The diplomat and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli’s 16th century political treatise The Prince is considered required reading for politicians and diplomats-in-waiting. Here’s what Machiavelli has to say on love vs fear: “It is much safer to be feared than loved because (…) love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.” A decidedly cynical view of mankind, but one which political leaders across the world have taken to heart. Like Ashwini Pathak (Abhimanyu Singh), the politician-villain of Zakir Khan’s Amazon MiniTV series Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, which premiered its third season on 25 April.

In the first episode itself, Ashwini puts the fear of god in the show’s protagonist Ronny (played by Khan)—he wants to cement the aforementioned ‘dread of punishment’ in his former protégé. He warns that he will make the lives of Ronny’s family and friends very difficult indeed, if the latter contests the municipal elections against Ashwini’s chosen candidate. Here, Ronny chooses a Faustian bargain that will define the rest of the season: he agrees to step aside in exchange for his father’s promotion and assorted favours for his friends (Kranti aka ‘Samosa’ gets a bar license, Anwar gets a job as police constable and so on). This proves to be an astute writing choice because in one stroke, it raises the emotional stakes in Ronny’s equations with basically everybody.

His parents are oblivious to the fact that their Peter Pan of a son, so loathe to doing ‘grown-up’ things like a 9-to-5 job or marriage, has in fact chosen a deeply unselfish path. His friends, basking in the glow of their newly acquired jobs/gifts, continue to tease him as the only member of their group who is not ‘settled’ in life. Santosh, Ronny’s older friend who becomes paarshad (councilor) in his wake, thinks that his post is the well-deserved result of his years-long hard work in the community. Across episodes two, three and four, the emotional beats of the story are dependent upon Ronny’s sacrifice being a secret, and it pays rich dividends.

This is by far the best and the most coherent season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, and it shows significant progress for Zakir Khan as both a writer and actor. Episode three, Fly Bittoo Fly, is downright hilarious as Ronny helps a beleaguered husband get rid of his wife’s younger brother, who has been living with them for ages now. This lad, a caricature of overly sensitive millennials, is convinced that he’s the next Philip Glass but the beatboxing-laden tunes he makes sound more like mules-in-congress. Because this is ‘ghar ki baat’ Ronny cannot employ intimidation—he has to finesse a solution out of thin air and it’s very entertaining, to say the least.

This is by far the best and the most coherent season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, and it shows significant progress for Zakir Khan as both a writer and actor.

Even better, as India votes in the general election, this show asks the pertinent questions: What really is ‘political work’? Is it the formulation of alliances and strategies in the party headquarters? Is it the relentless currying of favours from one’s personal and professional networks? Or could it be that none of these conventionally-accepted ‘modes’ of political work are actually that important at all?

To that extent, the introduction of a new character proves to be pivotal. Marathi actress Amruta Khanvillkar delivers a superb performance as Surekha-ji, a political rival to Ashwini who takes a liking to Ronny and encourages him to join her Aawaaz Party and confront his uncle directly in the MLA elections.

Surekha is a very carefully calibrated character—she is media-savvy, soft-spoken but certainly no saint. She is quite willing to use brute-force tactics against Ashwini but at the same time, she knows where the line is and she is very good at the ‘carrot and stick’ maneuver. In a delightful conversation with Ronny in episode 6 (Poster Boy), she tells him that there comes a point in time when very large and prosperous trees allow nothing to grow in its shadow, that his relationship with Ashwini chacha has reached this critical juncture. It’s powerful stuff and it showcases Khan’s continued growth and maturity as a writer (his last two specials Tathastu and Mannpasand are further evidence).

In the last episode of the season, amidst high-voltage action on the dramatic front with Ashwini and Ronny trading political blows openly, there is a surprising scene of quiet, contemplative near-silence. Ronny calls Anwar and Samosa to the latter’s new bar and tells them, softly, that he is extremely grateful for their love and support, that for them he will always remain the same ol’ Ronny bhaiya from the mohalla.

It’s a surprisingly tender moment in a show that never takes itself too seriously. I also read it as an instance of Khan breaking the fourth wall and addressing his core fan group directly. Either way, it’s well-executed, especially on the acting front. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare finds its true, undiluted voice in its third season and confirms Khan’s rapid evolution as a writer-performer. Like Gullak or Panchayat, this is essentially a feel-good show set in the so-called Hindi belt and I suspect that people will enjoy this season as much they have enjoyed the aforementioned series.