Close Encounters
Episode 10 of Inspector Rishi begins with Sathya dreaming about being in the cave. The dead Kanaagar villagers feed him something and Vanaratchi, the Forest Demon climbs out of the pit. He is still in that daze when they find DFO Mallika’s dead body.
At present, the entomologist tells Inspector Rishi that the pheromones from the tree roots attract the webspinners to create their cobwebs. Rishi figures that the pheromones can be collected and sprayed on a dead body to cover it in a cocoon.
He then heads to the cave and finds a hidden tunnel which is full of webspinners. The tunnel leads to an opening but he gets a headache and sees Viji’s corpse. He says he loves her but he has to let her go and she disappears. He then finds a shaft of light and it leads him to the tree hollow and back above ground.
How is it proven that the crimes are by humans?
His underground trek finally gives him all the answers which he explains to sub-inspectors Chitra and Ayyanar.
All of the victims were somehow involved in destroying the forest which is why they were targeted. Yamuna, Ayyanar’s wife and a herb specialist recognizes powerful herbs in the cave drawings. She confirms that they are native to Thaenkaadu and can only be found by the Kaanagar tribe.
Some of the drawings are also instructions on how to make various medicines or sedatives. One of the formulas is used to create the poison that paralyses the victims and induces cardiac arrest.
Since only the Kaanagar tribe know these secrets it means that not all of them are dead. Rishi realises that when the locals killed themselves, some of them sneaked into the hidden tunnel leading to the tree hollow and escaped. There is no Vanaratchi and these Kanaagars are the killers.
How does Rishi realise that the Kanaagar Orphans are the killers?
One of the culprits is someone who has free access to the guest house to dump the corpses and someone close enough to destroy evidence in the forest. This has Rishi, Chitra and Ayyanar realising that it is Forest Ranger Sathya.
A flashback to the collective suicide shows a young Sathya spitting out the herb and noticing the hidden tunnel. When the locals jump into the burning pit, he sneaks out with five other kids following him.
At present, Rishi figures that only kids could have sneaked out as too many adults would have caused the tunnel to give way. This means their culprits are between 21 and 35. Abdul’s odd confession has Rishi tailing him and learning that he is adopted. He frequently gives a parcel of plants to Mangai, another orphan.
Mangai claims she has the Vanaratchi costume for a dance drama but there is no such event. Rishi realises she is one of the Kanaagar women pretending to be Vanaratchi. To get her out of custody, the other Kanaagar woman pretends to be Vanaratchi to solidify her defence. As for the odd sounds the victims hear, they are signals by the Kanaagar Orphans.
Kaliaperumal had helped the kids get situated in the orphanage after they had escaped from the cave and sworn Mother Leana to secrecy. He kept it a secret so the tribe’s sacrifice wouldn’t be considered meaningless and the kids wouldn’t be hounded by the press.
The kids get adopted one by one except Kathy and Leana takes her in. Kathy is known for her herbal teas which can help migraines and Rishi realises he started hallucinating Viji after he had her tea.
Who is the next target?
To confirm their suspicions, the trio look for Abdul and Mangai but they are missing. Abdul’s phone leads them to their storage room, where a poisonous cylinder is missing. They correctly guess that the Kanaagar Orphans want to stop the mining in the forest by killing the miners.
20 miners are working underground when the trio show up at the mouth of the mine. The miners see a Vanaratchi figure before the ceiling gives way and they are blocked. Chitra and Ayyanar try to clear the rocks while Rishi looks for another way.
Why do the Kanaagar Orphans turn into killers?
Just as Rishi sees a Vanaratchi figure, Kathy sprays him with the poison and he is paralysed. Sathya and the remaining Kanaagar Orphans join her – Rathinam and Abdul, and Thulasi and Mangai in Vanaratchi costumes.
Sathya claims that their mission is to save the forest and there is no other way. A flashback to 4 years ago shows Sathya being transferred back to Thaenkaddu. However, he is upset to learn that the new DFO, Mallika takes bribes and turns a blind eye to illegal activities in the forest. He goes to Kathy, and one by one, all the Kanaagar Orphans reunite and decide to protect the forest on their own.
Rishi tries to reason that the miners are innocent but Sathya and Kathy simply let the webspinners loose on him.
What happens in the showdown with the Kanaagar Orphans?
A flashback to the storage room shows Yamuna finding the antidote to the paralyzing poison. The trio keep the antidote in their mouth before heading to the mine. At present, Rishi bites the antidote and gets a burst of adrenaline to free himself from the cocoon.
He tells the Kanaagar Orphans to stop but Sathya attacks. Chitra and Ayyanar join the fray as they hear gunshots but the Orphans put up a fight. Chitra finds her gun and by then backup arrives. Unfortunately, a pipe impales Sathya and he dies. The miners are rescued and the rest of the Kanaagar Orphans are arrested.
Is the Vanaratchi real?
The trio realise that Bala the truck driver died a year before Sathya came back to Thaenkaadu which means the Kanaagar Orphans didn’t kill him. Chitra thinks it is an accident and the rumours that the Vanaratchi killed him inspired Sathya. Ayyanar believes the real Vanaratchi must have killed him but Chitra laughs it off. But Rishi recalls an inhuman figure that looked like the Vanaratchi crawling out of the hollow but letting him leave.
As they leave the village, it says that the Vanaratchi will go after anyone who harms the forest. At the end of Inspector Rishi Episode 10, we see a Vanaratchi figure climbing the walls of the cave.
The Episode Review
Inspector Rishi Episode 10 brings the exciting crime show to an end. It is crisp and to the point as it explains all of the plotholes and clues via flashbacks. Even though the Kanaagar Orphans are vilified, we can still understand their motivations. We also get constant glances between Kathy and Rishi making us wonder if she will change her mind but this seems like a red herring that doesn’t amount to much.
But the biggest question is finally answered – yes the Vanaratchi is real. We get two instances – one is of Rishi seeing the Forest Demon himself. Even if we consider him to be an unreliable narrator, we again see the Vanaratchi in the end. But despite her presence, it doesn’t take away the fact that paranormal murders were orchestrated by humans and so, in the end, it seems Rishi was right after all.
Read More: Inspector Rishi Episode 1 Recap, Review & First Impression
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Episode Rating
(3)