‘Indian Summers’ 2016 Episode 7 Review/Catch-up: Proposals and indecent proposals…

April 28 2016

Whether it was the eyebrow suitor or the wife swap or a woman of substance, there was practically something for everyone in this week’s instalment…

MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS

BY Tasha Mathur

IAN PROPOSES to Sooni. Aw! The Maharajah wants Alice to come to dinner. Ew. Boman offers Sooni the chance to continue her law work. Aw! The Maharajah wants Madeleine. Ew. Mr. Khan confesses his love for Sooni. Aw! The Maharajah sleeps with Madeleine while Ralph has his way with Phyllis. Ew. Ew. EW.

As you can tell, this week’s episode has left us quite confused about what we should be feeling. We were equally disgusted as well as captivated as we jumped between Sooni’s (Aysha Kala pictured right) suitors vying for her love and what essentially ended up being a wife swap between Ralph (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) and the Maharajah (Art Malik).

It began with the Maharajah and Ralph’s power struggle as His Majesty suggests using Ralph’s son Adam (Dillon Mitra), as live tiger bait. This proved to be uncomfortable viewing as Ralph allows Bhupi’s (Ash Nair) son to be tied up instead. But that moment was all about testing how far Ralph would go for the Maharajah – which made it easy for him to make the King to make his next request – a night with Madeleine (Olivia Grant).

We were left so shocked at what went on in Chotipool that we almost forgot Ian’s (Alexander Cobb) awkward proposal at the start of the episode. However, no sooner had we cheered for this bold move, were we then torn between Ian and Sooni’s next suitor, Boman (Zaqi Ismail). While we initially cringed at ‘The Eyebrow Man’, allowing Sooni to work on his legal cases found us even further confused about who should be The One. Enter suitor number three, journalist Mr. Khan (Tanmay Dhanania), who whisks Sooni away to see Gandhi in a moment of madness. The spark between Ian and Sooni seemed so strong that we never thought Sooni would end up choosing Mr. Khan. Well, they do say opposites attract! Turns out saving Sooni’s life pales in comparison to seeing taking her to see the country’s revolutionary hero in action. Nice try Ian – but how will he handle the rejection?

Meanwhile, Ralph faces a dilemma as the Maharajah demands a night with Madeleine in exchange for support on his Bill. Cue a sense of queasiness as Madeleine finds herself having no choice but to agree. Let’s not forget that Ralph has already hooked up with Phyllis and while some fans thought this was the Maharajah’s revenge, it looks more like a case of downright lust and power.

We also couldn’t help but notice the fact that Ralph allows this one-night affair to happen while he’s still fuming at Cynthia (Julie Walters) for allowing the affair between his Mum and her husband continue many years ago. Hypocritical much, Ralphie? This episode also goes to show that Ralph can’t handle these situations with the quick thinking Cynthia. We’re sure she would have thought of some shrewd way of getting out of the Maharajah’s indecent proposal!

Now what’s left to see is whether any of this has worked and paved the way for Ralph to become the next Viceroy of India. Silly move to trust the Maharajah’s word we think…

Hero of the episode: It’s slim pickings this week with the number of villains largely outweighing the number of heroes. At a stretch we could say Madeleine for doing the dirty with the Maharajah all for the sake of Ralph’s job. But heroic or stupid? Hard to say. We’ll settle for Mr. Khan saving Sooni from the Eyebrow Man and taking her to see her true hero, Gandhi – what a charmer!

Villain of the episode: It was only a matter of time before the Maharajah would take this spot but we didn’t think to this extent! His sexual desires and position of power have led to Phyllis, Madeleine and almost Alice being treated as his playthings. The Maharajah knew he had Ralph wrapped around his finger the minute he allowed Bhupi’s son to be used as tiger bait – which, by the way, was beyond evil. What is it with children being taken advantage of in this show?!

Quote of the episode: “I want you to be and do everything you can and will and must.” – Now if that won’t win over Sooni’s heart then what will? Just that line alone turned Mr. Khan from a brotherly figure to a potential lover…he does have a way with words…
Best scene: With all of the tawdry-ness of the Ralph/Maharajah/Madeleine/Sirene foursome…we needed a bit of old-fashioned love to keep our hopes alive. But who would have thought it would come in the form of the usually reserved Mr. Khan? Declaring his love for Sooni during Gandhi’s speech couldn’t have been any more heart-warming and it worked like a charm…hurrah for romance!

Storyline to watch: Well…where is Aafrin (Nikesh Patel)?? Is Quetta code for prison? Surely Ralph wouldn’t let him get away with everything he’s done? Will their friendship withstand the deceit? Either way – this episode wasn’t the same without our beloved Aafrin…

*Creator Paul Rutman reacts to the series being axed by Channel 4

Just a selection of the live tweets from Sunday, April 24