This episode begins with Batool’s story. She is the picture of domesticity - cooking, cleaning, managing her house in flashback scenes. We see that she was married off as a child bride. They don’t show the face of her husband - it’s not important. He could be every man. He beats her up on her wedding night. He is abusive and this is probably all she knew because she got married so young. 

She makes her way to the adoption agency where she finds that her daughter was adopted a year after coming to the orphanage. Mr and Mrs Karim are her child’s adoptive parents. 

Batool goes to their home to pay her daughter a visit. She sees a beautiful, young girl watering plants in the garden. The girl sees her and asks if she can help in any way. Batool runs away. There are too many things to consider before actually meeting her daughter. How will she explain her decisions? Will she disturb her daughter’s peaceful life? 

Once again in flashback - Batool is lying on her bed after her wedding night. Her husband’s family is checking the bedsheets for signs of blood. Blood on the bedsheets is a symbol of pride for a groom’s family. It is proof that the girl is a virgin. Batool remembers this and it makes her sick even after all these years. 

In the interrogation room, Sara says that she didn’t know about Batool’s past back then. The police officer claims that Batool is the reason the Shehnaz Khaled scandal happened. 

Shehnaz Khalid is a woman, like the others, who comes to the Churails because her husband doesn’t seem to show the same kind of love to her anymore. Her husband Ehtesham Khalid is a sociology professor at a University. He takes out money and goes out at night saying that he’s in office. But when Shehnaz checked at University, he wasn’t there. 

The Churails track him but they are unable to find any dirt on him. He is a likeable, well mannered, disciplined man. 

It’s Baby Doll’s birthday. She is having a party with her friends whose sexual identities seem fluid. One of her friends has fallen in love with her “client”. They share banter and have a good time. Elsewhere, Ehtesham Khalid is having a lovely dinner with his wife. It seems like they really love and care about each other. 

Batool finds the ultrasound photo at Jugnoo’s house while cleaning up. She goes to talk to Jugnoo who tells her that she can’t kill her yet. I love their relationship. It’s so snarky and dysfunctional. She asks Jugnoo about the photo who tells her that she had a miscarriage. Batool shares that she was looking for her daughter Mehak. But she wasn’t able to go speak to her. Jugnoo encourages her to go meet her daughter. 

Batool relives the moment when she became a murderer. Her husband used to try to force himself on her. One day when she refused, he tried to have sex with his own daughter. Batool would not let her daughter be harmed in this way. She stopped ironing and instead, used it as a weapon to burn her husband’s penis and murder him. It was in defence of her child.

Sara in shopping in the supermarket when a woman complains that her son pinched her bottom. The boy says that she was a fat woman and it was just funny. While Sara is apologetic towards the woman and furious with Salaar, Jameel laughs at the story when he hears it. Jameel thinks it’s funny and does not discipline his child. He says, “Boys will be boys.” This is how misogyny and sexism gets inculcated in human beings at a young age. 

Ehtesham is leaving the house saying it’s going to be a late night. Churails have put a GPS tracker on his car and figured out that hotel he has booked that night. Shehnaz hugs her husband one last time. She is really hoping that she doesn’t find out that he’s unfaithful. 

Jugnoo’s wedding planner employee is interested in asking her out for a date. He racks up the courage and she dismisses his question. The hunt for Ehtesham Khalid is on! His car drives up to a hotel. The game is on! The two seductress Churails are sitting in the lobby of the hotel taking selfies. So when Jugnoo gets there, she calls Baby Doll to come and take care of them. Jugnoo then tries to use her charms to get information about Khalid’s room. But the concierge is not interested. Instead, she says that Jugnoo once fat-shamed her, so she’s not getting anything out of her. While this is happening, Zubeida sneaks up and bribes a hotel maid to switch outfits with her. 

Batool finally musters up the courage to go see her daughter. She opens the door and looks bright and happy as ever. But as the conversation continues Batool soon realises that the girl she’s been looking at is not her daughter. She finds out that her daughter was a difficult child who ran away from home when she was 15. Her adoptive parents never looked for her because she was too difficult. They were happy that she left. Batool is heartbroken but now has a mission. She needs to find her daughter, reunite with her. 

Jugnoo runs into a manager who recognises her. Looks like her charms did end up working. She’s got the room number. But the concierge reports her and Jugnoo’s out. Baby Doll is denied entry because she’s a trans woman. The seductress Churails also leave. Now only Zubeida is left inside. She goes to the room as a housekeeper and finds semi-naked man in the room. She takes a video of this and leaves. Ehtesham Khalid is gay and his lover is Baby Doll’s friend. Baby Doll explains to Sara that this is unlike their other cases. Homosexuality is not allowed in society, and so the professor has no other option but to sneak around. Baby Doll also says that she believes that they truly love each other. This argument wins. Jugnoo and Sara agree to abort the mission. Batool who is volatile after her recent revelation is not okay with this decision. 

Batool calls Zubeida and asks her to hold on to the keys to the room. Then she calls the wife, Shehnaz Khalid and tells her to go to the room. Zubeida gives her the key, but instantly regrets her decision. She calls Shams to tell him. He lets Sara know, who is furious and slaps Batool out of anger. Zubeida is running up to stop Shehnaz, but she is too late. 

Shehnaz enters the room to find her husband embracing his lover and dancing with him to a classic love song. Their eyes are closed and the move in one spot, very slowly. They don’t see Shehnaz who freaks out and asks for the wifi password. She wants to call her children and show them who her father is. This is heartbreaking. 

Batool believes that Sara is just letting men with power and money get away with things. Jugnoo explains that this was not about Batool’s personal problems. Sara tells Batool that she’s fired. Jugnoo agrees. Zubeida is also furious with her. 

Ehtesham tells his wife that he loves her, but he can’t kill this part of himself that comes from within. He explains to her in few words the struggles he faces as a gay man living in a repressive society. 

In reaction, Shehnaz kills himself and cooks him like Nihari and eats him!

This was a ridiculously shocking twist to the episode!

I understand where it comes from, but I find this very problematic. For the writers, the perspective is probably that women deal with so much sexism that at some point it’s enough to make them snap and do something to regain power. However, it is highly unlikely that a woman who is otherwise functional would snap in this manner. Storylines like this only serve to further the stereotype that women are “hysterical” and “crazy” and do more damage than good. 

Anyway…the show goes on. 

Sara is at the beach when she runs into Sheela. Sheela is friendly, tells her that she’s acting and has found a boy. She remembers the shop and wants to come by to visit. But Sara tells her not to. She cannot tolerate lies and does not show much love towards Sheela. Baby Doll’s friend is crying over the loss of his love. He talks about how hard his life is as a male sex worker - how most people would beat him up or mistreat him. And here he was…in love with a client who loved him back. 

The treatment of this series takes a lot from theatre. Dramatic lighting, symbolism, stage set ups for scenes. 

Batool is of course the person to sign off this episode. We see her lying in a shower after she’s cut herself. Is she going to die? It seems unlikely given the story arc. She is really out of control and needs to take it easy. 

Episode Rating 3/5