Ab-e-Hayat Episode 25 Review (Final Episode)
And so it ends. The journey of two years finally coming to a stop, leaving me with mixed feelings. It wouldn’t have been so if things hadn’t ended on such a vague note. Especially when I thought how great this episode was going. I even teared up at a couple of moments which I’ll talk about later. But then the ending happened, or lack thereof. And I was left dumbfounded.
My initial reaction after reading the episode: …that’s it??
My reaction after reading the ending a few more times: Is this a joke? This is got to be a joke.
My brain’s way of trying to calm me down: Hey, what if there’s a part three? That would explain the ending, right?
My final thoughts (which is basically rest of the review) after thinking long and hard about the episode and Umera Ahmed’s note:
I started this blog two years ago for one and only one purpose, and that was to talk about long awaited sequel of the modern day classic Pir-e-Kamil. It was different from what I expected, but I was okay with the direction it was taking. However, the internet showed me how supremely disappointed readers were with Ab-e-Hayat. And it made me laugh. Not in a condescending manner or anything, but because it reminded me of myself back when I read first book by Umera Ahmed after Pir-e-Kamil. It was a collection of short stories, and I was extremely disappointed by it. I was like, I can’t believe Umera Ahmed could write such nonsense. Is she the same writer who wrote Pir-e-Kamil? Unbelievable!
I was a kid then. I took things at their face value. But some time passed, and, quite strangely, I found myself going back to those same short stories that I had hated, overcome by the deeper meaning behind those words, and appreciating them. And it hit me then. I realized that the aftertaste of Umera Ahmed’s books was simply breathtaking. When I read Zindagi Gulzar Hai for the first time, I said ‘meh’ and put it away. But then I would remember the parts of it and revisit its overall message and then I read it again, and again and again. Same thing happened with many of her other short stories. Although that’s never been the case with her full-length novels since they’ve have hardly ever been disappointing, and that is no small feat to accomplish.
What I’m saying is, I never hated or disliked Ab-e-Hayat over its course. Never once did I think, “man, I wish she would change certain things in certain ways.” (expect from the ending of course, but I’ll talk about that in a moment). There were things, such as writing style choice and the non-linear way of telling the story, that confused me, but that too became understandable after a time. Now, is Ab-e-Hayat the best book Umera Ahmed has ever written? Of course not! Not even close. Does that mean it is a terrible book? Not. Even. Close.
She gave us an in-depth look into Salar and Imama’s lives after their marriage. She showed us how their family grew, how they overcame the hurdles throughout, and how the next generation grew up to become. She made me care about Salar’s children, she made me hate people like Jalal Ansar and Ahsan Saad. She even made me ship Jibrael and Aisha, who were practically set up in final few episodes. Biggest of all, she boldly took on the interest system, its hazards, and provided a solution, however impractical one may think that was, but she did it. For these reasons and more, I do not hate/dislike Ab-e-Hayat, at all.
Coming to the final episode. Like I said in the start, the episode was going great. I whooped with joy when Jibrael and Aisha had their happy ending. I cheered when Abdullah saw Ahsan Saad’s ture face and ditched him, and had his happy ending too with Anaya. I cried like a baby when Raeesa met with her biological father and he melted right away. Their short reunion was the most emotional part of this episode. I sagged in relief and felt proud when Humain survived the bullet and went back, wounded yet determined, to finish what he and Salar had come for. But then…
Then, the ending happened. Not just the “Trip ka Patta” part, but also the unresolved, incomplete thing between Raeesa and Humain that was started in the last episode. There was no need to misguide the readers and show then a possibility that these two might get together, and then hook her up with Hasham anyway. It was, plain and simple, heartbreaking.
I would have loved to have some sort of a closure with these characters. A small glimpse at ‘some years later’ would’ve been awesome. But I understand that life doesn’t have a closure. All it has is one challenge after the other until you die. I understand it but I don’t accept it. And that’s the whole problem. Guess I’ll just have to suck it up and move on.
One thing I’m absolutely sure of is that Umera Ahmed has always been and still is my absolute favorite Urdu writer, and I doubt anything can change that after the gems she wrote like Man-o-Salwa, Amarbel, Thora Sa Asman, Hasil, Lahasil, and, of course, Pir-e-Kamil. I can’t wait to read and talk about the next thing she writes.
Tell me your final thoughts on Ab-e-Hayat. Are you happy with the way it ended? What change would you wish to have in this story, if any?
Thank you for reading. Allah Hafiz.
PS: I can’t thank enough to everyone who liked and commented on my reviews over the past two years. I never knew writing a simple blog post could take so much effort. You guys played a huge role in giving me the motivation to keep going and writing a review every month. Thank you!