Originally posted by Nandalala
"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my eyes and all is born again."
Pic Credit: FB
Edited~
I just love that first quote by Virginia Wolf, hun...and your title is perfect...taking us back to midnight...in that garden again...where past and present meet. A fabulous, insightful and concise Crooner! 👏👏 For me, this epi hit several important notes with one common theme...It was defined by those roses she was tending to. Roses that he planted, she was now the caretaker...Roses that symbolize love, faithfulness, and purity...The same roses which have thorns that can cause you to abandon them because of the pain. And then the rosebuds--nascent, tender and without thorns. A perfect metaphor for the past and present; old and new. The other note for me was the re-introduction of certain elements...namely, Water, Fire & Earth...We all know the significance of Water in this show, so I won't touch on that right now...But I was more intrigued by the Earth brought in--with Khushi tending to those roses...and then with Daadi not allowing Khushi to step foot into "her" space, delineating an invisible line immediately...again, marking a difference between past and present...old and new. Finally, the Bal Gopal reference--Janamashtami--a time of rebirth...new beginnings...the new baby on the horizon and its implications for our story. Taking an age old tradition in the 21st century and still giving it the same importance that it was given centuries ago...the more things change, the more they stay the same...
"...Jise Hum Itna Pyaar Kartein Hain"
These fabulous words eclipsed and set the tone from Friday's fantastic episode. She has now had her awakening! She has now recognized the love that he brings to her being. Accepted it. If she dares to shut out that very love as she learns about his past, their past--hum unhe teekh se jaante bhi nahi-she will be drawn into to a dark world. An ultimate test for Khushi as the gatekeeper for all things Raizada and Gupta, too. Thus to my quote today: will she chose to keep her eyes open or her eyes shut? Will love motivate her, or make her a victim?
The answer came to me in the next scene. She walks with the basin of water to tend to the plants outside--again--the nurturer--here. Very interesting...she sees a lizard. Lizards are a symbol of dreams and perceptions...Again, the CVs don't leave anything to chance, do they?😆 She throws the water on the ground and unto Dadi... A cleansing...Water on Dadi's face..Every ritual in the Hindu tradition begins with water and fire. Water is needed to purify--the mind, the space and the being itself! When I had written about Seize-Fire in my seat-filler edition of the Crooner, I had said water will always trump every other element! For me, Dadi represents the past--part of fire--just as Shyam and Anjali do, too...It will be Arnav--Water--who will be the key there to wash away the sins of the old...and allow them to triumph anew as a couple. Yes, Khushi's education into his past is critical and she will be the "key" for him, but not before he steps up to quell the fire!
In a deliberate attempt to talk about "class", social distinction, and societal norms, the CVs took some broad liberties today...I, too, was amazed and irked at how quickly Khushi was marginalized to a "servant" where as all of a sudden Payal appeared to be "elevated" to the Raizada bahu. Was it because Payal is, in fact, the only Raizada bahu? Khushi is really a Mallik bahu, after all! It was also interesting to note that this perception was at play while Naani and Anjali were both out of the house. I think the point was to show that within a generation, mindsets can be so different. Naani is just as opinionated on certain matters as Dadi, but she never once made Khushi feel like a "naukar"...As you pointed out, Manorama was also a maid to Naani, but now accepted as the bahu. I found it interesting that Dadi was willing to talk and take items from Manorama, knowing who she is...so double standard, much? The implications of princess to naukar and vice versa are obvious here! Not to mention the reference to 12 again...
"Welcome to 'Unwelcome.'"
~Jarod Kintz
Earth...stepping into unwelcome space...After talking to Payal, Khushi decides she will go and talk to Dadi to find out more about her. Khushi was willing to take the first step again to find out more about her beloved's past. But her attempt was thwarted by Dadi. Just a gesture...that hand forbidding her to come within. Khushi walks back...tracing back her footsteps! I had to wonder here about the distance: will Khushi be given all the facts about the past or will it be that they will only reveal that which they want her to see while bridging that gap between Mallik and Raizada to get to Arnav? Seeing the Bal Gopal in that scene brought me back to Janamashtami last year...where Arnav and Khushi held the diya so that the flame didn't extinguish; I couldn't help but connect that scene to what we saw on Friday, and also its implications for all the revelations on the horizon! Finally, Earth as Mother...seeing Anjali and Daadi together--Anjali's initial reaction was heart wrenching, but Dadi seemed very cold to her until she commented on her pregnancy (did Shyam possibly tell her?) Followed by Anjali's questioning her about abandonment...After the death of their mother on that fateful night, Anjali and Arnav became orphans...A relationship that they seemed to have cherished, walked its way away from them. Ground slipping from under them! Dadi did not offer her an explanation other than to say she was back and everything would be alright...I absolutely loved your reference to bhikarna here--those pearls, memories of the past, truths...all scattered...and all waiting to become whole and complete again!
"The past lies beneath the surface, intransigent truth. Remembered or not, what we say and do remains, always."
~Meredith Hill
My aha moment in the epi came while seeing the two sides of the chessboard at play! We saw Anjali and Dadi on one end, and Naani and Arnav at the other ...in that one frame. Past and Present. Arnav's face was absolutely a give away here--his shock at seeing Dadi in his home, but his eyes gave away his pain at being abandoned and alone...More importantly, a realization for me, that somewhere along the way, he obviously had found out that Dadi was in an ashram, but it sounds like he never made an attempt to contact her--the total opposite of Anjali! He wanted the past to stay where it belonged--away from him! Completely in keeping with his character!
Other thoughts~
~NK was awesome today! Loved his reference to "taare" above! We all know the significance there!
~Mamiji and Payal were just hopeless...hopeless! Ultimately, such COWARDS!
~Anjali was spot-on! Loved her scene...it was emotional, but she hit it to a T!
~Oh, I have some thoughts on Subhadra...let me think on them some more before I share it with all of you!😃
PRECAP: Here is where Arnav becomes ASR for everyone but Khushi!!!😃 United we stand, divided we fall!😃 Super LOVED it!!
After a long time, I felt a lull in watching today...but the precap made up for it! I loved Sanaya in the scene with the roses--so "earthy" right there! I agree, Daljeet made up for her lackluster emoting in the latter part of last week...Enjoyed her thoroughly! Swati Chitnis--I have watched some of her scenes in the past--and this genre of acting is her forte! She is very good in playing the matriarch and I am sure she will be a treat to watch...But for now, we wait for tomorrow!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your ARNAB, hun! Absolutely LOVE that song!!!!😊
Finally, CONGRATULATIONS to all my gals!!!🤗🤗
