A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
Winston Churchill
Martin Luther King, Jr
Abraham Lincoln
Arthur Schopenhauer
C.S.Lewis
The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
Oscar Wilde
The episode...
I am dividing the write up into three sections...
Astha and Shloke (with a bit of Anjali thrown in)- The episode started with Astha and Shloke near the car getting ready for the trip. When the episode started, the scene was hazy on the screen and later on the scene became clear and the characters became distinct or were brought in focus. Anjali arrives and gives the phone to Chipkali and tells her that her father is on the phone and also enquired whether she has not spoken to him. After Chikali leaves with the phone Astha tells Anjali that Aditi told her that she was speaking to her father. Anjali it seems is protecting Astha from the wrath of Neeranjan and as a result gives a shouting to Astha regarding keeping her mouth shut and not giving her opinion when it is not needed. She was indirectly telling Astha to listen and not talk much. Astha becomes quiet but she is not relaxed with Aditi around...her wariness was clear when she initially sat in the passenger section of the car but when Aditi arrived she told Aditi to sit there and went and sat next to Shloke. Meanwhile Shloke is least interested in either what Anjali was telling Astha or that Aditi's father has called. So he got irritated with all the delay happening and he took out his irritation on the one with whom he is most close to, i.e. Astha and sarcastically told her to hurry her.
Later on in the car babybear and his honeypot had their usual fight regarding what they are going to listen on the cars radio . I think baby bear fought so that honeypot's attention falls on him ...he does not like Aditi being around and diverting honeypots attention . Anyway Astha decides to recite some couplets and she chose pretty interesting ones and both were about her emotions concerning baby bear and the situation that they are in. The only difference was that she used humour for the first one and that in the second one she was serious. The second one also had a question for baby bear which resulted in his discomfort. Both the couplets were presented to baby bear by honeypot. The first one was about an old man telling his elderly wife that the fire in you has been dimmed, but I am still trying to rekindle it. Isn't this what honeypot is doing to baby bear? Baby bear gets very irritated and stops the car to warn his honeypot that if she continues with nonsense then she will have to get out of the car. If she wants to continue the journey then she has to keep quite. Honeypot not to be shut up pleads her case (she sounded very cute here) and tells another couplet...that you are the one who took me on this love ride, now don't look away when I am sinking. Baby bear got the message and he did not like what Astha just told him. He did not kick her out of the car and just drove away. Isn't this also what Astha is doing...Astha wants to bring Shloke out of his issues and she knows that by doing this she might destroy herself (her sinking). Since he is the one who forced his way in then why does he not want to see what she is doing to herself? Why does he get irritated and run away? It is he who started it...not her. Anyway then Aditi requests the permission for reciting one couplet which both baby bear and his honeypot had no interest in listening too...hers was destruction in the path of love and the person has been destroyed so much that her or his life is not worth anything. It was about paper that has been left moist in such a way that it cannot be used for lighting fire or for writing...someone's life has been left in limbo. She times it perfectly so that baby bear is not influenced by what honeypot told him and will be reminded of his past (he was in a state of limbo) but what she told did not make that much impression on baby bear. He was looking a bit uncomfortable but not agitated. Infact he was looking more agitated when Astha recited her couplet...he has moved from his past to honeypot. Anyway honeypot passes a general comment that looks like someone's heart has been broken and that maybe Aditi has faced heartbreak. Baby bear is now irritated with all the truths that he has to face and he sarcastically comments that honeypot is the one who has a PhD in heartbreak and that she is the only one who knows about love and heart and that Aditi should take training from honeypot. Baby bear is angry that he is not being allowed to wallow in self-pity and to crawl back into his whole and this was him lashing back at Astha and belittling her. Asditi also joins baby bear. It is interesting that both baby bear and Aditi are busy making fun of Astha but she is the only one who is not harming anyone...the only person she is harming is herself. Whereas both baby bear and Aditi are harming innocent people for their own issues...I am also wondering whether baby bear is feeling guilty and hence he is lashing back. Aditi asks honeypot whether anyone has broken her heart and baby bear and honeypot look at each other.
Later on they go to a roadside restaurant to eat something and again this scene started with a blur effect...honeypot and Aditi were eating from the same plate while baby bear was sitting separately. Honeypot wanted baby bear's attention... First she tried by asking him to take a photograph of hers with Aditi. The Aditi started coughing and baby bear patted her back and gave her water. He did that out of courtesy sake but honeypot got angry and after Aditi left for a washroom visit, honeypot started eating chillies. Baby bear warned her but she continued and then started coughing and asked baby bear to give her some water. Baby bear realised why honeypot did all this and he becomes mighty pleased. ... it was her test regarding what baby bear feels for Aditi. After giving her water he shakes his head in exasperation and looks at honeypot. Honeypot can get childish sometimes and she does have a penchant to overdramatize stuff...which baby bear also does. Anyway later on honeypot falls asleep in the car and Aditi request for a halt because she wants to drink tea. Baby bear does stop the car, but when Aditi asks him whether she should wake up honeypot to drink some tea he shows his care for honeypot by telling Aditi not to disturb honeypot.
Neeranjan and Anjali...Neeranjan's fear of Astha?
Neeranjan tells Anjali to inform Astha regarding keeping good care of Aditi. Anjali fulfils his demand by calling Astha and passing on the message in her gruff way and told her not to get too involved while she has fun and to not ignore Aditi. Anjali informed Neeranjan that she has passed on the message. Neerajan realised that Astha has got a scolding from Anjali and he gets angry with Anjali for not handling it in the right way...according to him Anjali should not have been angry and should have used a much softer tone on Astha because if she is always angry with Astha then Astha might not do what she is being told to do. In another word he is worried that Astha might rebel and do the opposite. So he does not want Astha to spend time with Shloke, when he is not under Neeranjan's influence? He is ok with emotionally manipulating Astha so that she gets emotionally tangled with Shloke (his issues coming out and Astha getting more tangled with Shloke) but he is not happy if Shloke gets close to Astha and that will happen if both Shloke and Astha spend time together outside the Agnithori mansion...or not being under Neernajan's supervision because that is when Shloke lets his guard down. That's what happened during the jungle track...at the end of that track je was getting softer towards Astha. The reason why Neeranjun sent Aditi was more to do with Shloke not getting to much influenced by Astha and to use Aditi to divert Astha. It looks like Neeranjan is worried about Astha and he knows that she has a mind of her own and she can put her foot down when she is pushed too much. On the other hand Anjali is maintaining her distance from Astha and pushing her...to what rebel? Now I am wondering whether Astha's behaviour in the roadside dhaba was also a part of that. I mean she told Anjali her doubts about Aditi and she is not being believed...then Shloke is making fun of her...so she had a mini tantrum of her own and Shloke became happy that Astha can throw tantrums to get his attention. So what Neernajan feared might already be happening.
Then Neeranjan's trademark manipulation music starts playing ...and he continues that Astha and Shloke should come closer and that there are few days left for the divorce hearing. He continues with his normal blah blah that he wants Astha to remain as the DIL of this family and that the importance of marriage is sacrosanct and that he wants his values in his children. So all this is balderdash? So all this is to manipulate Anjali so that she keeps Astha in control?
Miscellaneous part
Jyoti's section was a complete farce. The driver knows that she is being kidnapped but he won't tell Agnihotri's. Why? Won't he get more money from them than Abhay? Aren't the Agnihotri's more powerful? Then Jyoti is running, screaming on the road and no one can see all that? Does Sulbhatai know some magic that makes Jyoti disappear in front of people?
Cricket
Jodha Akbar
