So whereas episode 3 may have been slower than I would have liked, episode 4 comes back with a bang…Mehreen Jabbar has presented Jackson Heights in such a way that each episode unveils a little bit more about the characters, yet just enough so the audience doesn’t lose its’ interest for the next episode. Although (and this has been my issue before also) the 15 seconds of the next episode preview really does give away more than it should. This episode is also packed with some really heavy lines.
Things we find out in this episode; Mrs. Khan from episode 1 is back and tells Salma and Aliya about a certain Butler Saheb who brought a bahu from Pakistan and things are so bad that his family threw acid on the girl’s face. I guess this was mentioned to highlight the domestic violence of desis residing in the US and its great, but there is domestic violence all over the US not just the desis, so just sayin’. What did strike me as weird was Salma’s facial expression when Aliya tries to say something to her…she completely changes the subject and leaves. has Salma faced such situations in her life that we haven’t seen yet? We know there is a family and we also find out that there is a ‘woh’ jo ‘wapis ja rahe hain…’ Salma’s life is slowly being revealed and now we all know why Amina Sheikh was chosen to play this role. Salma needs to leave to get groceries and as if on cue, Bhatti Saheb enters and really for no apparent reason. He seriously randomly just shows up and it works out great for Salma needing a ride to the grocery store. She also learns that about Bhatti Saheb, his visa issues, wife, and family in Pakistan.
On Bhatti Saheb’s subject, we learn that he still owes his lawyer $2200 and his hearing date is coming soon…which makes me wonder why he is bailing out his friends all the time and not saving up to pay his lawyer. He is also still trying to make-up to Kathy bhabi for being rude the other day, but she sees through him completely. She has been married to him for 6 years and knows him well enough to know that hearing is soon hence all the breakfasts for the kids and stuff. The meeting with his lawyer doesn’t go great either. The lawyer is really skeptical of his marriage to Kathy since last interview clearly had not gone well. As if all this wasn’t enough, Ammi calls from Pakistan and tells him that Jamshed is coming. Apparently he has told his family that he has ‘shares’ in a taxi company. He finally admits ke ‘itne saal guzarne ke baad na mein idhar ka raha, na mein udhar ka raha.’ Khaire Bhatty Saheb takes Mark to the zoo and buys Kathy a scarf as a way of buttering her up so she’ll let Jamshed live with them. I’m confused…is Imran Bhatty that naive or does he think his ‘wife’ is so stupid that she won’t see through all of this? She adamantly refuses to let a desi man stay in her house (that too a stranger). Ab kya hoga? Waise if Kathy is so unhappy, why hasn’t she left? There doesn’t seem to be any love loss in this (lack of) equation. it doesn’t seem like she has anything to lose.
Speaking of Jamshed, he gets the surprise of his life when his Mami makes breakfast for him and has a complete 180 degree turn. Nani then tells him that she knows he got his visa…now it made sense. Nani bechari is really sad and you see the pain in her eyes when she says ‘Yeh jo Amreeka hai na, is-se mujhe bohut dar lagne laga hai,” Thanks Imran Bhatti for ruining it for the younger generation! As scary as Amreeka may be, she gives Jamshed the 35000 rupees he needs in addition to the 1 lac he had saved as ticket prices have increased. She was saving it for her Umrah trio with Imran, but gives it to jamshed saying ‘jo maan ko dekhne na aya, woh Allah ka ghhar dikhane kahan jaega.” (Remember I stated in the beginning that this episode is packed with some heavy dialogues?) She further states ‘mera tere siwa doosra mehram koi nahi hai beta,’ which shows the great disconnect between her and her older son Iqbal even though she lives with him. As Jamshed is leaving, he goes to see Aasma and tells her that with Nani he will also take her to the US after 6 months, leaving Aasma all happy. I refuse to believe that girls in Pakistan are that gullible! I mean had hai!I
The real star of this episode, in my opinion is without a doubt, Vasey Chaudhery for his script! He literally shines in this episode. Not everyone can write a script like this with such conviction and lucky for him, the actors involved (especially Nani) do true justice to his script. Not once does anyone fail in this episode. Life in Jackson Heights is such a contrast from what I know of as life in the US. Having lived here for the majority of my life, I have never experienced such life or met the kind of people shown in this drama. But according to some friends living in New York, this drama very accurately describes the lives of many in that area so I’m glad people in Pakistan are watching this (hopefully) and stop thinking of the US as a place where money grows on trees. Well done team Jackson Heights!