Much like the deadlock you mentioned, the situation will turn out the same for your complaints. EK will say they met and exceeded their obligations, while big O will wash their hands stating that a solution was reached and that EK is partly to blame for cancelling the flights and not following industry procedures for rebooking.

I've been into similar situations with Expedia, BA, AA, as well as EK. There's little to be done that can improve the experience.

The lesson to take away is to book direct with the airline in the future, especially for simple bookings where the same fare can be bought direct. But even that won't guarantee smooth sailing if the 5h!t hits the fan.