This is filled w/ spoilers
So here it is, time for me to pull myself together and post all my thoughts and feelings on the new episode into one big long post.
So my overall feelings?
I am upset
Not because it was a bad episode- it was amazing, literally so good- nope, it’s because of Nathalie- but I’ll get into that in a moment. I’m gonna put a read-more here cause this is gonna probably be really long- and could very well be a recap of the whole ep with my commentary.
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First off, when Plagg seemed not to like Adrien’s birthday present for Marinette, he seemed so concerned (these screenshots aren’t going to be very good quality because I REALLY don’t feel like going through all the trouble of making them look nice & take hours on one post)
Look at the little bean! SO concerned. It’s perfect Honeybun, she’ll love it.
Then onto the next scene...
Even during meals, they sit so far away from each other. Why? I’ve often wondered what the point of such a long table with so many chairs could be, especially in a house that’s so big yet so empty. I suppose that it could do well for meetings, but still, this is a family meal, not a company get-together or business meeting with people you have to impress. They have to practically yell at each other to be heard.
Also, look at this
He basically asked Nathalie for approval. “Should I let him?” “Yes sir, I would.” “Very well, Adrien.”
Also, the fact that Gabriel and Lila have the same meeting place each time. He isn’t just driving by hoping to catch her, they have a time and place set up. And the idea that Marinette is a bad influence? Preposterous! But of course, this is Lila.
Screw Lila.
“You work to hard, sir”
Yes Nathalie, I’m sure you know what working to hard feels like. You’re not exactly relaxing, yourself.
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Next scene!
Ms. Bustier: Marinette, would you bring your school bag to me please, I need to check something
Okay so first off, you’re going off of an anonymous tip that one of your best and most well-behaved students (Aside from being late quite often) is a thief and a cheat? And secondly, you really think that she is SO STUPID that if she had taken them knowingly, she wouldn’t have maybe removed them from her bag? Third, why did Marinette not FIND them in her bag before school started, take them out, and maybe call Alya or something.
“That’s impossible Marinette, Lila got the worst grade in the class” not impossible if she stole them after the test- also, way to be subtle on grades. I thought teachers were supposed to keep that stuff relatively undercover.
And Adrien really said “Marinette Rights”
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So.
There’s no sound of crashing.
Lila just yells “Ready?” in the most mischievous voice she can
Then she starts screaming
And no one stopped to think “Hey, not only is Marinette really not known to assault people, but we didn’t hear a single thud that would have sounded like someone falling down the stairs preceding her screams.”
“She keeps calling me a liar, getting the others to gang up against me...” SINCE. WHEN?
Also.
“Oh...I have proof”
How would she have known that the proof was in Marinette’s locker? And again, if she knew, why would she be surprised to find the pendant in Marinette’s locker??
UGH.
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Now we get to the part that started lil miss me to get so upset.
“Are you ready, Nathalie?”
“More than ever.”
She just bounces out from behind him, ready as she’ll ever be.
Look at her
Then she goes on to call him the Almighty Scarlet Moth and I just smh
Awww. She looks like she’s ready to punch those butterflies in the face. You punch those akumas.
Varity Queen? Princess Justice? Oh yeah. I wanna see those.
And now to the scene that hurt me
“What’s wrong?!”
“Nothing, everything's fine! Keep going..”
She was so ready to just fall down and choke while he continued his fight and she would have still loved him if he hadn’t stopped to help her
But this seen makes it so clear
he loves her too
Even if it’s just as a friend and assistant, he loves her. And it just...the voice acting, her voice actor was so good, it physically hurts me to watch that scene. 15/10.
And Tikki yelling at Marinette...well not really yelling...but holy crap, there is a lot riding on this 14 year old girls shoulders when it comes to her own emotions. She’s still learning what some of them are, puberty is far from over with her, so now she just has the added pressure of not being able to feel the natural emotions that occur with hormone fluctuations and righteous anger from being falsely accused without having to be fearful of Hawkmoth’s akuma.
But on the bright side, Alya FINALLY believes Marinette! She may have her flaws and push Mari a bit to much IMO when it comes to Adrien but hey, when it comes right down to it, she’ll stick it out with her pals. A true friend.
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Is that the same doctor we saw at Master Fu’s?
And despite her state, still the only thing she’s thinking about is him, his goals, what he wants- and he’s not even thinking about that right now.
He looks so distraught too. He needs her. But she’s just so laser focused on one thing that she’s not thinking about the other possibilities. Mark my words, her persistence is what’s going to drive him to stop being Hawkmoth.
“I don’t care, Gabriel. I want to help you.” I swear, I’m gonna start crying again. She’s telling him how she feels when she says stuff like that! It’s loud and clear. If he hasn’t seen it by now, when it’s more obvious than Marinette could ever hope to be- then literally nothing but her straight up saying the words “I’m in love with you” is gonna make it click. He has to know!
“Not at that cost! Never at that cost again...” then it cuts to his family portrait.
Why, pray tell, does it cut to his family portrait? Of all things. Why did it cut to anything at all? They didn’t need to go to the trouble of creating a whole new picture to cut to if they didn’t NEED to. It’s saying something. And Im pretty sure that its that he’s not willing to give up Nathalie, not even for Emilie.
I would also like to point out that in that picture, he is wearing blue- but now, he primarily wears red. What is a combination of blue and red? Purple. The color of Nathalie’s suit.
Hmm...
Nathalie: Shh
Me: *handing Nooroo pots and pans*
She’s so desperate to help him- and look at how she treats Duusu. She isn’t being cruel. Duusu just told her “No, you should be resting” and she’s just like “Yeah, but what if I didn’t?” not “Don’t tell me what to do!” or any crap like that. Instead she stops and explains herself. And then Duusu...
No, not it’s not romantic. It’s twisted. I love Gabriel and Nathalie as a pair, but this isn’t a romantic gesture. Nathalie is losing herself in her desperation to help him, get the miraculous, end it once and for all, and her desires to please Gabriel even if it means that he’s not going to want her in the end. She is fighting a losing battle, no matter what happens, she’s going to get the short end of the stick- and it just breaks my heart that she is so willing to throw her life away when there are other ways she could be assisting him that don’t include her deteriortating. That’s why I cried so much during this ep- she wants to prove a point by using this miraculous when it isn’t necessary. And that is why I officially HATE seeing Mayura- because each time she transforms she’s one step closer to falling down and not getting back up.
Also, I thought this scene was super interesting. That’s how she creates a sentimonster? That is so cool.
Moving on, when Adrien pulls out his phone
“I am Mayura, and I’m about to annihilate Ladybug, Mwahahaha!” Points for subtlety, Hon. XD
She’s so cute
“I’ve always gone out of my way to hide my true feelings for you but I just can’t do it anymore” possible foreshadowing? Hmmm?? “Your feelings for me haven’t changed and mine are growing stronger every day” I can’t help but think she was speaking from her own heart in some of that.
And our poor little kitty
So desperate for love, he refuses to believe that
Ladybug wasn’t actually moving on
“She’s so perfect” “I’m nowhere near as perfect as her.”
Also “Senticharm!” *gets big gun blaster thing*
“Lucky Charm!” *gets fork*
Seriously Gabriel and Nathalie belong together at this rate.
“Nathalie?!”
“Nooroo why didn’t you wake me up?” “I couldnt bring myself to you were sleeping so peacefully” because “Im scared of you and Nathalie told me to Shh” wasn’t the right response.
She gets tired even when using the miraculous
And she still goes out in the field
Heeeerrres Hawky!
Legit tho, this is what an anon was talking about earlier from the Gabenath ask meme I did a while back. I said that what I look forin a fanfic would include Hawkmoth needing to save Mayura on the battlefield. And it JUST became canon. Lord have mercy, I think I’ve died XD
Also
“You’re the real monster!”
“Oh, that...you’ll find out very soon” He doesn’t even care tho. Like, where’s all his givacraps fly off to? Oh yeah that’s right they’re akumatizing people, they just keep flying away.
He is huge compared to them. And just going to town trying to whap this 14 year old girl into oblivion. Boy.
“All I need to do is wait a few minutes until you two turn back into regular kids, so fragile, so easy to break” Absolutely no filter. Do you think that’s going to make you seem less like a villain? We don’t say stuff like that! You can’t just take that back! I swear, if you have a redemption arc it had better be Paarthurnax/Zuko-level convincing because there are very few people willing to forgive you after you say things like that with no remorse.
“Release her”
You can’t tell me he doesn’t love her- he sucks at it, but he does. Im really hoping he’ll learn from this mistake and never ask her to use the peacock miraculous again- if she uses it, it has to be on her.
“Don’t mind me” Babe if he doesn’t mind you and you’re discovered then it’s just a hop skip and jump from Hawkmoth being Gabriel Agreste,
He’s carrying her again
Idk if I should focus on how little Nathalie seems to care about how much danger she put herself in or the fact that we have a Gabriel booty close-up
He’s reprimanding her, she starts coughing, her glasses fall off, and he immediately softens up.
Look at that soft look. And the music that’s playing in the background? It’s so...sad..and enhances the way he’s looking at her.
And now.....Adrien
As soon as the adults leave, he growls and the music gets more aggressive. Intimidating.
He is ticked. “Because we’re friends aren’t we?” that was just laced with venom and malice. They say demons run when a good man goes to war.
Well Adrien’s started packing. Lila better watch her step.
And in the end, she basically outed herself as a pathological liar. She admitted it, though she likely didn’t word it that way.
Well, that’s all I have to say. Remember, God made you special and he loves you very much. *veggie tales theme starts playing*