‘Indian Summers’ 2016 review episode 10: Three happy endings and one final goodbye…

June 1 2016

**The final instalment brought tears of joy and a slight foreboding…

MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS

By Tasha Mathur

NOPE. This can’t be the end. We refuse to believe it! Are we really never going to see Aafrin’s (Nikesh Patel) puppy dog eyes again? No more feminist rants from the feisty Sooni (Aysha Kala)? The last of Cynthia’s (Julie Walters) quick quips and ball grabs? And what are we going to do without a heart-warming moment or two from big softie, Ralph (Henry Lloyd-Hughes)?

We must admit – we approached this last hour of “Indian Summers” fearing the worst. We know we couldn’t cope with yet another a heart stopping cliff-hanger and this time without ever knowing what happens next. However, we were quite spoiled in this final episode as we were treated to three terrific happy endings.

One of the heroes of 'Indian Summers' Aafrin Dalal (Nikesh Patel)

Fans have been divided about the Sooni/Naseem (Tanmay Dhanania) love story as many had been rooting for Ian (Alexander Cobb) but we couldn’t help cheering for Sooni and Mr. Khan’s wedding.

Although we did find it slightly out of Sooni’s independent character to agree so easily to converting to Islam and changing her name. Was this something she truly wanted to do? We also experienced mixed emotions as we felt sorry for a side lined Baapi (Roshan Seth) who only has his children’s best interests at heart. How are him and Mummy (Lilette Dubey) going to cope? We’ll never know…

Happy ending number two came in the form of Ralph’s resignation as he finally set himself free from the dirty politics of the British Raj. It only took him two seasons to realise, “You see things more clearly when you have less to hide”, but Ralph in a kurta shows how relaxed he’s finally become. And it was only fitting that Cynthia came to Ralph’s rescue one last time and she saves Chotipool and in true Cynthia fashion, announces she’s moving in. We would love to see how Madeleine (Olivia Grant) copes with what’s practically her mouthy mother-in-law. Surely that deserves a spin-off series in itself?

The precious and delicate Alice (Jemima West) who fell in love with Aafrin...

And last but most definitely not least – Alice and Aafrin finally get their happily-ever-after! We’d just about lost all hope after a tearful goodbye between these two star-crossed lovers last week but thanks to the heroic actions of Aafrin (and Alice), we got to see this storyline happily concluded as well…phew! As if that wasn’t enough, we even got to see the demise of evil Charlie (Blake Ritson) – we’ve been truly spoiled!

With so many happy endings, it’s almost as if this season was written to be the final one but we’re intrigued about what writer and series creator, Paul Rutman, had in store for the next three seasons. We were just beginning to see the cracks in the British Raj with the divide between Hindus and Muslims forming – how would the characters have become involved? Could the religious clashes have affected Sooni’s recent conversion to Islam? So many unanswered questions…

Charlie (Blake Ritson), the man everyone loved to hate, too cool and calculating by half...

Nevertheless, it’s been an excellent two seasons of a unique British drama with tears, laughs and everything in between. The fact that two petitions were formed just minutes after the final episode aired, shows how popular “Indian Summers” is and we sincerely hope that Paul Rutman finds another platform for such a brilliant series.

Thank you to everyone who joined us every Sunday for our live tweeting sessions – we loved interacting with each and every one of you!

Hero of the episode: It’s been a while since Aafrin’s been awarded with this title as he lost his way this season but it was only fitting that our ultimate hero of the show (according to Twitter fans) is awarded this title one more time. Not only did he save Alice’s life but also attended Sooni’s wedding and stood up to the new Viceroy’s right-hand man – we’d been waiting for that speech!

Villain of the episode: And as equally fitting as Aafrin being our hero for one last time, is Charlie being awarded the final ‘Villain of the episode’ title. Not only did he literally knock the wind out of Aafrin but having his way with Alice in the car was unbearable to watch…and he’s shocked when Alice locks him out of the car as he tries to escape his killers? Silly Charlie…

Cynthia Coffin (Julie Walters) for so long a figure of hate and distrust but by the end...

Best scene: Charlie’s savage murder by an angry mob and Aafrin claiming Alice and Percy as his own wife and child are not only the best scenes of this episode but quite possibly the entire season. We could just about catch our breaths! Yet again, Ralph is rendered powerless as he can only watch the scene unfold from his car but add gun-wielding Adam into the mix and the three of them made quite the dream team. Charlie’s brutal murder was certainly shocking but something we had all been waiting for and thank god we saw justice being served before the show’s end!

Quote of the episode: “We are the pioneers. Wherever we lead, the world will follow”. Wow. Sooni’s buoyant optimism as she and Aafrin discuss their defiant attitudes towards their parent’s wishes, reminds us of the significant changes to come in the country. There’s a revolution brewing and India will need pioneers such as Sooni and Aafrin. We just wish we could see how it unfolds!

And we have to mention Aafrin’s, “That is my woman. That is my child.” line in such beautiful Hindi that it sent shivers down our spines. Cue the swooning. *Sigh*

**Why we published this only now…because we wanted to catch up with Paul Rutman, the series creator and round off our own two years of covering this epic drama with thanks to ALL those who live tweeted both in 2015 and 2016. It might not quite all be over…keep tuned, and you’ll see why…make sure you’re following on TWITTER or FACEBOOK.

Indian Summers creator looking to revive epic drama

Thanks and see all soon again!

A big thanks to the amazing @TashaMathur for her brilliant live tweeting… the last from our live tweeting sessions (May 15) :’-(  😥 😥 😥