S̳h̳a̳k̳h̳i̳-̳l̳a̳c̳i̳o̳u̳s̳

EPISODE 20: "Peter Pan"

In the wake of Ahir's confession (falsely, to his mother's crimes), it's a mad dash to the police precinct. Reporters flood in and line up to get an interview with Ahir, but he refuses to see anyone. Anokhi and Shaurya corner the chief detective and argue that Ahir isn't a criminal mastermind and they all know it, but the detective says that until they can prove he's lying or someone else confesses, his hands are tied. But almost immediately, word spreads of Chaebol Mommy's plans to come to the precinct that night, and every station scrambles to get reporters and camera crews ready. Anokhi goes to see Mom, who tells her that this is their chance to ask questions on camera. Mom knows that Chaebol Mommy's only weakness is her son, and that Ahir must've turned himself in knowing she'd come for him. She says that this is the opportunity he created for Anokhi and Shaurya to ask the right questions. Mom plans to be there as well, because this is what she risked everything to accomplish. Meanwhile, Chaebol Mommy is at her wit's end, and no amount of coaxing from her staff can get her to change her mind about going to the police station. She can't stand that her precious Ahir is spending even a minute inside a jail cell, and demands to go onward. The reporters are lined up at the precinct's entrance, and Mom arrives to nitpick some more at Anokhi's inane prepared questions (to be fair, she knows they're lame because they're from Lalit, who's busy kissing Chaebol Mommy's ass). She tells them that their job is to make Chaebol Mommy say something other than the two standard lawyerspeak lines, which we see her repeat over and over in the car on the way there. Mom turns to Shaurya and says that she'll be standing there too, so this is his chance to ask everything he's ever wanted. That makes his thoughts drift back to the day he and Yash took their picture. The photographer tries to coax a smile out of Shaurya, but Yash's impending arrest hangs over him like a dark cloud. Yash turns Shaurya's face toward him and tries to lighten the mood, and Shaurya just promises to do whatever it takes to bring Devi down. Shaurya asks Yash what he wants to say to her if given the chance, and promises to say it all in Yash's place. Chaebol Mommy arrives at the precinct and repeats her two standard-issue statements about complying with the investigation and being sorry for causing trouble, and it looks like she might make it inside without caving to the reporters' questions. Shaurya's face twists up as he thinks back to Yash's answer to his question: His request was for Shaurya not to ask the things they're curious about, but to do his job as a reporter and ask what it is the people want to know. Right now all Shaurya can see think about are his mother and father, and the only question floating in his head is: "Why did you slander my family?" But he shakes the thought out of his head and keeps his promise to Yash, focusing on getting Chaebol Mommy to break from her rehearsed lines. Shaurya asks if she thinks Ahir is innocent, and at that, Chaebol Mommy answers eagerly that her son is innocent.
Hooked.
He keeps going and asks what she thought when she saw reporters slandering Ahir's name. She says it's wrong, and that it has to be made right. Her lawyer's prodding for her to stick to the script just makes her snap right then and there: "Trouble? What trouble have I caused to feel sorry about?!" Shaurya knows he's got her, and asks her to correct them then, and she rants over and over that Ahir is innocent. They keep insisting that he confessed, and the other reporters join in to ask if this means she's in on it, and if he's taking the blame alone. It builds and builds, and she finally breaks: "My son is innocent! My son is so kind that he took the fall and went to jail just to protect his mother!"
Yahtzee.
The crowd jumps on her statement to ask if she just admitted to attempted murder. She doesn't answer any more questions, but the damage is done, and she stares numbly at Shaurya as her lawyers lead her inside. Most of the reporters clear out, and Anokhi asks Shaurya why he didn't ask all the things he wanted to say about his family. He just lets her wonder and doesn't say, but shares a little bow with Devi, who muses to herself that he really has a talent for making her feel embarrassed. Anokhi thinks that Ahir must regret sharing those incriminating text messages with her, because then his mother might still be a sweet angel in his eyes. Shaurya says the truth has a way of coming out eventually, so he would've found out a different way, and she isn't to blame. Anmol watches the news and answers a call from Shaurya, wondering if he called to brag about being the top story on every channel. But Shaurya surprises him by asking him to drop the charges against Devi. Anmol asks if he got his apology, and Shaurya says that he did.