Ivy's analysis 11th October episode

Episode Analysis 11th October 13 SC by Ivy

After eons in SC history something that worked right from the beginning to the end. Team SC... I know it's been too long but *standin'-frickin'-ovation* to all for a job well done! 👏 👏

Disclaimer: This is purely 'Ivy'. Aaj issi episode ke liye jiyenge. Not that it'll break any standards that SLB's SC has set but within adjusted expectations and diminished hopes, SO's SC touched the bar and was just good enough to leave one 'affected' again 😳

To start, everyone must be raving about the sunflower/laddoo Saras all decked in yellow, but for me, Pramad's costume stood out - because it was a similar if not the self-same one from the title-card and also because the 'white' of the kurta and pants was overpowered by the 'black' of the jacket. Wolf dressed in sheep's clothing, but with the unmistakeable hide of the wolf, still. Clever 😉

The near miss of Saras-Kumud at the start... The only thing that can 'distract' Kumud Dharmadhikari's "ehsaas" is the brute force of Pramad - this was exemplified by the way P physically 'distracted' K with pain by holding her hand so that in her 'dormant state' she does not 'feel' Saras. This must be a first for me but I 'liked' Kumud's consistency from wednesday's epi to today - she is still clutching to her 'win' and now that Saras is no longer in her line of sight, she feels she will have it easy in "moving on" (the Empress enjoying her spoils) but added to that, unbeknowst to her, she is clutching something else - the physical manifestation of which is the white odhini. Another very clever marker, put to inventive use - especially liked the way it was established earlier (the seeds for the odhini were sown from Wed's epi, actually) showing forethought on the part of CV's. Bravo.

Saras-BD-SD-Alak confrontation: BD's 'anger' towards Saras I can understand, his 'trust' which was 'immense' on Navin has been shattered and he will be wary, hurt... And at the same time, this 'hurt' will lead him to strike out at Navin, by 'disowning' Saras and 'embracing' Pramad which is what he has done. Plus he is a politician for whom image and reputation is always foremost, at the expense of frickin' everything. In this matter, he also has SD whispering sweet nothings into his ear regarding P and poison regarding Saras. So BD will be malleable and prone to manipulation because he feels personally betrayed and also because he won't let his dirty laundry be aired at any cost.

Also, the placement is implicit but nevertheless note it, the way the characters are placed - the four (S in front, BD at S' right, SD at S' left and Alak behind her parents but placed right opposite to Saras) - they make up a 'diamond' shape. Only Saras and Alak have a direct eyeline match but while Alak keeps a steady gaze on him, Saras never returns it. This aligns Alak with Saras, she is contemplating and evaluating him as he tries to make her parents see reason and the truth. Interesting also that the camera only pulls back to reveal the 'diamond' the instant it dismantles - right first, then left... Until it becomes a momentary two-shot then as Saras' turns without even appealing to Alak, her conviction is sealed. She can recognise good and 'on-the-level' when she sees it. Alak has proved herself time and again to be an astute judge of character (her dislike of Pramad, her manipulation of Kumud, her incisive examinations of Navin) and today she proves it yet again, by verbalizing her mistrust of Pramad's facade, by exposing her genuine concern for Kumud and by announcing herself as a Saras ally, if for the moment.

Liked the parallel shown when Alak comes to tell Saras about Pramad's plans... Compare this to Saras and Kumud parting at VC haveli gates. Again, the gate and the car are used - but this time flipped. Again, the motif of Good Angel/Samaritan is employed (which is fitting because Alak is indeed Saras' Good Angel/Samaritan). However, the whole placement is flipped. Saras is inside the gates, which are closed, the car (his means of getting to Kumud) is outside of gates and unavailable to him. While inside of the gate, Saras is on the 'right' here, honest intentions and all but he is trapped. Alak comes and makes available the keys to the car which will take him to Kumud. Once outside of gates, Alak symbolically becomes placed on Saras' right (his Good Angel)... Note how when she vindicates his suspicions Saras hails the Lord? Alak came all decked up in wings and with a golden halo placed on her head today. Here's hoping that going further, the CV's don't smite a lightning bolt through it all. A huge Mickey Mouse hug to Alak today, thus for literally and figuratively opening up the gates of BD mansion for Saras to get to Kumud and for helping accelerate Saras and Kumud's journey back to one another 🤗

Today also left me curious - again Pramad's mis-deed's which led to Alak being 'sacrificed' was made mention of. But left at that. What is 'Pramad ka julm', I'm intrigued now... And Alak also gave a big hint as to how BD and SD are going to behave in future... For them, history is going to repeat and solely to save Pramad's hide, they will again set out to sacrifice someone but who? Kumud or Saras? Lots of telling words dropped by Alak today - (Pramad ki) azaadi, majboor, julm, bali and the most truest line spoken 'bas bete ke pyaar mein andhe hai woh'... Reading the spoilers, all these words are gonna be fitted somehow next or the week after that in the narrative. Liking the forethought here.

Great use of a very crisp lap dissolve to depict the urgency of the situation brought about by use of that one line 'kya farak pade agar woh Kumud ko zinda rakhe ya maar de'... At that point, Saras' eyes smoldered like the coals he had made himself 'cross' to fortify his resolve. There is no frame wasted showing Saras 'crossing' the gates, because for him, the 'key' and Alak's information, support were what mattered. Plus that line she uttered... Beyond that, the gate and any other barrier is rendered insignificant for Saras in his path to Kumud... That includes Kalika as well. Both Pramad and Kalika were used as 'distractors' today but whilst Pramad succeeded by force, Kalika failed in front of Saras' determination and mantra - question everything, operate on instinct. Note when Kalika first appears in front of the car, the bg music gives it away plus she is also placed on Saras' left - behold the Bad Angel come to lead S astray. Or so she hopes. But Saras takes the initiative - comandeers the situation, lets Kalika make her play with the false address, but then dominates the game by taking her along as surety. Props to Kalika because her explanation had the unmistakeable ring of truth to it, but even bigger props to Saras for sussing out the underlying untruth.

Kumud and Pramad - My Gawd, that door is so reminiscent of the Om Shanti Om burning scene - complete giveaway as to Pramad's inspired methods. But then follows another brilliant use of symbolism and parallelism that works far deeper than the episode or two episodes and permeates into the larger fabric of SC. On Wed, Saras walked on burning coals to recieve the divine sign that his reservations about Pramad were correct. Kumud for her part, walks on rose petals to confront the moment where finally all her illusions about Pramad will be razed to the ground. Why does she get to walk 'roses' but? Because Saras already walked on the coals for her. Saras has absorbed into his being the latent fire from the coals which is now propelling him in his misson and he has left it for Kumud to experience the softness of the rose petals underneath her feet while she clutches the white odhini. Taking a larger optic, this is indicative of the Saras-Kumud equation post-marriage as well - he has always saved her, protected her within hadd, while showing absolute haqq. Come hell or high water, Saras will always choose the coals for himself and leave the roses for Kumud to cross. That defines his love, where he himself will always come second to Kumud's most trivial of joys. Kumud too exemplifies hadd and haqq in this scene... Hadd where she has come to 'test' her win, after banishing Saras from her marital life and Haqq where she still carries his last to her, a memento of the time when only he and he was in her heart, mind, and life - the white odhini. Let us now turn to that itself...

Today's epi answered two of my questions, one from Wed's epi and the second I had from reading Thurs WU. After Wed, I wondered what was the significance of Saras' last line spoken with such resolve and promise, almost as though it were a re-iteration - "Saraswatichandra ko wapas aana hi hoga'? And after Thurs epi, I thought why did Kumud take that white odhini with her, what was the specific significance of remembering that flashback where Saras promises to her effectively ke main wapas zaroor aaonga? I watched that bit from Thursday only and it is interesting that Kumud never takes that odhini by volition, she clutches it sub-consciously as an anchor to her tumultuous thoughts which were never adequately depicted. Even today, Kumud is never shown 'acknowledging' the odhini yet she clutches it for dear life, right through. That odhini is Saras himself - it stands for his promise, his resolve, it announces to the viewer that Saras' aayega, Kumud ko bachane. The manner in which the odhini got 'taken' Pramad had a huge hand in it, he literally dragged Kumud from the room, compelling her to hold onto the odhini, thus sealing the failure of his murderous plan. So for me, at least, the odhini does not indicate Pramad's death but Saras' return - fully redeemed in the eyes of Kumud, and hopefully of the Desai's too. Now one part of Saras' earlier promise has been completed... Main wapas aaonga. The second part, the 'rang' I foolishly hope is not too far behind 😳

Note: Witness the 'rang' all around Kumud, the Suhag Raat room is almost indecently drenched with it, yet the only thing Kumud derives solace and 'stability' from in that sequence is the kora dupatta. The white of the odhini also symbolises that these 'colors' of the marital room, Pramad's rang is not Kumud's rang. Her rang is only Saras', colors brought by him are the only which she will accept in her life and right now, that rang is white (pure, like Saras' essence). And because Saras' promise is yet to be completed - in entirety.

Curious mention: I've never seen Jennifer being made the recipient of so many long and medium shots as she was made in today's epi... All to highlight the 'clutching of the odhini' which the character (Kumud) is never entirely aware of, but the Viewer sees and starts to think along those lines... Why a prop which has loaded significance but is used as a 'dismiss' in the narrative? Answer: Because it is too loaded to be ever employed outright, especially in the current circs. On the overt level, it symbolises Pramad's death/Kumud's widowhood, but what half-underlies it is the promise of Saras' return. Today, the 'half-implicit' was used.

A special mention: Candles. What is prevalent in the room? Flames, with the innate potential to get out of control. This is a manifestation of Pramad's psychological mise-en-scene. Hark back to the promo. Flames encased in glass. Glass breaks, glass pierces, glass hurts. Glass out of the way, fire razes, fire consumes, fire burns.

As mentioned before, the pretty glass was all just for show (romance for Kumud's benefit)... Think of that promo's prop (flames encased in glass) as a microcosm of this room. This is an instance of a symbolic prop being made 'literal' realised and magnified. The glass is this prettily-decked Suhag Raat room, which when Kumud is asked to 'participate' in will break. She will realise she is unable to let Pramad come near her, that she is unable to fully move on and accept him in the marital bed. Ergo, the glass shattered when Pramad comes near to Kumud, the glass pierced when Kumud is hit with that realisation of 'not-yet-ready' then 'unable' and finally 'unwilling to'... And the glass hurt when Pramad showed Kumud his true face and shattered all her illusions about him finally changing. The glass hurt when she realised the truth of Saras' words, the glass frickin' hurt as she realised this was her come-uppance for not believing, for not trusting Saras, for choosing Pramad, and by then she is surrounded by fire, because the glass had been done away with, the mirror has been broken and can no longer reflect Kumud and Pramad. Kumud's 'win' has not only been negated, it has been eaten alive by the flames. The mirror shows Kumud, herself only 'clutching' her only hope (the white odhini), the promise of her saviour. The barrier of the facade (her marriage, pretty glass) that Kumud was pinning her hopes on, has melted in the violent inferno and illuminated the chiaroscuro (showing to Kumud, Pramad, and to Saras even before that, Kalika) and now only the flames are all around to subsume and consume.

Special Mention: That mere glass of 'water' pitted against all the flames in the room. Ironic that the water falls on Kumud when it is unneeded. Pramad brings the 'water' and Pramad takes it away. Definitely a mocking gesture to her plight. But Kumud does not need water to extinguish flames. Saras' love and presence, him there and him as shield is enough for her to walk out 'unscathed'.

Again Special Mention: Saras wearing yellow. His 'yellow' is the yellow of golden, majestic flame, the yellow of a blazing sun, the emblazoned yellow of a phoenix risen and soaring. Saras was dressed to combat the flames today - as an equal and also as the antidote to the poison of the fire. On a more prosaic level, his yellow was also the yellow of the fire-trucks... But he did not bring water. Paani toh Pramad bhi leke aaya tha. Saras brought his love (his essence) to show the flames and the Master of the flames (Pramad) their aukaad.

Another Specially Special Mention: The flames licking at and scorching ONLY that hand of Kumud which she had raised on Saras because of Pramad. Fitting, ki woh ek aanch Kumud ko mehsoos karni hi padi. Poetic justice in action.

Again, bringing back my phoenix imagery from the glory SC days... A baptism by fire has made them anew, they have walked (Saras carrying Kumud) out of a room which will be razed to ashes. On a symbolic level, their too equation has risen out of ashes (slap and MU drama)... The strongest steel goes through the hottest fire, but Saras has walked on coals, he has leapt headlong into flames... he has braved those leaping fires to walk out again, his promise made 'half-good' on. Saras has walked out fully redeemed, his love fortified even more 'harshly'... Kumud has been carried out, with her 'mirror' broken, her spirit shaken, but her 'ehsaas' fully re-awakened... Ergo, two phoenixes in evidence today, one definitely more stronger, but the other from here on, with a lot to prove. Especially to herself, before she can face the mirror again. An old mirror (Saras' eyes) and an old/new Kumud who has evolved from her experiences/lessons learnt. Saras' love, for its part, has always remained steadfast, constant, consistent, unflinching so it is only in his eyes Kumud will finally see herself 'home'.

The Hero of the Epi: SARASWATICHANDRA - in more ways than one. A lover not a fighter. A lover who lives for his love, will fight for his love, will take a million hits for her sake. A lover, not a deserter. A flawed human being, not an unreal Mills & Boons 'hero' - a man who is ordinary on the outside but its the things inside of him, his demons & his mastery of them, his sometimes succumbing to them, him with all his faults, weaknesses but him holding on to, at the cost of even himself, the most purest thing about him - his love for her - which make him frickin' great!

GR and Jennifer: One sequence of your 're-defined magic' garnished with the ever evocative notes of the incomparable Kuch Na Kahe and that mind-blowing mise-en-scene of deviously majestic flames surrounding everthing pure and good. Destructive flames that, even at their very best attempt to do their worst, could only 'illuminate' Saras-Kumud but could not 'touch' them. For the fire that burns inside them is a million times more magnificent... More intense and more uncontrollable. Hence, Gautam Rode & Jennifer Winget, thank you for coming back *standing-frickin'-ovation* 👏 👏 👏

Final Thoughts: Into that rich and royal pool of Red, was once dropped an unfamiliar, crude Black. The evil Black spread... Until the Red was pushed to the sides (Hadd), but the Black could not, and the Red would not desert the cauldron (Haqq). Today, the Black experienced pure rebel, and also the ever-present White has explicitly re-joined the Red, White being a neutral color and definitely malleable. The bottom line is, the cauldron is awaiting some more colors. And the story is pinning its hopes on the fulfillment of a promise made to a girl, by a boy, a long ago. A promise that only a Man can make good on. A promise that hinges again, on colors.