13/6 Dragon Club: A path to Recovery

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Lovely episode today - it was all about the way Aarti had to conquer everybody's opinion and support, one by one, for her plan for Palak's birthday. I thought it was great that Aarti went about this in the correct order and sequence. It was clear that she had no formal strategy, and she was rather playing it by ear as she spoke to each person in turn. But Aarti was like a woman on a mission, and as long as she was pure of intention, and wanted wholeheartedly to do what was good for everybody, she was bound to succeed.

I loved the many little conversations that Aarti had with each key member of the family. In each conversation there was the initial negative response of the person concerned. Aarti first attempted two or three different arguments to try and convince the person, but found no progress. But eventually she struck it rich when she played a different "trump card" in each case, and her persistence paid off.

She was never aggressive nor overly forceful in her appeals. She used soft persuasion, she was sincere in thought and voice, and came across as very genuine. I think she managed to convert the whole issue from "Palak's Birthday Party " into "A Chance To Give Palak a Mother as a Gift for Her Birthday". That angle of appeal deserves a gold medal.

Here are my top three conversations of Aarti today and how she "conquered" minds and hearts:

Aarti's talks with Yash (she pulls out the "Arpita" card)

As Aarti worked her dialogues with Yash, broaching the subject of Palak's birthday party, I literally saw Yash going from a "frozen-heart" to a "hopeful-thaw". Aarti was superb with Yash. She first tried to use the argument that the whole Punar Vivah was because they wanted their children to have the parents they had lost. But that argument did not quite penetrate Yash's armour of doubts and reluctance. Then she said "You have brought me back to this house on a three-month deadline. I need to make that work", but he was yet unmoved. Then she said "You did what you thought best for Ansh, can't I do the same for Palak", and yet there was no success. Then Aarti used the trump card "Arpita". She said "Would Arpita want her child to grieve forever and never ever celebrate birthdays?". That worked like magic. Yash relented with a sigh that sounded like relief. Maybe heart of hearts he too wanted Palak to celebrate her birthday but he did not know how to unlock his own heart. Aarti seemed to have given him the "Arpita" key as a "justification" that he so badly needed to say Yes.

Aarti's talks with Gayatri (she unleashes the "Yash" card)

It was easy for Aarti to convince Paridi and Vidhi that the birthday party was on, and to co-opt them to help her with her plans. But Gayatri looked initially like a tough nut to crack. Aarti first tried to tell Gayatri that she knew she was on a three-month probation and she wanted to show success. When that logic did not cut much ice, she then tried her "Mujh pe bharosa rakhiye" pleading which still achieved no change in Gayatri. Aarti then tried the emotional appeal: "You surely don't want your grandchild to be in sorrow forever?" but Gayatri remained unmoved. Aarti then used her ace: "I have already got Yash's concurrence". That clicked. Gayatri gave in, but in her usual style (with a few dhamkis). Gayatri needed Yash's acceptance as her gauge to know if she should also allow the party to go ahead. Gayatri by herself seems not to have an opinion of her own and appears to need validation from either her husband or Yash. Yash's agreement seemed to strip Gayatri of all counter-arguments.

Aarti's talks with Shobha (she employs the "khushi" card)

I thought it was a very nice touch that the Creatives made Aarti telephone Shobha to also share the birthday party plans with her. That scene showed how Aarti needed a sounding board and Shobha was her natural choice. Shobha too did her bit - as a friendly "devil's advocate". Aarti used first her argument of "I want to be Arpita for Palak and Payal" but Shobha kept cautioning her against using this approach. Aarti then tried to tell Shobha "You know how badly I want to be a mother for Palak and Payal" but that also did not move Shobha along as she expected. Aarti then tod Shobha "Please for my sake say it's a good plan and bless me", but that did not work out either. Aarti eventually pulled out the "khushi" word. She told Shobha "I need your blessings to live this life of khushi in this marriage that you have always wanted me to have". That worked, because Shobha's has always been focused on Aarti having the "khushi-bhari-zindagi" in her Punar Vivah that she was denied in her first marriage.

Of course Aarti also had a sweet conversation with Pratik, but then he needed no persuasion at all anyway. He seems to be the self-appointed Master of Ceremonies.

What I am waiting for, with bated breath is Aarti's conversation tomorrow with Palak. The precap is tantalizing. Even Yash is astounded that Aarti and Palak have bonded at lightning speed to become conspirators keeping their agreed birthday plans a secret! Some spoilers said that Aarti would promise Palak to come dressed as Arpita. But is that all, I wonder? There must be some bigger better plan afoot, if the Mittals stay true to form.

I am as usual riddled with curiosity!

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This is why I love this show!

They really do legitimise all the serious discussions we have about it by treating the issues with equal sensitivity and dealing with them in such a precise and methodic way that all our discussions make perfect sense eventually. Never on this show have I wondered, do the CVs even think as deeply as I do about these issues? They do and it is clearer with each episode, whether it be an issue of child psychology, grief or the complicated process of moving on, this is indeed a well-researched and beautifully presented piece of work. The strength of the Mittals seems to be the simple concept with heavy concentration on character development moving the story forward and I have to take this moment to commend their vision!

I would also like to acknowledge that I cribbed to no end that there was not enough focus on Yash and his daughters and I am happy to say that the way the track is going now is wonderful and satisfying. Good CVs!

And now to the episode, and what an episode it was. Top to bottom beautiful!

I think the undoubted highlight of the episode was the talk that Aarti had with Yash. She was gently relentless and single minded in her mission and in the end Yash could not help but agree with her because she made too much sense. I realise now that perhaps we were a bit harsh on Yash from yesterday's episode, presuming that he had a more active hand in Palak's refusal to celebrate her birthday. But I think we underestimated Palak and overestimated Yash, because that is one tenacious little girl who is so stubborn that she has in fact made her own birthday a taboo for the rest of the family, including Yash.

I loved that the altercation took place on the balcony, the same place where Yash told Aarti that she was being too over protective and possessive of Ansh and told her to trust him because he wanted only what was best for Ansh. And today, Aarti verbalises that memory which took place in this very spot and asks for Yash's trust in return. I also love that unlike Yash, Aarti is doing this right. She doesn't go ahead and then demand trust in her decision but she asks him, pleads with him and makes him understand why this is important: to see Palak happy is something he and Arpita both want. More importantly, she asks for his help and is humble enough to admit that she cannot possibly make this work without him. The fact that her approach contrasts so heavily with Yash's own made me feel the CVs were indeed setting her up for success in her project.

But what was most poignant to me was Yash's pain when he talks about Palak not wanting to celebrate her birthday, despite him not stopping her. I think somewhere in him there is guilt, that he couldn't erase the pain for her, from the memory of this day. He hears Aarti saying that they should celebrate Palak's birthday so she knows how special she is, so she knows how much they love her. He wants her to feel all those things and yet he does not know how to tide her over and be a balm to her pain because he himself is grieving so deeply. At first he firmly refuses Aarti on celebrating Palak's birthday, but as she introduces Arpita to the argument he glances over at her photograph and immediately knows how right Aarti is. And yet, there is a deep respect for Palak's feelings. Only with her approval can this birthday happen.

Similarly poignant was Aarti's plea to Gayatri. It is clear from Gayatri's words that Palak is a fragile creature in their eyes. They almost lost her after losing Arpita, from what Vidhi said, and they barely pulled her back so while they all do regret that she isn't a happy child, they are also relieved, probably every time they look at her, that she is alive, healthy and functioning fairly normally. I loved that line of Gayatri's, even if you don't make Palak smile, you better not make her cry! And even more than that I loved Aarti's expression after Gayatri had given her permission. She wasn't smug or triumphant but looked positively terrified, which I thought again spoke of her humility.

The only conversation that did not bode well for Aarti was her one with Shobha. I did love that in all this talk of mothers, she remembered her own and called her immediately. But Shobha was in a lucid mood today and so offered good advice that was misplaced with relation to her previous lessons about Prashant being dead. It was Shobha who indirectly encouraged Aarti to shed her identity and now she is panicking when Aarti goes to far. I am liking that it looks like this whole identity thing is going to come a full circle from both directions with Aarti realising she can't be Arpita and that as Aarti she cannot deny her past. But the conch blew after Shobha's prayer which translates from serial speak to "Aarti has been blessed and will succeed in the end."

One of the things I love most about the AarYa relationship, even as it stands but also in potential, is how well the complement each other. Aarti is full of love, enthusiasm and works on the spur of the moment while Yash is a deliberate long-term thinker who refuses to let go of the bottom line. The bottom line today was that Palak needed to approve of the party before anything was planned and Aarti had defied that. His irritation was clear and I was so proud of the way he stood up for his daughter's feelings. This was not something to be taken lightly in his eyes, and he has had the habit from the beginning of mistaking Aarti's enthusiasm for flakiness (which Gayatri verbalises constantly) and she still hasn't really had a chance to prove herself, prove the depth of her love and understanding. Aarti on the other hand, has the habit of getting carried away in her excitement, but when push comes to shove, she is ready for the scary, serious stuff too as she showed today.

Poor Palak is so confused and shaken by the entrance of Aarti and all she wants to do is continue living the way she did before Aarti came. Sound familiar? Yeah, like papa like beti! And so she ignores Aarti completely and comes in with a drawing of her perfect family. I am happy to know that Yash still continues the tradition of writing Arpita letters and I realise that this grief indeed is what joins them firmly together. He has kept Arpita accessible and alive to Palak who writes her these letters and imagines her happy when she sees them. And yet, Yash does not provide satisfactory reactions to the drawing or Palak's feelings and looking at her with his eyes full of tenderness is touching to Aarti and us but maybe not so clear to Palak. Nonetheless, she hands her visual plea over to Yash and happily trots away, feeling connected to her mother.

And then chimes in her worst nightmare, Aarti, Aarti who takes away Palak's tiny moment of connection and replaces it with a reminder that her mother is gone. And Palak runs to her father, begging him to explain the status quo to Aarti and establish her as an outsider, something which Yash refuses to do by reprimanding her for calling Aarti sautheli. And so Palak reveals her pain completely. On some level, I love how much faith Palak has in Yash when she asks him to bring her mother back, the mother that she loves and misses every day. It must seem so unfair to her that this new mother can enter her life but her mother that she wants cannot. One some level, far beyond logic, she doesn't understand this situation she has been put in and it causes her endless frustration.

And now to the best scene of the episode. I just love the way Aarti physically restrained Yash from comforting Palak. Somehow, I am not sure whether consciously or instinctively, she knew that he would only immerse Palak deeper in her grief and she needed to counteract that. And she begs Yash for trust, the same way he begged her on the day Ansh was sent to school by force. I would like to take it as an encouraging sign that Palak was happy in the precap, but I have a feeling that Aarti promises her her mother will come to her party and Aarti dresses up as Arpita to try and win her heart. I am still 50/50 as to whether this will work for Palak or not because there are signs pointing both ways. Ansh went to school kicking and screaming that day whereas Palak is happy and bouncy here, but the similarity is that both are against their usual disposition. Yash's method is direct and no-nonsense so he pushed Ansh off to school that day with no frills but Aarti is all about frills and she might cause a similar effect to Palak due to an extreme in the opposite direction.

I agree with everyone that it was a good episode, and there were a lot of good things happening between Aarti and Yash conversation wise, but that is actually making me very nervous. The way they ended the episode with Palak saying that she wanted "her" mummy back, and then the precap where she was all smiles, I am really afraid that Aarti has told Palak something to the effect of her mother will come to her birthday party. If this is what she did, and then Aarti shows up as Arpita, that is totally not going to go down well with Palak at all. Unfortunately, I think Yash is right to look a little concerned about what Aarti could have told Palak to make her all smiles so quickly. If the CVs have come up with something else that actually works the way Aarti wants it to, then I will be happy, but they tend to like making us think good will happen, when it instead turns out bad, and bad will happen when it instead turns out good. I bet we won't actually find out what the secret was until Friday, when the CVs will leave us with a horrible cliff hanger.

I have to go take care of some stuff now, but I will read everyone else's takes later (even though I rarely leave comments.😆)

HAILA 😲😲😲

yayyy party time🥳He doesn't know how to say to no to her😳