So I have been seeing interesting discussion on the endings of Gabriel. The miraculous movie vs The season 5 finale ending.
-And the criticisms for the movie ending are valid, Marinette/Ladybug’s conflict is a lot less personal (cause time constraints)
-Gabriel technically defeated himself
-There wasn’t enough build up for the climax to feel satisfying unless you knew the show.
-Marinette’s personal involvement felt minimal to nonexistent. (She never met Gabriel)
-The powers are inconsistent
The wrap up was too quick
And these are legitimate criticism, especially because we never have Marinette interact with Gabriel once. Something that should have happened.
I can understand how that ending could feel unsatisfying.
Then we have the season 5 finale, which has the opposite problem
-It involves Marinette so much that Adrien is completely sidelined as a response.
-Gabriel ‘Wins’ but according to the writers he lost. (I saw the commentary. I vehemently disagree with there interpretation)
-Adrien never finds out about any of this
-Lila feels shoehorned in as the season 6 badguy
So I thought about both sides more, rewatched the S5 finale and the ending with these new perspectives and… I still prefer the movie ending more than the finale.
But why is that? Objectively speaking The movie is much more flawed and has very littler personal investment of Ladybug vs Hawkmoth. Something that movies don’t often do.
While The show has built up this personal conflict between Gabriel/monarch and Marinette/ladybug
By all logic I Should prefer the show ending.
But I don’t, and it’s precisely BECAUSE of the reasons I listed.
Movie! Marinette’s lack of personal connection to fighting Gabriel allowed me to focus on Gabriel’s motive and his interaction with his son. His genuine care of his son being his downfall MADE sense. Marinette was focused on saving her partner than fighting a villain, which the movie showed to be more of the core of the movie. Even foreshadowing the “Save one Life, save the world” line. And it even fits the fairy tale theme ML tries to go for.
Meanwhile the Show’s ending had a really good fight at the core with Marinette and Gabriel clashing. The fight between Monarch and Bug noire is one of the best in the series… BUT it’s because of this conflict that the ending feels so GUT WRENCHINGLY awful. Because it’s just another case of Marinette failing to stop Gabriel from doing what he wanted. Gabriel may have changed his initial wish, but he still basically did what he always did, cease power and leave Marinette to clean up the mess.
Even taking Adrien out of the equation doesn’t help fix the ending. Because Gabriel still did what he wanted. Gabriel gets a statue, he gets to die seen as a hero that he never was. He is seen as a good man. And it leaves Marinette having to let Paris think that. We don’t see Marinette doubting this, we don’t see opposition or even a question on it. It’s Marinette once again doing what she always does, taking on the burden.
Ah but the difference is that ML still has more seasons. This could all be subject to change. People could find out the truth. The wish has consequences.
And that is correct. There are consequences. And do you know who will face those consequences? Marinette. Because she always does. That’s what the show Always does.
The movie ending also has a potential sequel, but at least there, Marinette and Adrien don’t have secrets, Fu is still there, and the weight of reality doesn’t hang on Movie Marinette’s shoulders only.
And I think that’s what it comes down to.
It’s because I love Marinette that I hate how she has to fail after all her efforts and would rather have an ending that has less personal stakes for her if it means she can be better off as opposed to this drama bomb that basically left her back as the one with the weight of reality on her shoulders.
