copy-pasting from my post. too lazy to write more. Agnihotri family is giving me a headache, lol.
Aastha
In the whole episode, there was not even 1 scene where Aastha appeared & there was no mention of Shlok Agnihotri. She has started linking every single thought/emotion of hers to him.
Happiness/Fun : when she uses her marker to make his face look ugly
Prayer : even in her prayer, she asked for him to have more sense
Anger : her being adamant on wanting to fulfill the challenge
and many more...
I wonder if her dialogue that she wants to send him to another world where he would be all alone had double meaning. It got me thinking. I wonder what she meant by that.
SIL
I wonder if he purposely did the 'fake concern' act to irritate Shlok. I am sure he very well knows that Shlok dislikes him yet he went into his room & interrupted him. Loved the eyelock/camera angle btw SIL & Shlok after Shlok told him off. Clearly he's going to get back at Shlok for this. I guess this is where Aastha fits in, esp. given the commentary he gave on Aastha while watching the TV. He is probably gonna use Aastha to get back at him.
Also, he is very smart in the way he indirectly threw it at Anjali that Shlok's bitter words filled his stomach.
Getting very curious about this guy.
Chacha - what is his name?
love how he was present in the episode today as a spectator cum commentator. Again, his role is rather interesting. After today's episode, I don't think he will be a player, as such, in the games that are played in the Agnihotri mansion. Rather, he is a neutral party (somewhat like us- the audience) who sympathizes with some [his mention that the house needs a DIL different from Anjali] yet at the same time, mocks some. He is like a 3rd party who is able to see everyone from various angles - both good & bad.
His interaction with Anjali after Shlok left the house definitely requires some mention/credit. He told her something along the lines of 'She should stop running after relationships. Nobody cares a damn for relationships in this household.' This shed a lot of light on the scenes we've seen on Agnihotri family so far. Everyone seems to be connected to each other for some purpose & its not an emotional benefit (love/happiness) that the members are seeking, rather it is just customary that they are a family, & thus are living together. Economic benefits also included.
Anjali
Going back to what chacha told her, it seems like Anjali is not such a tough nut to crack afterall. The sternness that we have seen in her behaviour might not actually be the Anjali who married into the house. I am starting to feel that she was just like any other ordinary, normal girl who was married off to NA & that changed her life. Following rituals/customs, she became someone she wasn't & that has left her with a lot of bottled up anger, which she cannot openly express but yet ends up doing so in with her straight/emotionless stern face. This also probably explains the calendar/broken vase scene. Someone rightly pointed it out she was looking at the calendar, as though her life has come to a standstill where she is just alive, & not living. Its as though the calendar just reminded her that its been 30 years in this jail & yet no sign of freedom/happiness.
I have to applaud her for her guts to not cry over her life all the time, but rather to try to maintain relationships, which she does through rituals. Obviously the wrong way to do it, but I guess its been long since she listened to her heart.
Shlok
Well, its definitely payback time. Aastha is so dead.
Few observations -
Shlok did not like SIL interfering in his life & told him off very rudely, quite a contrast to his interaction with Anjali where he walked away instead. This points to the fact that somewhere, Shlok still loves his mother & that she holds a corner in his heart. The only thing needed is for him to give her a chance to lighten up that corner once again & not walk away from the darkness, like he did today.
All in all, a very interesting, thought-provoking episode. Funny how the absence of the master of these 'puppets' in the Agnihotri household, allowed a lot of emotions/feelings to surface, which probably would not have surfaced if NA was in the house. Shows how despite everyone having their own domain in the house, they are very much controlled by NA & his influence/presence.