This was one of the most happening episodes of Goya in a while and made for great viewing. Nicely edited, beautifully shot, this week’s episode had everything perfectly in sync.

There were a lot of revelations, not all of them good .After much investigation Omar finally learns the truth, his confrontations with Asma Mirza, Sharfu Nanna and finally with his father’s special henchman finally paid off and he learns the awful truth. Needless to say Qazi Wajid as Sharfu Nanna telling Omar off was a sheer delight; not just because, Omar deserved it but after all the silences and half-finished conversations it was literally cathartic.  I want to say beychara Omar at his crumpling face and broken, guilty looks but I can’t. This whole marriage to Zara was a ridiculous revenge fantasy gone wrong. Omar maybe a ‘nice guy” but he is ultimately a weak person. He was ready to marry Zara before too, when he thought he had no other option. It was Mohini who gave him the strength and confidence to be his own person.

Now Mohini is sick, very sick. The exact illness is left frustratingly as a cliff hanger for next week but I am hoping it’s something she can recover from, I know life isn’t fair but surely fiction can be ?This explains why Mohini has been down for so long and unable to move on or change . Sana Javaid and Osman Khalid Butt were totally fabulous, I felt for them both and even if they aren’t sharing a scene somehow their characters feel connected. Osman in particular was the highlight of this week; he really is a very strong, controlled actor who manages to convey his characters feelings without shouting or melodrama.

Now the question remains, what are we going to do about Zara, who is turning into a sad shadow of herself? I think I really preferred her when she was on drugs; at least she had some character now she has every symptom of Dusri bivi syndrome. The signs are sadly obvious:

a)She takes advice from her father in law, a man she well knows is slightly to the right of Hitler

b)She makes whiny phone calls to Omar which border on the threatening ‘I’m going back on drugs/I am coming to chappa maar

c) She asks for advice from Omar’s friend Ali, who despite his designation as Omar’s comic wingman is actually making a lot of sense.

And ladies and gentleman the most telling of all :

d) she sits alone, sighing and twirling her hair. If we are not careful I fear  she may sing.

On a more serious note, I would really like to think Omar owes Zara nothing but he does, he owes her an apology and a clear explanation. It seems Omar awes a lot of explanations and so does his father. Zaib Un Nisa finally comes out with the truth about her birth as Rahat Hashmi’s illegitimate daughter and her desperation to be recognized. Still the ‘undertaker’ has no empathy or pity on her. I have to say bravo Christina Albert, this is the first time I have actually enjoyed her scenes. Similarly Haniya has also discovered some backbone and is standing up to her husband, refusing to have an abortion.

Rahat Hashmi is gratifyingly the same, quite evil. Usman Peerzada doesn’t bend an inch and this perfect villainy is what keeps the plot in balance. I am sure Rahat Hashmi will give us reasons at some point for his obsessions but if Mohini dies it really doesn’t matter in the end, he still wins.

Thank you team Goya, writer Mohamad Ahmed saheb and Director Furukh Faiz for some great viewing!

written by Sadaf