In Lock Upp Season 2 Episode 16, the consequences of Akanksha Chaudhary’s midweek elimination come back to haunt the contestants as everyone is under scrutiny now. As Chaudhary watches everyone’s moves from the Secret Room, the contestants spill their guts in front of the camera, exposing their true feelings. Meanwhile, the episode is a doozy because nothing really happens as Shreya and Shilpa continue to throw senseless tantrums. With Chaudhary not available to pick a fight, they mostly scream into the void and bully Shivangi. It’s honestly becoming difficult not to feel gaslit as the audience as well, because of the nonsensical things that are said and done in the episodes.
The second season features Ram Kapoor, Shivangi Joshi, Sunita Ahuja, Dheeraj Dhoopar, Akanksha Chaudhary, Sufi Motiwala, Varun Yadav, Yogesh Rawat, Pamela Sarena, Shreya Kalra, Riyaz Aly, Shresta Iyer, Akanksha Chamola, Madhuri Jain Grover, Shilpa Shinde and Harshad Chopda, while the hosts are Ritesh Deshmukh and Farah Khan.
Lock Upp Season 2 Episode 16 Review
Kaleshi Korner Is the Episode’s Saving Grace
The episode doesn’t have anything of note happening other than Kaleshi Korner, which is a lighthearted activity involving the contestants doing different skits and entertaining each other. It’s nothing serious, and the contestants take it as such, as Pamala gives everyone something to do to entertain everyone. While everyone else takes things sportingly, Shreya and Shilpa throw tantrums – Shilpa refuses to say something nice about everyone, while Shreya, who was asked to be rude to Dheeraj and flirt with Yogesh, refuses to comply with the request.
In the end, Shreya ends up fighting with Ram for getting up during her performance (which he clarifies that he went to the bathroom) and then with the rest of the house for not clapping as much.
Pamala is extremely entertaining as the emcee, as, despite her kaleshi side, she’s quite entertaining when she wants to be. Her over-the-top actions make the rather rude fights feel engaging. Her energy carries the activity, despite the few hiccups, and the activity gives viewers a break from the relentless bickering that the contestants engage in.
The Secret Room Twist Quietly Moves Forward
After the events of the last episode, we see Akanksha Chaudhary in the Secret Room, munching on fruits and watching the other contestants complain about one another. Nothing of note happens during the segment except that, during the night, Varun suddenly finds her sleeping on the sofa, and the two are left completely confused at the turn of events. Varun is given the task to deliver a gold coin to Akanksha for her three meals, which, although difficult, will pose as an entertaining watch. Either way, their reunion is heartfelt, and although Akanksha is yet to see something truly egregious from the others, the possibilities are endless.
Familiar Arguments Return Once Again
Of course, Lock Upp Season 2 is all about the arguments, it seems, and the episode features Shilpa and Shivangi going at it from start to end. Harshad tries to understand Shilpa’s point of view to maybe catch her in a lie, but Shivangi gets annoyed at his interaction with her, and it creates friction between the pair. The arguments don’t change the game’s dynamics and add nothing to the runtime, as Shilpa’s hostility is difficult to understand and doesn’t make much sense.
Shreya Kalra, too, continues to fight with the others and make petty remarks for no reason. The activity could’ve been a nice moment to take a breather and laugh at oneself with the others, but it turns into a petty fighting opportunity for them as they make nasty remarks and refuse to cooperate. In the midst of this is Sufi, who seems to be playing on both sides, and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here for him as Akanksha Chaudhary keeps an eye on everyone.
The Season Needs More Gameplay, Less Pettiness
At the end of the runtime, I couldn’t help but wonder how petty everything is. It’s not entertaining to watch grown adults throw a tantrum because others didn’t clap for them as much as they wanted or something or the other. It doesn’t progress the game at all, and neither does it add anything meaningful to the contestants’ character arcs. While episode 15 had a lot happening, episode 16 does a terrible job at holding on to that tension, with only disputes having free rein. As a result, the runtime begins to feel stretched because the fights are meaningless and petty.
The episodes should feature something other than petty fights; at least the activity added something interesting and brought out the contestants’ talents to the screen. The repeated arguments just make things feel slow and senseless.
Final Verdict
In the end, this is a weak episode that has nothing much to say. The arguments are becoming the same over and over again as Shilpa constantly antagonises Shivangi for no reason other than that she is friends with Harshad. Shilpa’s fixation on Harshad is becoming apparent at this point, and lashing out at someone for being friends with someone else is so weird to watch. At times, viewers too want something lighthearted and enjoyable; the constant stupid drama is becoming exhausting and, frankly, boring.
Watch Episode 16 on Netflix. What are your thoughts on the recent episode of Lock Upp Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
