This episode is titled Pretakalpa which refers to the last rites upon the death of a person in Hindu mythology. We see a lot of literal deaths, but also several metaphorical ones that explain the title of this episode. 

Sartaj is buying medicines. It appears that he has mental health issues. He stares at objects in his house - a bat, the TV. From the first episode, we get the sense that this is a broken man. 

Gaitonde, on the other hand, has lost his erection. The loss of Cuckoo coupled with the slow realisation that there is a mole in his gang who gave up Paritosh makes him feel weak and incapable. He roughs up his new bride in the bedroom, but isn’t able to have sex with her. Subadhra, on the other hand, is not a weak and scared woman. She is tough and points out that Gaitonde needs revenge. That should restore his manhood. Of course, the toxic masculinity overtones are rife here. I love the portrayal of the strong woman who isn’t afraid. 

The Bengali Bura story is not over, as we may have thought. Katekar goes to investigate a theft in the neighbourhood and learns about a boy who is missing named Shamshul. He suspects that the boy is behind the crime. He speaks to the mother, who claims that the boy was taking computer classes, working and making a decent salary. 

19 Days Left

Why is there no urgency in solving the case where a known kingpin has said that Mumbai will be destroyed in 19 days? Why is no one assigned to this case in a proper capacity? Anyway...

Sartaj visits his mother in Punjab for his father’s death anniversary. He asks her about the bat that he was staring at in the previous scene. The bat was expensive, imported. How could they afford it on a policeman’s salary? The mother gets angry and defends her husband.

In Mumbai, Zoya and Parulkar are having dinner together. Zoya is desperate to get her hands on her file, but Parulkar doesn’t have it. Parulkar then expresses concern about her bruises. Zoya lays it on thick accusing her boyfriend of being violent. She claims that he has killed two people and her dog. (Ah! Is this the same dog thrown off the balcony in the first scene of the Season?) Zoya is obviously trying to manipulate Parulkar so he will save her from the manipulative boyfriend. 

Sartaj has decided not to quiz his mother anymore. So he spends a quiet evening with her. 

18 Days Left

The next day, back at work, he gives Katekar tickets to charity show where Zoya will be performing. Katekar is so adorable. He has a celebrity crush on Zoya. 

At RAW, Anjali and her colleague are going through their intel trying to find possible connections to their fake currency case. They flash a picture where one of the men looks just like Murad, but Anjali has never seen Murad. So she is unable to make the connection. 

The mother in the old Bengali Bura case finds that her missing son is dead. She breaks down and starts crying. Sartaj and Katekar watch on looking guilty. In order to drown their sorrows, they decide to go drinking. Katekar then goes to his informant to get more information. He knows that the boys belong to a gang and he is trying to find their gang leader. Frustrated by getting no decent leads, Katekar beats up the boy until he is black and blue. Easy going Katekar shown in this light is telling about humanity. Everyone has a dark side. 

Zoya plants cocaine in her boyfriend’s bag. So this is her plan. She is going to frame him as a drug addict. She calls Parulkar to let him know. Then she goes on to the charity function to perform her show. Katekar and his family are in the audience. They are really enjoying themselves. It is great to see some normalcy in an otherwise grim show. 

Katekar gets a call and of course, it’s Sartaj. He is so needy. His wife gives him a dirty look but then goes back to enjoying the show. Katekar leaves the room and joins Sartaj who is trailing the Bengali Bura gang. They go to a bar where they confront three boys who are connected with the gang. While Katekar is questioning two of the boys, the third boy gets a knife in his hand. Sartaj notices this, but before he can stop the him, the boy stabs Katekar in the neck and runs away. Noooo! Katekar was one of the best characters in show. Sartaj runs after the boy. In the same small lanes of the slum, Sartaj gets a flashback from the earlier Bengali Bura case. Except this time it’s his hand and his gun. Furious with the death of his friend, he shoots the boy running away from him in cold blood. Death is here and the last rites need to be performed. 

We are moving back to Gaitonde’s story. He is with a young Parulkar. The police officer shows him a video from Isa’s niece’s wedding. Gaitonde finds one of his Muslim henchmen appearing as a guest at the wedding. This is the mole in his gang! He confronts the man who tells him that he was angry about Bunty killing Muslims in Gopalmath. He went to Isa because he wanted to retaliate. He knows he is about to die. He asks Gaitonde to spare his younger brother Chhote. Chhote knows nothing about his betrayals. Chhote is the same Muslim man who is in love with Bunty’s sister. Gaitonde assures him that Chhote will come to no harm before shooting a bullet into his head. 

Bunty confronts Chhote back at the house and Gaitonde betrays his promise by killing Chhote as well. Kanta doesn’t blink. This is the revenge that was needed for the death of Paritosh. The last rites. 

Subhadra enters and applauds the decision. She and Gaitonde immediately start having sex and this time, Gaitonde is able to successfully complete the act. 

Back in present day, Sartaj is confronted by Katekar’s dead body and his wife. Excellent performances here, that really touch the heart. She screams at him, blaming him for Katekar’s death. I must admit, this death is bumming me out. Also, now we won’t get more banter from the detective duo. We will have to watch Sartaj be emo and annoying without any comic relief. 

Katekar gets a proper police officer salute. Sartaj thinks about what a source of joy and positivity Katekar was to him. 

17 Days Left

Mathu’s death report has come and it says that he was poisoned. Anjali jumps at this and instantly asks for all the CCTV footage from the hospital, the night of Mathu’s death. 

Sartaj is looking through Katekar’s wallet. He finds a picture of his wife and under that a picture of Zoya from her younger days as an actress. This photograph seems to trigger something in his memory and he rushes home. 

Anjali goes through the CCTV footage and recognises Murad from the photos she saw earlier. Finally! RAW has the link that they needed. 

Meanwhile, back at his house, Sartaj looks through Jojo’s files. He finds a picture of a woman who is a younger Zoya. I wonder why he couldn’t recognise her before if she’s such a familiar face? Ah…maybe she had some work done. 

The theme of death and last rites runs throughout the show. Of course, while the deaths of Katekar and the boy in Bengali Bura are obvious, others are more subtle. We see Gaitonde reborn after he goes through a spiral. He is able to resurrect himself only because he finally feels like he has paid the last respects to Paritosh bhai. Mathu’s post mortem report is a rite that allows Anjali to get a lead on her case. And for Sartaj, it feels like after the loss of Katekar, he is also reborn as a person who is hardened. The guilt he carries in the beginning of the episode switches after his cold blooded murder of the boy in Bengali Bura. That is his way of paying respects. 

Episode Rating 4/5