In the penultimate episode of Mahabharata, Dhritharashtra must reckon with the consequences of all his actions. First Vidhur berates him for putting his ambition as a father above virtue and his duty to the kingdom. Vidhur implores Dhritharashtra to abdicate the throne and beg all citizens of Hastinapur for forgiveness. Then Krishna arrives and rips into him further for instigating this whole conflict.
Dhritharashtra blesses Yudhistir, but attempts to Bear Hug Bhim to death for killing his sons. Krishna anticipates this and tricks the blind king into crushing a metal statue instead. A horrified Dhritharashtra finally has a full on Heel Realization, tearfully blesses all five Pandavas and prepares to depart.
Towards the end, Gandhari prepares to curse all the Pandavas - until Sage Vyasa comes and talks her out of it.
Tropes found here
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Dhritharashtra starts kvetching about his subjects not expressing sorrow over his sons’ deaths, Vidhur responds by stating that the citizenry is mourning countless million sons serving as common soldiers, who also died.
- And This Is for...: “DUUUURRRRYYOODHAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!” As screamed by Dhritharashtra as he crushes a statue he thinks is Bhim.
- Bear Hug: Dhritharashtra attempts to kill Bhim this way. He fails because Krishna takes advantage of his blindness and carefully notions Bhim to substitute a metal mural in his place. That mural gets crushed to pieces by Dhritharashtra’s hug.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: This episode examines the plight of the evil person’s loved one after said evil has been slain.
- Heel Realization: Dhritharashtra has one after the shock of thinking he had killed Bhim, followed by the shock of Krishna informing him that Bhim is still alive.
- It's All About Me: Dhritharashtra is incensed that the citizens of Hastinapur haven’t come to him to express sorrow over his sons’ deaths. And in the exchange with Krishna, he keeps insisting that the throne of Hastinapur was solely his right and that inheriting it was solely Duryodhan’s right.
- Leave Me Alone!: Dhritharashtra is so overcome with grief that he is not in the mood for Vidhur’s moralistic lectures. He orders Vidhur to just express his sorrow and leave.
- Manly Tears: Dhritharashtra weeps over his dead sons for half the episode. Vidhur weeps over all the death and misery that the kingdom as a whole has suffered. Dhritharashtra then weeps Tears of Remorse after his attempt to kill Bhim fails.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Dhritharashtra breaks down sobbing and starts begging his departed brother Pandu for forgiveness, thinking he has murdered Bhim.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Dhritharashtra gets a blistering one from Vidhur, followed by another one from Krishna.
- Villainous B So D: Dhritharashtra has one almost for the entire episode.
