Summary
“Love” proves that this story will be sensational as power struggles and conflicts of feelings take center-stage with the leading women.
This recap of Netflix’s Bombay Begums season 1, episode 2, “Love”, contains significant spoilers.
Wow, this story is heating up quickly after a scene-setting premiere. You can sense there’s going to be more lies and truths revealed in this series that heavily surrounds women who are competing with power and all usual undesirable societal norms that work against them.
The second episode opens with Fatima and her husband mourning over the miscarriage. Arijay is sobbing, but Fatima does not seem interested in talking to him. At the bank, the sex worker (now named Lily) is offered the new welfare initiative by Rani so she can start her own factory. It looks like Rani agreed to the blackmail after the last episode.
Lily tells her acquaintances that she will no longer be a sex worker and that she’s setting up a factory. They all seem surprised by her ambitions. She wants them to be respected and work for her, but the other sex workers laugh.
Marital problems but a new office
Fatima and Arijay head into work, and there’s a solemn silence between them. But Fatima also has to start her new job, and she has a brand new office. Her husband isn’t interested in seeing it. To make matters worse, Fatima is told that she cannot support Arijay’s promotion due to a conflict of interest. Her promotion has prevented her husband’s.
Arijay confronts her wife about his promotion being off and that he only wanted it so he could support the baby, but with no family planning, it doesn’t matter — he then storms off. There’s this feeling that Arijay sensed his promotion was more important, merely because he’s a man — that’s the only justification he seems to be taking.
Rani tells Ayesha to let Lily’s business plan happen
Ayesha meets Lily about the problems of starting a factory. Lily asks for a chance and says she isn’t going to compromise — she states all she wants is respect. Ayesha apologises, so Lily walks off. Afterward, Rani speaks to Ayesha about the Lily situation and wants a business plan by the end of the week — she wants Ayesha to make it happen. This is how corruption works — it feeds from the top.
Later on, Ayesha has dinner with a colleague named Ron. As they are about to kiss, she backs off and goes home. She’s clearly conflicted — she has feelings for someone else that transpires later in the chapter.
Business meetings and menopause
During a business meeting, Rani seems troubled with her breathing and leaves Fatima to conclude a deal. Fatima asks a female client to find a way to pit against her father, so she has the shareholder power. In the bathroom, Rani tells Fatima that she is okay. Fatima reveals that there will not be a baby. Rani tells her to look at the bright side because she can now focus on her work which comes across as insensitive. As Rani walks off, Fatima suggests that the CEO is going through menopause, but Rani brushes it off.
Getting too involved in shareholder decisions
Rani learns that Fatima had tried to get a major client to oust their father as a major shareholder — again because the other shareholder is a man, they are deemed more important in this context. The tensions between Deepak and Rani continue as they clash over decision-making.
Fatima and Rani meet their client again, and Fatima sniffs out a conflict of interest. Rani disagrees strongly in the room, which sabotages the meeting. Fatima and Rani argue afterward. Rani accuses Fatima of getting her advice from Deepak and that she needs this deal to go through — she tells her if she doesn’t, she no longer has a job.
Find love
As the episode suggests, Bombay Begums season 1, episode 2 centers on love and what it actually means.
Ayesha goes out for drinks with Lily. The former sex worker talks to her about love and that she should find it and that it can be anyone. Ayesha looks at Chitra, the jazz singer — she’s falling in love with her, but will she admit that to herself? Later chapters will answer that question.
Fatima blames herself
Fatima fears losing her job after losing her baby. She blames herself for the miscarriage, which is an awful concept that many women suffer from daily. Her friend insists it’s not her fault. Fatima also explains how it’s been bizarre with Arijay. Later on, Fatima and her husband finally talk, and she sobs in his arms. After things calm down, Arijay asks her to stay out of his career after she tried to secure him a newer position at a new firm.
As for Rani’s stepdaughter; Shai is falling in love with another boy at school named Imran. She sends the boy a friend request, and he accepts, which gets her excited; she’s a hopeless romantic and the key narrator in the series; she notices the imbalance between men and women in the world.
The ending
Ayesha and the jazz singer Chitra meet up, and they kiss each other intensely very quickly. However, Ayesha freaks out and runs away, and heads over to Ron’s house. She kisses Ron. She’s trying to convince herself that she isn’t attracted to Chitra.
As the episode ends, Rani sleeps with one of her colleagues.
Bombay Begums season 1, episode 2 proves that this story will be sensational as power struggles and conflicts of feelings take center-stage with the leading women.
