I'm not going to comment on the episode because you've said everything I wanted to. But I do want to look at the last few moments when Sudha enters and the precap.
As I said a few days back, Sudha is most likely going to be the grahan on Durga Puja and there we have it. Everyone is celebrating, for the first time Lal Mahal has come together, and now enters Sudha brought by none other than the same person who had brought Lal Mahal together in the first place.
What I found interesting and something you also commented on was the significance of white here. White is the colour of peace, purity, innocence, serenity. All these words have nothing to do with Sudha and as if to exaggerate that point, the red gulaal covers her, paints her, clouds her, and soaks her. Because that's what she really wants. Lal Mahal, blood, revenge, the colour red.
While dramatic as hell and quite Indian soapish, her entry also reflects who and what she is. She's here to cause drama. She's here to bring out the Lal in LM. She's here to separate and divide. She's here for her rights and revenge (as she sees them). And so she needs that dramatic entry. That shrouded entry. That red carpet treatment. That surprise element.
It'll be interesting to see how the show shapes up now. Because within 3 months they've not only established the characters and their relationships, but they've also left enough mystery for it to uncover slowly and turn tables quickly. But they may need to move faster because I don't see SP holding back too much longer if the TRPs remain low.