It is deja vu all over again in this episode of Mahabharata, as the bad guys get up to their old tricks, the good guys display the same old naïveté and a dice game is played once more.
Tropes found here are
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: This time, the stakes are that the loser spends twelve years in exile and a thirteenth year incognito.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The Pandavas lose everything again. They have to go into exile for twelve years. And what stings this time, is that Shakuni won them fair and square, as his special dice’s spell had worn off.
- Here We Go Again!: One more suicide threat from Duryodhan ... one more dice game.
- Honor Before Reason: Yudhistir had no reason to accept another dice game challenge - except that he considered himself honor bound to do so.
- I'll Kill You!: Duryodhan grabs Shakuni’s throat, starts squeezing and threatens to strangle him to death if he doesn’t throw 11 on the dice to win the game.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Bhishma is tired of Duryodhan’s games and demands that he act like a warrior and settle things with the Pandavas on the battlefield. Dhritharashtra, not wanting to lose his sons, forbids it.
- Loser Leaves Town: The Pandavas lose the dice game and must spend twelve years in exile and a thirteenth year incognito.
- Stop, or I Shoot Myself! / Breath-Holding Brat : Duryodhan once more goes to his father and threatens suicide or war with the Pandavas, which is tantamount to suicide, unless Dhritharashtra forces the Pandavas to play one more high stakes dice game.
