Originally posted by: mango.falooda
some thoughts on "Happy Endings Depend on Where the Story Ends", was in my mind especially in relation to the book synopsis kendra had shared. in the book, the happy ending is the couple breaking up and thus ending the cycle of abuse that goes from one generation to another.
I can see that kind of show on some other channel like sony or web but on sitara??? would sitara show a happy ending where the woman walks off alone into the sunset???? would audience accept that? or would it be considered sad ending?
If the show starts to get high TRPs and a lot of buzz, then I don't think Sitaara would agree with separating TiRv. They will want to keep the show on for as long as possible even if the characters have to get butchered for it.
I think the audience will accept the FL walking off into the sunset, especially if she has been horribly abused by the ML. At the point, they'll demand the separation themselves. I don't necessarily think it would be a sad ending just because the ship isn't together. At the end of the day, the audience wants to see hope and the truth triumphing over all else.
I have seen drama in many languages across Asia and what I find interesting is that there is a lot more grey reading on whether characters get redeemed. things aren't as black and white unlike western shows or books.
Agreed, and I believe this is largely because of how widely different our cultures are. In the West, the concept of individualism is deemed higher than ones that are steeped in society and community. For example, moving out of the house at the age of eighteen to pursue higher studies, or living on your own and only meeting family over the holidays is deemed normal. In the East on the other hand, kids live with their parents until the age of marriage (for women while men live with their parents and care for them their whole life). Hence, media in the East have a lot more layered nuances than the West could possibly imagine because everything isn't singular or in black and white. There are many dimensions that need to be considered.
sometimes, characters that I find absurd are given depth, back stories that make you wonder. there is always punishment in that they have to face the consequences of their actions but then there is a turning point and sometimes a hopeful note of reconciliation.
Facing consequences of their actions is steeped in India history. It is one's Karma that will dictate how they are going to be reborn and how tough their journey will be to attain Liberation.
the question that arises in my mind is at what point can a character be redeemed in a drama. if their anger comes out of substance abuse and they are given treatment, then do they deserve a chance at reconciliation? or is anger a trait that cannot be changed?
See, in dramas redemption is all dependent on what bad deed the character has done. If it is something horrific like rape or pedophilia, then it's a hard no from me. These are acts that cannot be reversed and the level of damage that has been done is not something that can be easily rectified. When it comes to murder, then more information is needed such as knowing what the circumstances were for such an act to be committed. For example, if it was a victim who murdered their rapist, or a parent killing the molestor of their child, I wouldn't deem them to be wrong and they don't need to redeem themselves.
if a character's violence comes out of unresolved trauma and the character addresses what is going on in their mind, is it possible to let go of the anger? or is it something that stays?
If one's anger is a symptom of an underlying deeper issue such as (like you mentioned) substance abuse, or even a trauma that they had undergone themselves, then it's the deeper issue that needs to be addressed. The anger is a byproduct of the deeper issues. Constantly treating the anger isn't going to be an effective solution. Hence, why in Garv's case, in order to not be so angry and aggressive his daddy issues need to be addressed. Furthermore, those who are under the influence of substance abuse, they need the most help as before they go onto to harm others, they are harming themsleves first because of the toxins they're pouring into their bodies.
if the family members forgive after a certain cooling period (that is well-written), can we see a true reunion? is the FL being a doormat even if she actively makes the choice to let go of the past and try and build something again?
For family members or the FL, it is ultimately their choice as to what they want to forgive. We as the audience have an outside perspective and hence get a better picture of what's going on in a holistic manner. The characters are only privy to the information they receive. If Person A is unaware of what Person B was doing alone, but we as the audience do, then we can't hold Person A responsible. They didn't have that information. How are they to know what Person B was actually thinking/doing unless somebody tells them.
Let's say that the ML cheated on the FL and the FL still chose to take them back. We can say that's wrong because that's what aligns with our values. In our opinion, the FL should not take the ML back because of xyz reason. But we should always remember that our opinion is not the same as the FL's.
Moreover, there are many women (in real life) who have forgiven their husbands even after they were caught cheating. For whatever reason, they still chose to be with them. Would it be right to judge them and consider them weak? Because I don't see it necessarily as a sign of weakness. To me, it shows an incredibly amount of strength to be with someone who is not loyal to you and will never love you the way you love them.
what is the level of anger that is forgivable and redeemable? and what is not? sometimes characters are given a clean chit because they happen to be super handsome but in others, there is a really good character graph and journey that happens.
Most levels of anger are redeemable until it crosses the line of domestic violence, murder and rape. For DV, the best redemption is for the abuser to stay away from the person that they abused and learn how to be a better person. For murder and rape, there is no redemption. They are irreversible acts.
Beauty privileges is something that as society we need to demolish. Just because someone's hot and sexy doesn't mean they can get away with anything. If there's an actual journey of redemption, then sure it can be accepted. But if there was no effort then to me, it's disgusting and says a lot about the minds of the people who wrote out these characters.
what will we see in this drama especially given the promo that was posted in social media thread? what do folks think? is garv's anger a personality trait or something that can be changed? if a person lets go of their anger, do they deserve a second chance? or is reconciliation not possible under some circumstances and the best solution for all is to separate?
Garv's anger is not a personality trait. If it was, we would have seen him be angry every time he showed up on screen. But we have seen softer and calmer sides of him with many diffferent characters. In situations, where one would expect him to get mad, he didn't. He instead remained calm and was actually civil. His anger is largely triggered by his dad (and now Titli) as they consistently rebel against doing what he wants.
If he physically hits Titli, and I don't mean just a simple shove or a slap, but like goes on to fully beat her up, then he can't be with her. Ever. But if he slaps her once and that's more than enough for him to wake the fkc up and realize what an a-hole he's being, and it prompts him to actually start changing his behavior, then yeahh, I can forgive him. But again, that's all dependent on how well they write his journey of evolution. Him going to therapy once, and apologizing to Titli is not enough. He needs to work through all his issues and start apologizing to everyone he has wronged because of his anger.