…Finally Aunn grew up and Zara learned that if her relationship with Aunn isn’t right, nothing else will be either. Last week I was complaining about fillers etc, obviously Haissem et al had been saving the very best for last. This year Aunn Zara has been like an oasis in a desert of mediocrity: script, direction and acting came together in a perfect alignment that left me happy after almost each episode.

The Nighat Phupo and Jamshed Saheb track has been a pleasure to watch .It was nicely wound up with the realization that even the self-sufficient Jamshed might need someone and a proposal that had me screaming: say yes, say yes! I loved that this was a match born of mutual attraction rather than Jamshed‘s need for a housekeeper or Nighat’s need for money which is the usual scenario in dramas. Their new relationship is not going to be without its own adjustment process as was witnessed by Jamshed the fitness fanatic’s pointed look at Nighat when she tried to stuff an entire laddoo into her mouth at once … which immediately dissolved into the more forgiving look of love  when she exchanged it for a smaller piece.

Aunn and Manzar’s relationship has been one of the highlights of this serial and they didn’t let us down this week either:”Teri khabassat kissi taruf ki mohtaaj hai?” , had me in stitches, while Manzar’s analysis of Aunn’s bathing habits is best  kept under wraps to protect the innocent. Manzar is suffering from the side effects of Aunn’s manipulations and though I felt sorry for him, I cannot help but think this was a little payback for all the dumb advice he dished out in the earlier episodes. Mukarram Kaleem and Osman make a fabulous double act, they looked totally natural. If Manzar had been more sensible I doubt our Aunn would have asked him for any advice in the first place. The Aunn from episode 1 seems a million miles away from the one we see now. Aunn has lost none of his shall I say ‘swagger’, managing to get Dadi and Husna’s  sympathy for a pregnant Zara and avoiding a full apology for his actions . The reality is his family just loves him too much and is just too nice to even think of punishing him. Like Zara, I was afraid that Aunn would learn nothing but his call to his father proved he really has grown up. Gone is the Aunn who never saw the pain his father caused his mother all these years, a new Aunn who cares about his family and their feelings now stands before us. He even offers to work two jobs to support his wife and child rather than rely on his in laws. Osman Khalid Butt has been the star of the show from day one. He has made Aunn infuriating and cute, likable but equally thapperworthy at times and has really grown as an actor from his Ek Naeey Cinderella days. Who could resist that wink he gave the camera as he led all the ladies back into the family house or when he insists there could be no cuter baby than him .Aunn I totally agree.

There were so many sweet scenes this episode it is hard to just pick one but Husna and Aunn’s look of understanding after his phone call to his father was something special. Hina Bayat and Osman not only look like mother and son but have that chemistry which makes it so real on screen. A mother spends a life time of love and sacrifice waiting for that moment of fruition when she sees her child do the right thing without any prompting .Ok so I am a big old softy and ended up crying. Husna, Dadi and Phupo are such a wonderful trio; they show us the power of sisterhood which is so often ignored in drama serials. Faiza Iftikhar is an intuitive writer who understands the complexities of people’s feelings and emotions so well.  This really has been one of her best ,most well planned scripts.I always look out for her plays because they are about strong, positive women who learn to overcome the difficulties life throws at them. I have not always been happy with Maya Ali as Zara but overall she has done a great job as the more sensible Zara. I have to be grateful to her for actually concentrating on her role and not using inappropriate makeup or strangely colorful clothes to distract from the scene at hand. She is a good actress and I hope she keeps up this kind of dedication to her craft.

The final episode was deeply satisfying with all the loose ends nicely tied up, even Manzar and Shehna got back together .I  missed seeing them together and wished we could have had some excuse to see Chacha and Chachi too. The whole AZ team seems so familiar that I am going to miss them every Thursday. Thanks again to Haissem Hussain for his wonderful direction, his control of the narrative and the way he makes the background music enhance the actual story rather than overpowering the scene.  He is one of the few directors who have the ability to make us laugh in one scene, cry in the next and think romance in the third without blinking an eye.