The "Educated Family" Myth in PTV. Why is Marriage Chosen Over Therapy?
I am so exhausted by the illogical writings in our dramas, especially when it comes to handling heartbreak. Take Zaryab’s storyline. Her parents are supposedly educated and progressive, yet their solution to her toxic, possessive obsession with Zamil is to marry her off to Abu Bakr. It makes zero sense. A deep childhood heartbreak takes time to heal, and a family like theirs should have taken her to therapy instead of completely ignoring mental healthcare for a lazy marriage plot. To make it worse, Zaryab is openly disrespectful, so how do they logically expect her to suddenly adjust with Abu Bakr and his mother?
Speaking of which, the "positive" framing of Dadi and Abu Bakr’s mother is exhausting; their matchmaking was nothing but toxic emotional blackmail. Abu Bakr isn't a sacrificial lamb who owes his entire marital happiness to repay his mother’s past debts, and he easily could have respectfully said no. It is incredibly frustrating that writers consistently waste prime opportunities to normalize breakups and therapy, choosing instead to enforce the regressive PTV trope that a nikkah magically cures psychological trauma.