The news of Father Albert’s death came not just as a shock to his flock of followers, but also cruelly snatched away Appo ji’s raison d’être. She might be the hardhearted Appo de’Ville for the rest of the world, but for her beloved she was as soft as a snowflake – ready to melt at first touch of his hand. Appo had spent the best part of her youth pining for him. Surely a woman as beautiful as her must’ve had a thousand suitors, but she remained steadfastly faithful. Now her beloved was dead. How cruel could fate be? At least while he was alive she could fantasize, but now even that ghost of a luxury was snatched away from her. Shattered, she let out her frustrations on the innocent Zoyee and Jugnu, screaming and yelling at them for being alive, while the love of her life now lay buried under tons of dirt.
Once that moment of weakness passed, Appo was not going to let anything or anybody else breach her defenses, be it an awkwardly phrased condolence from a fabulously clued-in but clueless Mama ji, or a sharp jibe from her niece, all seemed to fall on a deaf ears. Dressed in a white saree, her widow’s weeds, Appo is as cold as a slab of marble, but the slightest shiver of her hands, the tinniest flicker of her eyes belies her tough exterior. That she lets a boisterous Zoyee run across her feet without a word speaks volumes – much like the unending rain outside, this is a woman shedding a thousand tears on the inside. Hina Bayat has been consistently fabulous, but her performance in the last episode and in the opening sequence here renders me speechless.
What makes Talkhiyan a standout is that every character is so well etched that one forgets that these crazy Silverwood people are not real. Watching Bibi fix Jaanu baba’s bow tie, as he hurried to receive his ex-wife Margaret and his daughter Lizzie, it is so easy to imagine them as competitive siblings, who have spent a lifetime perfecting the art of bickering over everything and nothing. Sanam Saeed and Adnan Jaffar bring their complex characters to life so beautifully that it seems almost effortless.
With Margaret and Lizie’s entrance, the pot brewing at Silverwood gets stirred just that much more. While Bibi might smirk at Jaanu’s almost childlike eagerness to prepare for his family’s arrival, inwardly she is hurt by the lack of overt censure their arrival merits. Mama ji might question Margaret’s humble origins, but that doesn’t stop her from welcoming her ex-daughter-in-law with open arms. Appo, who never tires of reminding Zoyee and Jugnu of their neeli peeli lineage, is now rushing around coaching the children on the proper way to greet Lizzie baby. Even Aayee, an odd duck if there ever was one, cannot stop singing songs welcoming Jaanu’s family.
Ayee’s is such a fascinating character. Ostensibly a hired hand, she sees no problem in donning Appo’s mantle as she taunts Bibi about her marriage to Paul. She rejects Baloo as a possible suitor, he is of ghair mazhab, but then has no qualms helping Jaanu baba relax! I don’t even want to begin to wonder how she keeps such convoluted logic straight in her holier than thou head. Nargis Rasheed’s Aayee doesn’t say much, but is absolutely delightful every time she comes on screen.
While the adults are busy playing their games, chalking out their positions before the next round of one-upmanship begins, it is the children who are most affected. Bibi’s firm reassurances, despite their vehemence sound hollow even to the kids’ ears. Jugnu’s pensive expressions, as he remains unconvinced by his mother’s reassurance that she is a double parent to them, were really heart touching. Reflecting on her past, as an adult, Zoya’s remembers Lizzie’s arrival as ushering in a momentous change in their so far fairly stable lives, after which even the most mundane of family activities, searching for a lost hairpin, became a thing of the past. Sensing that this was perhaps the last happy moment between Bibi, Zoyee and Jugnu, it was hard not be touched by the sight of the kids making silly faces in the torchlight. The look of adoration that an obviously smitten Zoyee bestows on Baloo, her knight in shining armor, was so sweet. The impromptu hug that Zoyee gave Bibi, as she helped her dress, brought tears to my eyes; there was such an inescapable sense of finality in that moment. Sabina and Sagar are superstars in every sense of the word. They live and breathe their characters. Mehak Khan is equally impressive as the older Zoya.
The sense of impending doom, that had been building up throughout this installment, came to the fore when the episode ended with a closeup of Zoyee’s very troubled face. She knew, as did Jugnu and Bibi, the warmth of the welcome accorded to the newcomers was a signal that life, as they knew it at Silverwood, would never be the same again. Week after week Bee Gul, Khalid Ahmad and their talented cast and crew continue to weave their magic as we delve deeper into the lives of the Silverwood people. Kooky and crazy they maybe, but I for one am happily addicted!
SZ , you said it , ‘happily addicted ‘, me too !
Why was mama jee acting so weird during the phone conversation , Margaret kon ? , she seemed lost or was it deliberate ?
I missed Appo jis gorgeous saris and her banao sighar.
Poor Appo! Yes although the woman is completely mad but i feel bad for her , only because it really hurts when you lose that last ray of hope. Her hope which was in Father Albert. Na jaane konsa hope but kuch na kuch to ho ga.
As SZ states in her review Appo could have been with anyone she chose but she sat around and waited for Father Albert.
Sure I feel bad for her but really wanna smack her for yelling at the kids in such a way ALL the freaking time!! Un becharon ka kya kasoor.. =\..
Khair now that Appo’s mourning period has ended, she is back with a bang, with her witty comments about everything. Dont understand why she is so excited to meet Margaret and Lizzy but hating on the other two poor kids 24/7… =\.. love her facial expressions when she meets Lizzie though.
Each character has their own dark and depressing issues but I so wish the kids and bibi stick together till the end. They are such a perfect family. Every scene of their’s has me totally spellbound. I just cannot imagine what could it have been to split the trio apart. It left a visible pain on Zoyee’s face forever. Every time we get to see her scene, puts me in such a depressing mood. The poor woman needs so much comfort and Jugnu is no where to be found!
Love your shawl, Mehak Khan! and please dont be so depressed, Jugnu will show up sooner or later… or so we hope.
My fave scene, Bibi, Jugnu and Zoyee getting dressed up before Lizzie and the “ex wife’s ” arrival. a very emotional scene between mother and daughter, and that worrisome look on Bibi’s face.. =\.. I wonder whats going to happen..
PS. Jaanu itna hotshot banta hai, why couldn’t he get a better car!
I so agree with @Ash… your Talkhiyan reviews make me awestruck in such a way that i fell in love with episode all over again 🙂 Keep writing such such and such beautifully SZ!
Firstly thank you so much for providing full episode link… some awesome scenes i missed in version i saw! This episode literally left me with tears for first time, all thanks to Mehak Khan brilliant monologue about the last moments they 3 shared… ( yes shawl was wow 😉 ) without even a single dialogue, Bibi,Zoyee and Jugnu shared one great memory, finding the lost hairpin and making funny faces 🙂 it indeed bought smile. These children are powerhouse of talent,such treat watching them! Baloo helping to findout hairpin was nice inclination towards upcoming bibi-baloo scenes!
Bibi and Jaano Baba are one awesome siblings 😀 just love their chemistry and their hard answers to each other..
Aayee looked fantastic when she came to show that weird color dress.. she, her double standards and her high thoughts on being Christian.. truly an apt servant for Silverwood! Nargis Rasheed is indeed perfect choice for Aayee.
Beautifully written SZ once again! Loved the hairpin sequence between the three of them and what looks like it might be a budding romance between Baloo and Bibi. Appo though mourning the loss of her lover doesn’t fail to make snide remarks and torture the kids per her usual self. This woman will never change. The fake English accent from Appo was hilarious 🙂 The kids are so intelligent. They definitely know their status is different from Baby Lizzy’s. The sadness was palpable. Looks like things won’t be the same anymore since they did a flashback of the Zoyee-Jugnu happy moments. Special award to Sabina and Sagar for playing their roles so amazingly well. I could totally feel all their happy and sad emotions.
oh yes!! I loved that flashback reel they showed of the kids! So precious!
Haven’t seen the ep yet but loved the review.
i did not like the god of small things that much but I have fallen in love with the drama . its a state of the art drama .
Thanks @Madiha. Good to have another friend to add to our little community of Talkhiyan followers 🙂 Hope to hear more from you after this latest episode!