Indian Summers catch-up, episode 5 – Flames of passion: past and present

March 22 2015

Channel 4’s colonial blockbuster is building towards an explosive crescendo…

By CHAYYA SYAL

WE ARE currently at the half-way point of what has been a fairly gripping Sunday night drama. Channel Four’s “Indian Summers” did not disappoint its viewers as we were left on several cliff hangers after last week’s episode (March 15).

Many characters’ back stories were suddenly revealed to us after weeks of tension. We saw Aafrin (Nikesh Patel) and Alice (Jemima West) give in to their feelings and passionately kiss in the shadows. Was it a one off or can we expect more sneaky sessions of forbidden romance in the shadows?

We’ve also found out that Ralph (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) is definitely connected to Adam (Shailesh Sachin Kumar) and his biological mother – who travelled to Simla from Madras (now Chennai) to find them both. Following remarks that Ralph was a Ma-Bhapa’ to many in Madras, Ralph’s time there is shrouded in mystery and possible controversy.

And to really add the icing on the cake, we’ve discovered that the alleged heiress, Madeleine (Olivia Grant) is penniless, thanks to Cynthia’s (Julie Walters) surveillance skills. But one crucial question remains. Will Ralph even go ahead with the wedding following the reappearance of Adam and his biological mother at his engagement party?

And has he got more to worry about by wooing Dalit leader Dr Kamble (Sanjeev Bhaskar, pictured above with ‘Ralph’ in ‘Indian Summers’)?

www.asianculturevulture.com’s Chayya Syal (twitter link at top) will be live tweeting here (@asianculturevul) about ‘Indian Summers’ every Sunday between 9pm – 10pm. To follow the discussion, please follow us, using the the hash tags #IndianSummers #asianculturevulture

‘Indian Summers’, episode 5 review and links to other stories http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/indian-summers-review-episode-5-secrets-and-lies/

*’Indian Summers‘, 9pm-10pm, Channel 4