeful or not feel hopeful is the question?

Can we feel hopeful?

• because the focus is back on Arnav and Khushi (after all they did in fact have 8-10 min of screen space- Hallelujah!!)
• because ASR's characterization remained intact today.
• because he admitted that Khushi was the closest to him.
• because Rmwasis except for Dadi did not roll out the red carpet for Shyam. Khushi can apparently suffer selective amnesia but others do not.
• because there is a possibility that the focus is back on the tagline (when the past is revealed) and a tiny ray of hope of reverting to the shadow of the glory days?
  

We cannot feel hopeful!!

• because ASR was revived at the cost of Khushi and this will not be the end of it.
• because of the distasteful portrayal of a mother who forgets the tremendous loss she has suffered, as soon as her husband is by her side.
• because Payal and Akash continue to be mute spectators for a week - it is painful for us to watch such actors go waste without any lines when some of the screen space could have been easily shared with them.

Good Evening ladies,

I think it is time for me the close the chapter on Anjali and her sad story and move on. The entire loss of the baby was a contrived situation , a means to an end , to get Shyam back to RM . Poorly done , it has tarnished the show and Anjali forever. Whoever is to blame the writers, the actor , whoever - we now have a women so loved by her family to be extremely selfish and so far from reality that she almost seems unreal . Is this what Gul meant when she said Anjali is more damaged hence the reason why her brother protects her and her husband uses her ? As far as I am concerned , she has ruined her stand in the show and any future sermons or sacrifices she makes for her brother will fall on deaf ears for me. Like her husband her character cannot be salvaged or redeemed. Period. RIP women.

As the episode went , it was lackluster with Arnie , Barun the ONLY saving grace ( though he still cannot stop mumbling ) .

His fight with Khushi was so unlike the other ones he has had with her. This time he was hurt by her actions and very rightly so. There is no handbook on Rights and duties of a partner , but whatever the motivation or reason , a decision such as this should not have been taken by Khsuhi unilaterally. Her reasons were once again lame and her argument very meek . "If I had not taken this action Di would have died ? " " Di was happy because she had her pati with her ?" Arnav lashes out at her with arsenic words - You broke my trust. For a girl who shows such deep understanding of her husband's needs behaves so foolishly , it is hard to understand.

Khushi and Arnav love each other but have still a lot of hurdles to cross through and I do not mean the ones created by Shyam or anyone else. Though the trust and understanding has been growing both continue to operate under the shadow of "Di ke liye " Arnav needs to acknowledge and understand that Khushi's way of thinking continues to be "Aggar Di khush nahin hai to kya aap khush reh payyege ?" . He has never thought how Khushi will always put herself second to his precious sister. When will he openly acknowledge that it is Khushi who is his world and not his Di. And Khsuhi who has always lived a life as a second class citizens continues to feel the need to make others happy for them to accept her. She needs to hear from Arnav that she is his entire world and the most important person in his life. Only then will he two truly be partners.

Until then we will continue to see both hiding behind , now it is Di and tomorrow it will be his past . I see positive signs but for this to come true both need to free themselves from the weight of the world they carry on their shoulders. The onslaught on the two is relentless and I do not see any break in the coming days. Marriage or no marriage is of no consequence to me as they will be separated for one reason or the other and maybe I am still waiting for the Promo 4 to play out .

Have nothing to say about the Jha's and the kheer making. The writers seem to at loss of ideas so I guess we have another mehendi coming up . will chat about it more tomorrow…. Take care.