Episode Review: September 28th, 2012

The episode continues where it left off yesterday with Arnav stating that he is only here because of her but is standing where there is nothing but pain, lies and betrayal.  Khushi begins to feel dizzy and begins to faint, to only have Arnav catch her.  As the two look at each other, he tells her that she has answered all of his questions by making him stand before her.  Worried by the way things are going, Shyam calls someone up.  Just then, a small drop of blood from his wound falls onto her forehead (close to her maang).  When she touches it, she realizes what this means.  He carefully gets her to stand on her feet and then apologizes for making her wait.  He says he may be a bit late but he had to come.  He then looks over to Anjali who gives him a supporting nod and he tells Khushi that he still wants to marry.  He wants to spend every moment of his life with her.  Happy at his words, the two share a long and emotional hug as the families look on, extremely happy.  She tells him she knew he would come and would not leave her alone and he reminds her that he can't live without her.  Not wanting to see the two happy, Shyam goes to Anjali and asks her if this marriage is a good idea, considering the truth.  Anjali tells Shyam that Arnav and Khushi's love is strong; so strong that it can handle any hurdle.  Nani tells Arnav she supports his decision but wants to make sure that he means it as she does not want to see Khushi hurt in the future.  Arnav tells Nani that he wants to move forward in his life and not live in the past. 

As Arnav takes Khushi's hand and walks toward the mandap, Dadi holds Khushi's hand, stopping the two.  Dadi asks him how he can still marry Khushi after knowing the truth.  Arnav tells Dadi that the only truth in his life is that he is in love with Khushi.  Dadi reminds him that Garima ruined their family but Arnav stops her to correct her.  He states that Garima did not ruin his family but infact, his own father, Dadi's son ruined their family as he knew he was a married man and yet betrayed two women.  To make matters worse, when he couldn't face the truth, he took his own life.  Arnav states to Dadi that he wants to forget his past and move on in his life and suggest she do the same thing.  When Dadi doesn't agree, Arnav suggest that if she's not willing to change her mindset, she might as well leave.  Feeling insulted, Dadi begins to leave but Khushi goes to stop her.  She tells Dadi that she is the eldest of the house and without her blessings, their wedding would not feel complete.  Dadi tells Khushi that because of her, she is being separated from her family and warns them all that they will all regret their decision.  Arnav tells Khushi to let Dadi leave and when she does, he takes her hand again and walks towards the mandap.  NK stops them for a brief minute to call the priest who will marry them. 

Arnav is now cleaned up and the two are standing at the mandap.  Arnav places a garland around Khushi and his family couldn't be happier.  Before she can place her garland around him, Akash jokingly lifts him up but then puts him down, to which Khushi quickly puts her garland around him.  As the two sit down, Anjali ties their cloths together and the priest begins the wedding mantras.  As the mantras proceed, Arnav continues to stare at Khushi with a smile on his face.  Arnav places a mangalsutra around Khushi and then puts on the sindoor.  They then begin to take the pheres, with them both remembering what Khushi said about not being married until the pheres were completed.  With the pheres completed, Khushi begins to tell Arnav something but he interrupts her saying he knows.  He then says that he loves her too, kisses her forehead and the two share a beautiful hug.  They are now officially married.  Shyam does not look happy at all, especially since he had to witness their wedding.  Khushi and Arnav walk down from the mandap and begin to take the elders blessing.  After Garima gives them her blessings, she apologizes to Arnav for everything she did in the past.  Arnav tells her that he has no complaints about anyone and says that she too should move on with her life and forget the past.  Shyam still does not look happy with the way things are going.

Everyone returns home from the wedding and the house welcoming ritual begins to take place.  Nani takes the aarti of both Khushi and Arnav and then Nani presents Khushi with a present.  Payal convince Mami to present the other present to Khushi by saying to consider both her and Khushi as her daughter-in-laws.  Mami hesitantly gives Khushi the present but says she's only doing this for Arnav's happiness.  NK notices Arnav smiling and tells him that this is the house welcoming ceremony and is nothing to smile about (he is also corrected by Akash on his poor Hindi again). 

Khushi tips over the urn with her right foot and then enters the house, leaving her footprints behind.  As she walks into the house, Akash stops her and reminds Arnav of the family's tradition.  Confused, Khushi asks what the family tradition is but Anjali says to ignore it as Arnav won't be able to do it.  Akash and NK states that since its a tradition, it must be completed.  Payal jokingly tells them to stop teasing Khushi and Khushi asks Arnav what family tradition they are talking about.  Just then, Arnav picks her up in his arms, surprising Khushi.  She tells him to put her down since he's hurt but he tells her that he is not that hurt that he can't pick up and carry his wife.  With that said, he walks into the house carrying her in his arms.

Everything was absolutely perfect in today's episode; from Arnav's decision to their wedding to them finally coming home.  Everything was just perfect.  All five episodes this week have been absolutely amazing, delivering power packed performances and a lot of intense drama.  This week returned the show we all fell in love with and reminded us all of why we fell in love with Arnav and Khushi.

Episode Review: September 27th, 2012

Arnav is on his knees crying out his pain.  When he turns around, he notices a rose being crushed under a broken bench.  He carefully picks up the rose and has a flashback of his mother.  His mother is gardening and she is pricked by a thorn.  A young Arnav notices that his mother is hurt by the thorn and throws the flower pot to the floor wanting to break it.  His mother tries to explain to him that it was the thorn that hurt her, not the flower yet the flower is getting the punishment.  She uses this example to teach Arnav not to punish those who are innocent for anyone else's mistake.  She especially tells him to never punish the one's he loves or those who love him.  Arnav then remembers how Khushi had reminded him to not be late for the wedding.  With that, he leaves the garden.  Khushi is still waiting for Arnav at the mandap and remembers what he said to her while they were at the garden.  Garima goes up to Khushi and apologizes for everything that happened.  She says she tried to not let her past ruin Khushi's future but she failed.  Khushi says she doesn't have to apologize and that nothing is ruined because Arnav will come, shocking Garima.  While NK tries to call Arnav again, Payal goes to reason with Khushi to get her to come home.  Buaji joins her doing the same but Khushi refuses to move, continually stating that Arnav will come for her as he promised he'd come.  When Mami begins to insult Garima and Khushi, Anjali begs her to not say such things.  Buaji and Garima pull Khushi to her feet but now she is visibly upset.  She states to them that she is not leaving and that she has full faith he will come.  She says that if Arnav comes and sees that she's not here, he'll think she broke her promise, so she has to stay.  Wanting her to snap out of her illusion, Buaji slaps Khushi and tells her to face the truth and that he won't come.  Buaji tells her that the fire has become ashes but Khushi notices a small flame still alive.  She sits back down and says that she won't leave the mandap until the fire is completely out.  Arnav is driving recklessly through the streets.  While driving, he begins to flashback through all his memories.  These include: the memories from his past, when he met Khushi for the first time, their fights, the time when they started having feelings for each other, their forced marriage, his kidnapping and escape and their recent romantic moments.  In the end, he remembers the truth Dadi revealed to him and is frustrated.   Just then, he remembers the incident of Khushi falling off the cliff.  As he remembers this, a truck is driving towards him.  He suddenly calls out Khushi's name, swerves the car to avoid the truck and crashes into a tree, passing out.  Khushi senses that Arnav called out to her and begins to run to him.  When NK stops her, she says something has happened to her but NK begs her to calm down.  Arnav comes to his senses and says "Ma".

Just then, Khushi notices the sacred fire going out and runs back to the mandap.  She sees that the fire has completely gone out and is shocked.  She falls to her knees devastated and the families feel horrible for her.  Unable to see her pain, Nani goes up to her and comforts Khushi, telling her that Arnav will come.  In a lost and oblivious state, Khushi gets up and begins to walk away from the mandap.

Garima calls out to Khushi who turns around and starts to walk back to her mother.  Just then she stops, realizing that someone is holding onto her.  She turns around to see a hurt and bleeding Arnav holding onto her dupatta.  She and the rest of the family are shocked at his state.  Khushi says to him that she knew something bad happened to him and goes to put her hand on his face when he suddenly backs away, shocking her and the family.  Arnav states to the family he was looking for the answers that he hasn't found.  He tells Khushi that when he fell in love with her, he didn't know their pasts were connected and that the one past he was running away from would come to greet him on his wedding day.  He then tells her that today, he is in this situation because of her where he has nothing but pain, lies and betrayal.

What worked: The entire episode.  From the acting to the direction to the cinematography, everything about this episode was perfect.  Out of all the 352 episodes the show has, not only is this episode by far the best, it's the first one to actually make me tear up.  My heart ached for Khushi and Arnav throughout the entire episode.  The pain they were enduring; I felt it.  The heartache they were experiencing; I felt it.  The dilemma they were encountering; I felt it.  Khushi's undying faith and Arnav's torturous dilemma are the two things that drove the emotion in the episode.  I don't think there's a person who didn't want to reach through their screens and just give them a hug.  After watching today's episode, I can confidently say that the show's magic and charm is finally back.  The cast and crew, take a bow.

What didn't work: N/A

Highlight: Khushi's pain.  My heart literally ached for her today.  She was in pain, she was hurting and yet she still had faith that Arnav would come for her.  As the signs started to point that he wouldn't, she was refused to move, knowing that she had to keep her promise to him.  When he called out her name, she felt his call and knew he was in trouble, that something had happened.  When she saw the fire go out, her heart sank, not wanting to believe that he wouldn't come.  Even though everyone tried to convince her that he wouldn't come, Khushi believed in her love, her faith in Arnav.  At this point, Khushi was in a delirious state.  Such a state that all you wanted to do was go to her, give her a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay.  Sanaya has had several amazing performances on the show since it began but her performance today was by far her best to date.  She is such a versatile actress with the ability to portray a variety of emotions to perfection.  She truly is one of the most versatile and talented actresses on screen today.

Episode Review: September 26th, 2012

Dadi continues to insult and blame Garima for what happened to her son and daughter-in-law and says that Garima will have to be punished for her sins.  Garima agrees for any punishment as long as her two daughters do not have to suffer.  However, Dadi states that just like how Arnav and Anjali suffered because of her, Payal and Khushi will have to suffer for Garima's mistake.  She then takes back the bangles she gave to Khushi as tells her that her relationship with Arnav and the family is no more, hence breaking the wedding.  Garima begs her not to vent out her anger on her daughters but Dadi says she will take her anger out on Khushi and Payal.  As Garima falls down crying, Nani tells her that she lost her daughter that day and doesn't know if she would be able to forgive Garima for this but might have if she revealed it earlier.  Mami also blames Garima and Payal states that if no one believes Garima and Khushi is not welcomed in their house, then she too has no place at their house.  Just then, Khushi goes to stop Dadi from putting out the sacred fire.  She tells her that Arnav will come today and that she has full faith and trust in him.  Dadi tells her that she knows her grandson and that he won't come at all.  Khushi says their love is being tested today and she will wait for him to come.  As she sits at the mandap waiting for him, she remembers his proposal to her and the promise she made to him.   While waiting, the fire goes out and suddenly becomes scared.  Anrav is outside in a garden thinking about both Khushi and the truth Dadi revealed to him.  As Khushi waits for his arrival and Arnav thinks about his decision, they both remember the recent romantic times they spent with each other and are visibly in tears.  Anjali is then seen crying and Shyam pretends to console her, even though he's enjoying what's going on.  As she wonders why this is all happening, Shyam brings up the topic of how Arnav must be coping with the news.  NK and Akash attempt to call him up but they still receive no answer.  Payal goes to Khushi and asks her to stop being stubborn but Khushi refuses to move saying that Arnav will come for her.  As Payal tries to get her to calm down, Akash comes by and comforts Payal.  He then goes to comfort Nani who wonders how Arnav is reacting to hearing the news.  When Mami blames the Gupta family for causing their family so much pain, NK beg her to not say anything else that will hurt the family as everyone is going through a rough time and instead of blaming each other, they should support each other.

Garima begs Babuji for forgiveness for what she did in her past.  She says that when she thought she lost everything, he gave her love and respect and married her.  Babuji places his hand on her hand, forgiving her and trusting what she said.  Buaji too forgives her but brings up a very important point.  Even if they forgive her, will Arnav forgive her too and believe in what she says.  She looks over to see Khushi reassuring Payal that Arnav will come for her and says that she never knew that her past mistake would cause so much pain and heartache for Khushi.

Khushi continues to wait for Arnav while everyone else is being consoled.  When Payal doesn't reassure her that Arnav will come, Khushi begins to get scared.  She then remembers the time he told her that once he lets go of her hand, he won't hold it again, and begins to fear that he may not come.  She then asks Payal what she will do if Arnav doesn't come for her.  Arnav continues to think about what Dadi told him and begins to get very angry.  He gets angry enough that he ends up breaking the benches and screams out his pain and frustration.  He then drops to his knees, crying and in pain.

What worked: Khushi's faith that Arnav will come for her.  Khushi has always had faith and trust in the people she cares about the most and this was very well shown today.  Khushi believes that Arnav will come for her.  She believes in their love and their trust and has faith that he will come for her, even though signs point to him not coming.  She may be stubborn, she may be resiliant but she has faith in her love and that's all that mattered to her at that point.  She knows that Arnav may be going through a rough time but knows that he won't abandon her after everything they've been through.  The mystery now lays in whether or not Arnav shows up.  What will happen to her faith if he does not arrive?

What didn't work: N/A

Highlight: Arnav and Khushi's pain.  My heart ached for these two throughout the entire episode that I just wanted to give them both a big hug.  Barun and Sanaya was absolutely amazing today, portraying both Arnav and Khushi's respective pain brilliantly.  This has been their best performance till date.  Khushi is hurting over the fact that she doesn't know if Arnav will come for her or not.  She keeps telling herself that he will come but keeps remembering the time he joked about letting go of her hand.  Arnav on the other hand is probably in the worst pain since his parent's death.  He is torn between the mother he loves and the woman he loves.  He doesn't want to hurt his mother's memory but he can't live without the love of his life.  This decision is so consuming, so painful that it brought the great Arnav Singh Raizada to his knees, crying.  Hats off to Lalit Mohan for another amazing episode.

Episode Review: September 25th, 2012

Arnav is stunned upon hearing Dadi's accusations and is further shocked after seeing the picture.  Dadi asks him if, even after knowing all this, will he still marry Khushi knowing that her aunt was the one responsible for his parent's death.  She asks him if he's ready to take 7 pheres with Khushi and live the rest of his life with her after knowing this truth.  Back at the hall, everyone is waiting for Arnav to arrive and various family members try to call him up, but he is not answering his phone.  Back at the Raizada house, Dadi lies to Arnav stating that she discovered this truth today after receiving this picture.  After she continues to ask him if he is still willing to go through with the wedding, Arnav takes a moment to reflect.  He remembers the night his mother died and then remembers the happy times he spent with Khushi.  Full of shock and confusion, Arnav walks off, leaving Dadi with an opportunity to cause more damage.  Back at the wedding, everyone is still wondering why Arnav has not arrived yet.  Just then, his car pulls up and everyone is relieved.  Khushi heads downstairs to yell at him for making her wait however, she is surprised when only Dadi steps out of the car.  The entire family asks her why Arnav has not arrived but she remains quiet.  She then asks Garima directly if she thought that Arnav would still come to his wedding after everything she did.  The family is confused as to what Dadi is saying and Khushi asks her for clarification.  Garima realizes that Dadi lied to her about forgiving her and Dadi reveals that she wanted Garima to feel what it felt like for them on that day.  Dadi then reveals to everyone there that Garima was the other women in Arnav's father's life.  Everyone is shocked.  She tells everyone that Garima is the reason as to why his parents died and why their family was destroyed.  Khushi does not believe this and asks Garima if it's true.  Unable to control herself, she admits what Dadi is saying is true.  Anjali asks Garima why she did this to their mother, as she was at no fault.  Garima tells everyone that she didn't know he was married with two kids and says that if she had known, none of this would have happened.  However, Dadi cuts her off and states that she knew everything and that she is nothing more but a cheap women.

Upset at her mother being insulted, Khushi tells Dadi to stop saying those things about her mother.  She says that she believes her mother and says that whatever happened was not her fault.  Babuji and Garima look at Khushi with proud eyes as she defends her mother.  She says that if her mother says she didn't know about him being married, then she didn't know and she believes her fully.  Anjali then asks Garima why she didn't reveal this fact to them beforehand and Nani asks the same thing.  Garima states that she wanted to tell them everything but didn't want to take either of her daughter's happiness away, so she kept quiet.

Khushi tells everyone that she understands what pain they are going through as she too knows very well the pain of losing one's parents.  She then again states that her mother is not to blame for this situation but Mami states that she is and is responsible for her sister-in-law's death.  When Akash tells his mother to be quiet, she scolds him.  At this point, Payal tells Akash to not take their side and goes to stand with her mother.  She stands up for her mother too and says she did what any mother would do for her daughter's happiness.  Dadi states to both of them that she doesn't care if they knew about the truth or not but Garima is responsible for the death of Arnav's parents.

 

What worked:  Arnav's no show.  With Arnav a no show at his own wedding, it gives Dadi the opportunity to finish what she started.  She reveals Garima's past in front of the rest of the family, including her own, and then begins to insult her and Khushi.  Arnav's absence has done one good thing; given Dadi and the rest of the family members the opportunity to speak.  Without Arnav present, several family members were able to ask the questions they needed and Garima was allowed to give some defense in her name.  Also, Khushi and Payal were given the opportunity to stand up and speak for their mother.  Had Arnav been present, he would have quickly shut people up and would have gone on his angry rant.  Thankfully, Arnav is taking his time to think about everything that has happened instead of making a decision based on emotion.

What didn't work: N/A

Highlight:  Khushi and Payal standing up for Garima.  I wouldn't expect anything less than this from either of them.  Payal and Khushi both know the pain the Raizada family is going through but they also have a tremendous amount of faith in their mother.  A mother who not only raised them as her own, but accepted them as her own even if they were not related by blood.  Payal and Khushi fully trust their mother as they know based on the customs she taught them, that she could never have done such a thing like this.  What happened to Garima 14 years ago is the same thing that happened to Khushi recently.  She knows the pain and suffering of being accused of something you didn't do, so she will definitely stand by her mother and will help to uncover the real truth.  Bravo to both Payal and Khushi.  Today, you have really made your parents proud of you and blessed enough to call you both their daughters.