Why is everybody so upset with Stormy Weather 2? This was like a super important episode??
Seriously guys, I donāt know what the problem is. There are flashback episodes in basically every show, but this was a crazy important marker for Miraculous Ladybug. Iām gonna go into detail about everything that was learned, but I just want to start by saying that what this episode did for us indefinitely was set itself on a timeline. It explicitly stated that everything through Chris Master happened within a year-and-a-half timeframe before this episode. It also set Marinette in a place where sheās officially declared, in writing, that she and Adrien are ājust friends.ā Like, she used Adrienās ājust a friendā line. And we know how this show is with parallels, so I count that as a pretty big one.
Iām gonna get more into this now though, so here we go.
Right off the bat we have the idea of change. Chloe taunts Marinette with the idea that sheāll never change (and we all know how much Marinette likes to challenge Chloeās words). The word āchangeā is something that is brought up throughout the whole episode, so watch out for that.
We have Marinette genuinely reflecting. Like not just thinking on her rooftop and complaining about how Chat Noir is a glutton and would drop his guard for a couple of macaroons, sheās really thinking over her lifeās choices. Itās framed in such a different light than the way we normally get our characters thinking.
āAdrien has become a true friend.ā āAdrienās become a friend who I can talk to about anything.ā āCan you still be in love with someone even after they become your friend? Do you think Iāll ever be able to tell him that he means much more to me than ājust a friend?āā This is what Marinette thinks of relationships. She thinks that the friends-to-lovers trope is crap and that you have to dive straight into a relationship. And thatās why whenever Adrien talks about her as a friend she becomes so heartbroken. She doesnāt think itās a step in the right direction, she thinks itās completely on the opposite end of the spectrum.
I donāt know WHAT Gabriel is plotting with āMs. Tsurugiā or whether that means Kagami or her mom, but Iām a little terrified.
āThings may not be going exactly as we had planned, but change can be a good thing.ā Gabrielās first line is about change. Hm.
Nathalieās entire monologue gives us so much background I donāt even know where to start.
Sheās starting to regret having taken the job in the first place
She really, genuinely cares about Adrien
She officially, canonically, is in love with Gabriel and itās because his dedication to his wife is admirable which show how much of a detail-oriented person Nathalie is because WOW sheās missing the big picture here, and also that there is going to be some major love triangle stuff going on towards the end of this between Gabriel, Emilie, and Nathalie (but how might that work?? Redemption arc??? Prison marriage????)
Emilieās condition is progressively getting worse
Nathalie is still getting sicker, despite only having used the peacock miraculous once (on-screen)
(Also, side-note, hearing Nathalie speak so much at once was like an out-of-body experience for me and her passionate voice about Gabriel wasā¦something)
Adrien really just wants to talk to his dad about his day and their relationship is so screwed up that he can tell by LESS THAN a side glance that Gabriel doesnāt want to hear it from him. Like geez.
Gabriel can recognize familiar emotions. Soā¦does an emotion from Chat Noir feel the same as emotion from Adrien??? Guess weāll find out soon enough.
Nooroo just wants to see Gabriel and Adrien happy together. Gabriel is a dick. This is not new information, just needed to be reiterated again.
Also, save Nooroo, please.
Gabriel does in fact have the ability to feel remorse. However, he chooses to ignore it, in his own words āat any price.ā The only things worth changing his mind are his family, though he does care about Nathalie too. Weāll see how well that holds up.
āPeople donāt change, they only grow.ā Huh. Episode themes from Gabriel Agreste.
āMy father will never change.ā YOU GUYS PICKING UP ON A THEME HERE????
Plaggās āI like people who never change. You always know what to expect!ā is first off, adorable, second, reverse psychology. He does this to Adrien consistently throughout the series. Considering heās the one who keeps trying to change Adrienās mind about Ladybug, he obviously knows what heās saying isnāt entirely truthful. But Plagg is an adorable, cheese-loving psychopath. Whatcha gonna do?
On the complete other end of that, Plagg talking Adrien through all the ways heās changed shows how much he cares about him again.
Why Plagg is defending Gabriel, I donāt know. But this is definitely something to note. Does he really think Gabriel is changing for the better? Is Gabriel supposedly changing for the better? (I vote no) Is he unintentionally setting Adrien up for disappointment in a later episode? Guess weāll see!
Side note, Plagg pretending not to know Marinetteās name is one of my favorite things. Itās not like he canāt say it because Tikki can talk about Adrien, he just chooses not to. And he knows very well who she is. This was confirmed in Weredad.
The scarf has been brought up again. Everybody note this immediately.
ZAG does, in fact, have somewhat of a legitimate animation budget. That volcano is sick.
Of all the villains to use as a filler, Stormy Weather was a solid choice, you all have to admit. Especially when you contrast the repetition of a villain to the episodeās theme.
Ladybug puns. This has been confirmed.
āA little change is good, donāt you think?ā HMMMMMMM. Just think about how this was followed by the line āI love that girl.ā HMMMMMMM.
Nino and Alya chill on Alyaās bed. Nino never regrets meeting Alya. He loves his girlfriend. Alya loves her boyfriend. They are one of the sweetest canon couples ever to exist.
Nino has a flirty voice he uses on Alya. This is important information.
I donāt want to get into what wouldāve happened had the twins not burst the door open, but I want this thought to be noted.
Nino has been adopted by the Cesaire family.
Chloe literally stands on her rooftop with a bat signal every time thereās an akuma. Obsessive much?
"Thereās nobody nicer than me!ā *cue reel of Chloe being the worst human in the country* is honestly one of the best jokes in this series.
āOnce a villain, always a villain,ā has an incredible amount of significance but it can pretty much be summed up into the idea that Chloe doesnāt understand change.
Ladybug knows that she and Chat Noir know each other really well now. She reflects on how much they trust each other, literally with their lives, and how their relationship is the reason they have new powers and fighting abilities.
Also, character development. Did anybody see that super soft look Ladybug gave Chat Noir when he said he always agrees with her? Would Ladybug have stopped to admire anything about Chat Noir 2 seasons ago? HMMMMMM.
I would like it to be noted that professional cinematography equipment is several thousands of dollars and it physically hurts me to think of that camera screen breaking in the cold.
Apparently you can take down a super villain with a photocopier and a pencil. Take notes, people.
Alyaās sisters have an akuma victory dance. More important info.
Marinette has gathered up enough courage to write Adrien a note. Last episode she tried to express her feelings. She very well had it in her to do that again, and what she chose to do was to make it clear that they were just friends. She wants Adrien to know that theyāre on the same page. Itās in writing. And in Adrienās hands.
āGood job, weāve got ourselves a new and improved Marinette!ā Change, anyone???
āSheās always been that way. She never changes.ā HMMMMM.
Plagg wants Adrien to move on. Heās genuinely trying to convince him by reminding him of how Ladybug is not interested. But maybe there are other girls out there? Hint hint.
*Looks at valentine from Marinette* āYou canāt just change your feelings just like that.ā *conveniently timed note from Marinette arrives* GUYS. ITāS CALLED SYMBOLISM. Or something like that. Also foreshadowing.
Now this I need to explain super in-depth because there are so many complaints about this part. Adrien was just looking between the two notes. He knows how Marinette gets around him and he knows how it compares to when sheās talking to Chat Noir or Alya. He remembers things from Troublemaker. And heās holding the two notes in his hands at that moment. Incredibly similar handwriting. He thinks. He remembers how she had pictures of him in her room. And he consciously knows that the valentine he got in response to his own is not from Ladybug. He knows itās from someone at school. Doesnāt think, he knows. Adrien has figured it out. āNo, Marinette couldnāt possibly be in love with me,ā he says sadly with slight question in his voice. āSheās just a friend who loves fashion. Besides. Thereās Luka.ā *cue flashbacks of Adrien watching Marinette and Luka on a date, with the absolute saddest music I have ever heard play in this show playing in the background while he reflects* Guys. This is how Adrien thinks. This is what Adrien thinks of relationships. He believes that you can only like one person at a time. He canāt like Marinette, he likes Ladybug. And Marinette canāt like him, she likes Luka. He DID figure it out. The only reason he dismissed it is because he doesnāt understand her feelings. He doesnāt understand that love isnāt clear-cut, finite, one-and-done. He knows for a fact that she went out with Luka once, so how could she like both of them? Thatās not possibleā¦is it?
And are you telling me that āItās just a person that has similar writing, thatās all,ā wasnāt spoken in the most melancholic, disappointed tone of voice that Adrien has ever used on anyone other than his father?
Adrienās 14. Marinette is 14. They donāt understand life. They donāt understand how complex feelings and relationships are. They think you fall in love with your soulmate and itās golden from there. Theyāre dumb kids, but theyāre not stupid. Adrien did figure it out. But he canāt bring himself to believe it. He doesnāt understand. And be honest. Did you understand when you were 14?
A couple side notes about the episode that didnāt fit directly into my play-by-play.
That valentine thing went full-circle. Dark Cupid was the first episode with any real lovesquare plot-progression and here we have the exact same setup, but this time with internal monologuing. We start with Marinette reading Adrienās letter and end with Adrien reading Marinetteās letter. Just like we did in Dark Cupid, but this time itās in reflection. Itās a parallel. Iām not fabulous at analysis, but I do know this much. Parallels.
This was a Valentineās Day episode in the same way that Chris Master was a Christmas episode. Themed but not centered. It was a nice change of pace if you ask me.
The end card is always kind of a mini-synopsis of the episode. In this one, we see Marinette, confident and proud of herself for accepting Adrienās friendship, and Adrien, staring longingly at a valentine that he knows isnāt from Ladybug, wondering if it could possibly, possibly be from Marinette. Huh. That feels a little backwards, doesnāt it?
And Iām just still so stuck on how sad that music was with the Luka flashback. Like, that kinda hurt to listen to??? Wow Adrien.
Side note, I justā¦I canāt get over this. When you were a kid and you heard someone liked you (let alone was in love with you) did you believe it? Iām an adult and I wouldnāt believe it if someone told me they liked me. When you feel as unloved as Adrien does every single day, the idea of a good friend of yours being completely in love with you sounds almostā¦too good to be true, doesnāt it? Why should he think she likes him? Especially since heās just drawing that conclusion on his own?
I personally would like to believe that the reason the rest of the episodes have been postponed is so that we can mull this over for a little while until the rest of them come out. Because from this point forward, there will be some changes. And speaking of which.
CHANGE. Can we all agree that thatās what this episode was about? Why would they place it on a timeline otherwise? Why would they explain to us what came before unless weāre supposed to know what comes after? ITāS THE CONTINUITY THAT WEāVE BEEN ASKING FOR. ACCEPT YOUR GIFTS.
This is the best continuity and information weāve been given since episode one. And itās set up in a way that my 6-year-old cousin could understand perfectly. Itās a show for everyone, guys. And this episode was the perfect example of it.
I personally think this is one of the best episodes thus far. In fact, if it werenāt for my Marichat-loving heart, it would be number one by a long-shot. Of COURSE they needed a recap episode. Because if they didnāt have one, do you know what weād say? āOh, but Thomas Astruc says there IS no continuity! Did he LIE???ā Let the man win for once. We asked. It was delivered. This. Is. Continuity. This. Is. Character development. This. Is. Plot. This. Is. Miraculous.
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me.
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