Reaction to "Grendiaper/Couchorak" (S6, E 14)
How exactly did Zoe end up in Andre Bourgeois’s care, considering she’s not his biological daughter? A divorce settlement between Audrey and “Dre-Dre” would theoretically favor the former’s parental rights based on parentage. Then again, Audrey never accepted Zoe, and she seems more interested in furthering Noe’s work as the new Diamond.
This is presumably Zoe’s first encounter with Ray in Paris, so this episode precedes “Daddycop” in chronology. The episode order numbers mean nothing anymore.
The French titles call this episode as “Couchorak” rather than “Grendiaper”. As I noted in my “Werepapas” analysis, the episodes outside of Season 5 are usually named after the entity that causes the main conflict, not necessarily the same as the akumatized villain Ladybug and Chat Noir end up fighting. Zoe’s alternate form isn’t explicitly named, but anglophone viewers can't be blamed for spotting the similarity of the word to “cockroach”.
Chloe’s in London now, but she insists on taking time out of her new life in London to diss Sabrina on main. Get Chloe to talk honestly (good luck with that), and you’d probably find Chloe misses her best frenemy, the one person who never let her down. And just like before, Marinette acts as the counterbalance, supporting the people Chloe tries to tear down. Proof of concept: Juleka is among those who follow Marinette’s lead in taking selfies with Sabrina. Juleka, who once thought every attempt to photograph her was cursed, and who became Reflekta due to one of Chloe’s pranks.
Ray and his entourage pick up right where Chloe left off. It’s even worse because Sabrina acted on Chloe’s orders reluctantly, but Nelson and Loic are solidly behind Ray and probably would become bullies all on their own without Ray’s influence. Ray even has a rich, sadistic parent who encourages his bad behavior. I’ve seen people joke about Chloe and Ray being related, but I’m starting to believe them.
As shown in “Daddycop”, Ray has something on Zoe, and on his cellphone. A theory: when Zoe was introduced in “Sole Crusher”, she confided to Andre that back at her boarding school in New York, she was always “acting” to fit in with other cliques, and it backfired so hard she had to leave school. Ray has video clips of her acting the fool, literally, including a few incidents of bullying that would do her mother proud. Zoe is terrified about people thinking she’s no better than Chloe, because there was a time she wasn’t.
Monsieur Astruc loves punny names. If Ray’s father is Monsieur Pugnant (misspelled as “Punya” in the .to subtitles), that makes him… Ray Pugnant!
While consoling Zoe, Marinette neatly outlines the ideal response to bullying, whatever form it takes: watch for the warning signs, join together with other people to stand up to the offenders, set a good example with one’s own behavior, and affirm people’s intrinsic value apart from what anyone else does or says about them. Note carefully the word “ideal”. Consistent exposure to other people’s unpunished nastiness can make people forget there are good people in the world. It can drive you to seek retribution against the people who harmed you or whoever you decide are “the bad people” who need punishment.
Maybe now that Mayor Bustier’s done renovating its schools and green spaces, perhaps she can coordinate retraining of its transportation personnel? I bet this bus driver plays poker with the ticket inspector from “Qilin”.
Remember how Adrien created the Catwalker purrsona in “Kuro Neko” simply by imagining a different personality for his alter ego? That’s how Zoe unlocked the cockroach. But this persona is grounded in corrupted energy, full of anger and the desire for vengeance.
I can hear the “salt takes” from this show’s hate-watchers already: how is what Zoe does that much different from what she does as Vesperia, or what any of the Miraculers do? The rules Ladybug set explicitly allow a Miraculer to act independently as long as the situation doesn’t involve an akumatized villain, right? Marinette explains that while the Miraculers have “a right and duty to act,” they do not have the ability or the moral authority to force people into good behavior. Their power is “the power of defense.” The actions of the Miraculers may be inherently reactive, true. But consider what happened when Zoe acted out of retaliation, disproportionately punishing and even endangering people she thought “deserved” it. And in Sam’s case, it backfired and made him into an even bigger problem than he was before. Zoe doesn’t make the best argument for “proactive” force.
It's hard for me to believe Loic is really 18, considering he’s even shorter than some of his 14-year-old classmates. Also, there’s no trusting anything he says. What little information I’ve been able to find on grade retention in France suggests that if Loic really were 18 and he hadn’t been able to pass the Baccalauréat (the rough equivalent of a high school diploma in France), he’d risk being kicked out of school.
Can you blame me for thinking Grendiaper was August from “Gigantitan” at first? This episode already brought back Mr. Damocles and XY, so why not him too? Speaking of callbacks, you get no points for recognizing Sam’s little sister as Maya, a.k.a. Illustrhater and also featured in “Revelator”.
Please note that neither of the Lucky Charms summoned directly helped defeat Grendiaper. “Messenger” objects are nothing new to the series, but I don’t recall seeing two in one episode.
“Humiliation and harassment have nothing to do with justice”? Say it louder for the people across the pond, because that’s who you wanted to hear it.
And maybe the worst thing about what Zoe is doing? No one learns anything from it. Sam doesn’t get that he needs to be more tolerant of his sisters; he’s still focused on getting back at whoever humiliated him. Ray, Nelson, and Loic are still messing with people in “Sleeping Syren”, and Zoe is still jumping people she considers a problem. Homegirl is one nosehair away from becoming the bully she probably was in NYC, or at least following the family tradition. Marinette’s on record as considering revocation of Miraculer status for bad conduct, and if she finds out about Zoe’s alter alter ego, she might damn well do it!
Between Anansi's new job and Officer Roger doing his, we close with two representations of defensive power that derives from duly authorized, responsibly enforced authority, just like the kind practiced and advocated by Ladybug and Chat Noir... a reminder that you don't always need to go rogue to secure peace and justice in this world.