16/7 - Epi 298 Reality Check

Monday 16th July

Start of a new week ... what lies ahead? Family drama or ArHi romance?

Quick Update
Reality Check for Arnav ... his sister is cuckoo and thinks he would send her red roses. And he would do that because ...? Romantic love is the same as sibling love ...? Urrggghhhh ...

Reality Check for Anjali ... her brother's world does not revolve around her ... surprise, surprise, he loves his wife. And shock and horror ... maybe more than he loves his sister! All because he wanted to celebrate his wife's birthday

Reality Check no. 2 for Arnav ... his wife is not a Sati Savitri Bhartiya Nari ... or even an SP bahu ... sweetly grateful for whatever her hubby does for her on her birthday. She has definite ideas about what she wants, and if you don't measure up, boy, are you in trouble!
SN - And if on top of that, you try to act the Laad Governer with her, you are even deeper in trouble.
Considering all she really wanted was for you to wish her, she wasn't really asking for too much, was she?

Reality Check for Khushi ... of sorts ... ASR and Arnav are the same person, she'd better get used to living with both of them. And ASR has a ton of 'takniki kharabis' ... inability to say a few common phrases like Sorry, Happy Birthday, Please and Thank You among them ...  :) Though it seems she is getting on top of things here .. 

So Anjali remembers all the SK scenes, Arnav slapping Shyam and throwing him out, and also remembers that Khushi likes red roses ... and actually puts two and two together correctly ... the flowers weren't for her after all!
So all three - Anjali, Khushi and Arnav know who the flowers really were for. In this show of MU's, that is pretty much a first!

Payal and NK were cute ... they both got gifts for Khushi ... and NK promised to be always there for her :) He is such a cute friend!

Arnav ... tut tut, dear boy ... you're supposed to be trying to win Khushi back, remember? And show her that you want her forever and ever ... forcing her to cut her own cake and eat it is not quite the right way of doing that!
Actually I was glad that ASR didn't turn into Arnav completely ... one ME was cute, but today it was good to see the blunt, hopelessly unromantic ASR trying and failing miserably ... and going back to his usual dhamkis ... cut the cake or else! :)) And it was good to see tigress Khushi back ... she's been meek and sacrificing for far too long!

I was very glad that Anjali didn't actually interrupt the ArHi celebration ... umm, cake cutting ... that would have made it unbearable! Good thing she just got her first reality check and went back quietly. Anjali, silly girl, last night you were swaying while heating a glass of milk, and today you're quite okay with making a pot of kheer for your brother?!
Anjali's final words made it clear that she did always put Arnav above Shyam ... and fully expects him to do the same thing. No wonder Shyam started roving ... I actually hate to say this ... I don't like blaming the woman ... but it seems a definite factor.

And I liked the precap ... I want Anjali to see more and more that Arnav has a life beyond his sister ... it's the reality check that she badly needs ... that the world does not revolve around her.

*edited*
Rewatching the episode, the main theme seems to be the reality check for Anjali ... the start of the bursting of her bubble ... not about Shyam, but about Arnav, and her position in his life.
Mostly Indian telly and movies glorify the mother-son bond, often putting it above the husband-wife one ... the Nirupa Roy effect, we call it here on R&R ;) 

This story seems to be about the brother-sister bond, and whether it can ever be above the husband-wife bond ... and my take is the same as it was earlier ... all bonds are sacred, parent-child bonds and sibling bonds are blood ties, and hence irreversible ... whether you choose to acknowledge them or not, you can't shake free of them ... they are ties of duty, responsibility and love.
But a husband-wife bond ... a true one ... is a bond made in heaven ...the only bond not forged by blood, but by the heart, you don't choose your family, but your life partner is your choice ... love is the base, and trust, duty, responsibility all follow.
Jeevan saathi, saat janam ka saath ... if you believe in this then a husband-wife bond is actually stronger than all blood ties ... while blood ties last for one lifetime, the bond between spouses is designed for seven lifetimes.
But will Anjali understand this? A person who has had not one, but two disastrous matches ... one never started, and one which broke after three short years? 

So going ahead from this ... and into the episode ...
Red roses ... and Arnav reacted exactly the way I expected him to ... and so did Khushi ... Arnav helpless, silent ... 'yes, Di, these are for you ...' because his Di is already teetering emotionally, he did manage to tell her that the flowers were not from her creepwa husband, but that was enough of a letdown for her, to tell her that they are not even for her, would be even worse.
And Khushi understands ... of course she does ... any halfway understanding wife would not have it any other way ... especially as he conveys with his eyes and his words who the roses were really intended for ... 'I know whose favorite flowers these are.'
And Anjali feels a little better, her brother was after all worried for her all along ... 

Very sweet Payal-Khushi scene ... Deepali is very good with Sanaya, her scenes with Akshay are the let down. Payal back to being the cute loving, teasing older sister ... loved that 'don't give me that' look on Sanaya's face as Khushi tells Payal to quite kidding, and the eagerness with which Payal waits for Khushi to unwrap her gift, with that personal touch, she put the gota herself ... and the heartfelt wishes ... always, always, always, always remain happy ... :)
NK pulls Khushi for her next surprise ... which Payal also knows about and is so happy for ... :)
NK gives Khushi his gift, with more wishes ... I'll be there for you, whenever you need me ...
And NK forwards Arnav's apology of sorts ... Di got the flowers meant for Khushi, did she feel bad?
Of course she didn't ... it brought a smile to Di's face ...
Arnav knew she would feel this way ... :">

And NK pushes Khushi into her room ... and shuts the door ...
He should have locked it and thrown away the key :) :-<

 Khushi enters the dark room ... and sees her birthday surprise ... and is delighted and touched ... the lights, the decorations, the cake ...
and a very unsure, awkward husband ... who's not quite sure how to go about things now ... this is all completely new to him ...
So she waits expectantly ... and he hesitates ... nope, no clue what to do next ...
The bag is a great excuse ... something he can scold her for ... now that he knows how to do ... :)) Khushi merrily explains she washed it, but that made things worse ... why are expensive things always so fragile?!

Bag was bad topic choice ... he's getting angry and he doesn't want to get angry today ... so end of discussion ...
Khushi waits expectantly again ... again the guy is tongue-tied ...
'You liked the lights at New Years ... so I did these for you ...'
And Khushi is getting a teensy weensy bit impatient ... just how hard is it to wish someone anyway? She tries to help, but with a slight snap in her tone ... 'do you want to say something to me?'

And this was a reminder of the Sorry scene ... where she knew what he wanted to say, but had to poke and push him into saying the word, by laying bare all her own deepest vulnerabilities ...

Umm, err ... yes, he does ... what he meant to say was ... 'It's your birthday ... so ...'
'Yes, it's my birthday ... so what?!'
So happy birthday, darling, and many happy returns of the day now let's cut your cake ... I got it for you with so much love ... Nope, not happening ...
'So ... err, yes ... so ... cut the cake ...'
He's on surer ground now ... 'Yep ... cut the cake ... that's it ...' simple ... he's done it.
She doesn't think so. Arms crossed, angry young woman.
'Why?!'
He's flummoxed ... he said it, didn't he ... just cut the cake now. But Khushi is not impressed ... she wants the words, the wishes ... he's been trying the whole damn day, what with Happy Singh, hands free, haal chaal ... and he can't say two simple words which are all she wants ... she won't let him get away this easy!

When I got married, there was a tussle with my hubby, I wanted him to wish me at midnight because that was the way all my friends had done it for the last ten years ... my hubby was damned if he would do what my friends did, he wanted to be different ... and unique ... so the gifts and cake were brought the next day ... but I wasn't happy, because he hadn't been the first to wish me at midnight - the way I wanted it. So did I understand Khushi? Oh boy, yes :) ... how hard is it just to say the words? On my birthday, you do what I want ... on your birthday, I will do what you like. :)
Besides, Khushi has never been one to put up with her LG's idiosyncracies ... she made him say Sorry ... and she will make him say Happy Birthday ...

But her LG is no less ... he lights the candle ... 'come on ... let's cut the cake ...'
The candle goes out ... and LG starts to lose it ... 'hurry up, and cut the cake ... it's windy ...'
And Khushi starts to lose it too ... 'I'm not cutting any cakes ...' so there ... not till you say it ...
Arnav gets more and more angry ... 'at least blow the candle ...'
'Nope, I won't ...'
'It's your birthday, Khushi!'
Yes, he got the point ... 'it's my birthday, so I will do what I like ... I won't blow the candle, or cut the cake or eat it ... and don't you force me ...'
And he's lost it now ... temper flaring ... ah, back to their normal fights, now this he can handle ... the fiery fighting Khushi ... 'do as I say and cut the cake now ... this is the last time I'm doing this ...'

It was interesting to see how they were both so tongue-tied when it was time for soft words and romance ... and completely comfortable when back to fighting mode ...but the big difference -  this time the fight was completely with Sadda Haq ... 'do as I say ..'. 'no, I won't, you have to do what I want first ...'

And Anjali approaches closer and closer with a bucket of kheer for her Chotey, he got her flowers earlier, so she reciprocates by making his favorite kheer, secure in her little bubble that her brother is completely worried about her and spending his entire day and night thinking of how to make her life easier and happier ... so what if her husband has gone, her brother is there, he will right her world again for her ... like he always does ...

While Arnav is trying his best to control his own temper and his equally tempestuous wife ... who, far from being grateful for all his efforts, is harping on the little fact that he didn't wish her ... he makes the mistake of handing her the knife and commanding her to cut the cake ... and Khushi warns him, 'don't give me that knife, I'm not responsible for what I do with it...' :))
(Have to say, I loved them here ... Sanaya's expression with the knife was hilarious!)
And Arnav reverts back to ASR and makes her cut the cake, holding her very, very close all the while ... and picks up a piece to feed her ... much to her fury ...

Just in time for Anjali to enter the room, without knocking she pushes her married brother's door open ... umm, she deserves what she gets in my opinion, just for that ... although I will add that she has been trying to block out Khushi's very existence in the house from her mind as far as possible, helped by everyone else avoiding the topic as well ... so for her, Khushi doesn't exist ...
Till she sees Arnav-Khushi very much together ... celebrating Khushi's birthday next to a beautifully decorated pool, with cake ... all that her brother has done for his wife ... while his sister's world is collapsing, and he should be only worried about his sister ...
Reality check for Anjali ... her first one ...

Even as Arnav Khushi share a small sensuous moment, as he wipes off the cake from her lip ... and tempers cool slowly ... Khushi's slower to cool than Arnav's, he is happy, he got what he wanted ... but she continues to fume and mutter soundlessly to herself ...
'What are you saying ...?!'
'I'm promising myself ... everything I will do for you on your birthday ... stuff you full of things you don't want ... turn off your AC and light the coil you're allergic to, so you can't talk ... and ... is there anything else I can do to irritate the heck out of you?'
And Arnav just grins slightly ... vintage Khushi! Besides, she just said she'd be very much there for his birthday ... :) :">

And Anjali limps back heartbroken to her room ... and her mind starts to unfreeze slowly ...
Arnav promising Anjali he would always be there for her ... his entire world is her, his Di ...
Khushi feeding Shyam kheer, leaving silently with him to unknown destination ...
Mami saying Khushi asked Shyam to divorce Anjali ...
Khushi did it all to trap Shyam ...
Arnav threw Shyam out for misbehaving with his wife ...

And we get a glimpse of how Anjali's mind has started working ... she was the most important person in her brother's life ... Khushi trapped Shyam and had him thrown out ... and Arnav threw out Shyam because he misbehaved with Khushi ... 
When did Khushi take over Anjali's place in Arnav's life? Anjali was ready to magnanimously give her that place ... as long as Khushi remained suitably grateful for the honour ... when did it happen that that place was no longer Anjali's to give away?
More than Didi ki Saut ... this is about Biwi ki Saut Didi ...

The rest of the ArHi fight was actually more a filler ... to keep them apart so that they don't reach the big C yet ... :)) And to bring home to Arnav that sometimes words do matter, more than actions ...
His ILU made all the difference to Khushi, gave her the courage and the confidence to go hunt for him.
His saying HBD, something he never says to anyone else, not even to his Di, would have made her feel she was special for him ... might give her the confidence to stay the course all through the rocky road ahead with his Di ... instead of wanting to bow out of his life ...

And Anjali's thought processes start working slowly ... the flowers were for Khushi, not for her ...
She, Anjali, was Arnav's life, his world ... her world has shattered, her heart has broken, and he has forgotten about it already? He's too busy romancing his wife? Does celebrating his wife's birthday takes precedence over comforting his sister who is so shattered?
Is Khushi more important to him than she, Anjali, is?!

Anjali, this was just the first one ... many more reality checks are in store for you ... before you finally start blaming the right person ...

Thoughts:
I don't blame Anjali for feeling shattered and lost. Her world has collapsed around her ans she's still trying to pick up the pieces. She thought she was the center of her husband's world ... she is not. She comforted herself with the thought that so what if her husband left, her brother is still her rock, he will do anything for her, because his world revolves around her. And the whole family, in their effort to give her time to come to terms with the situation, unknowingly perpetuates it, by not mentioning Khushi at all, by not allowing Khushi to go near her ... so that Anjali can convince herself that Khushi is out of their lives as well, she doesn't exist ...
Besides, she asked her brother to throw Khushi out ... throw out the person who caused this entire mess ... and her brother always does what she asks ...
He made a booboo this morning, but he was properly sorry about it ... he disappeared the entire day ... he was obviously feeling so bad that he spent the day thinking about how to make it up to her ... he brought her those beautiful flowers, her favorite ... yes, her brother loves her, he will do anything for her ... because she is his world ...

Except that Reality Bites ... Di is not his world ... the flowers were not for her, they were for Khushi, whose favorite flowers they also are ...
He didn't spend the entire day in remorse that he hurt his Di ... he spent it in planning a birthday surprise for his wife ...
He is not lost and shattered because his Di's world ... he is more occupied in wooing his wife, because of whom that world shattered ...
Anjali has lost her place in her husband's life ... because Khushi trapped him ...
She has lost her place in her brother's life because he is in love with Khushi ...

I can foresee Anjali turning several shades darker :)
And the good thing is, that every time she hurts Khushi, or tries to, Arnav will be more hurt, and will do even more to make up to Khushi :)
I do feel sorry for Arnav in all this ... he has a tough time ahead between psychotic imbalanced, insecure sister, and annoyed, recalcitrant and not very secure wife. Because Khushi is not yet completely secure in her husband's love and her place in his life either ... though she's getting there ... she's learning to demand her due. And with a SIL like Anjali, she needs to do that.