History Recap / ScarletLadyS4E1DespairBear

!!Episode 31 - Despair Bear - Tales of Jean-___ the Butler

** When Marinette asks Adrien if he knew why all the party guests seemed so down as they were leaving, he theorizes that it was because the party ended early. The actual reason (for the vast majority of them) is that [[BrokenPedestal they are all in shock after witnessing Scarlet Lady's true nature firsthand]] (the next episode reveals that [[SeenItAll Adrien and Marinette didn't notice due to having already gotten used to the Ladybug heroine's antics]]).

* HypocriticalHumor: When Chloé tells Jean that [[IRejectYourReality Adrien's just being dramatic]], the butler sarcastically thinks to himself that, [[FirstPersonSmartass "Yes, ''he's'' the dramatic one."]]

* RageBreakingPoint: After trying to "play nice" with her guests, Chloé hits this when she sees Adrien dancing with Marinette and isn't allowed to confront them.

* WhamEpisode: Adrien officially breaks off his friendship with Chloé after her prank call to the firemen.

Adrien confronts her, asking if she ''seriously'' called the fire department just to get out of the baking class. Chloé chirpily admits it and is dumbstruck when her childhood friend calls her out for being so horrible, concluding, "I can't be ''friends'' with someone who treats people like ''you'' do!" before adding "We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore!"

Observing her guests from above, Chloé remarks that they don't look totally homeless. Her butler encourages her to follow Mr. Cuddly's example and greet all her guests with a kiss on the cheek, which Chloé balks at--does he ''really'' expect her to let these ''peasants'' touch her when Adrien isn't even around to see it? Jean remarks that Adrien ''is'' here to see, and she instantly changes her tune, sweeping down to drape herself off her former friend and leadingly remark "''Nice'' of me, huh?"

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When she sees Adrien complimenting Marinette on her looks and dress, Alya snarks that she also expected a compliment from her boyfriend Nino--who, as it turns out, is already writing "Dead by beautiful girlfriend" on the ground while faking convulsions.

* ComicalOverreacting: Nino's reaction to seeing Alya dressed up for the party is to fall to the ground and write "Dead by beautiful girlfriend" on the dirt.

* FriendOfMaskedSelf: Chloé once again declares that she's friends with herself; this time, she does so as Scarlet Lady, lending credence to her claims.

** PlayedWith when Scarlet Lady asserts that Chloé is her "best friend". While Chloé had repeatedly claimed as much before, she generally wasn't believed; Scarlet Lady making the same claim means that she's finally believed, despite it being the same source behind the mask.

* MaliciousMisnaming: Chloé has no clue what the second half of her butler's name is, referring to him as "Jean-(insert random name here)." Her utter lack of care regarding this is highlighted when she fires him, outright calling him "Jean-whatever-it-is!"

* WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency: Chloé expects Adrien to fall over himself in becoming friends with her again just because she was "nice". It doesn't work.

After being restored, the former butler asks what happened. Scarlet Lady starts bragging about how ''she'' saved him, but Marigold shoos her away, warning her that her timer's beeping. Jean sighs that he only wished to help Chloé salvage her friendship, only to wind up being fired. Chat Noir observes that she's likely to have forgotten she fired him by tomorrow... or immediately, as she yells at him to "Get down here and save my party!"

* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: {{Zigzagged}}. Chloé tells Butler Jean he's fired after the party ''she'' decided to throw to win Adrien back (which she's convinced herself was her butler's idea) led to Adrien slow dancing with Marinette instead. However, after Despair Bear's defeat, she's already forgotten all about it and demands that he save her party. The author explains she "[put] Chloe on Audrey's level where I think she's only serious about 25% of the people she fires."

* HypocrisyNod: When Chloé tells her butler that Adrien's just being dramatic, he sarcastically thinks to himself that "Yes, ''he's'' the dramatic one."

* DamnedByFaintPraise: When she sees her classmates entering the hotel for the party, all she can say is that they "don't look totally homeless."

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When she sees Adrien complimenting Marinette on her looks and dress, Alya snarks that she also expected a compliment from her boyfriend Nino - who, as it turns out, is already writing "Dead by beautiful girlfriend" on the ground while faking convulsions.

* DamnedByFaintPraise: When she sees her classmates entering the hotel for the party, all she can say is that they "don't look totally homeless".

** Chloé also acts as if the only reason why Adrien broke his friendship with her was the "little prank", completely missing his point that calling the fire department just to stop the lesson was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.
** Neither does she understand the ''spirit'' behind her butler encouraging her to be nicer to her peers, seeing it simply as a way to win back Adrien's regard.

** This is also a very heavy Adrien/Marinette teaser: Adrien complimenting Marinette before the party, the two having a slow dance, Marinette's LaughOfLove after Adrien tells her about breaking off his friendship with Chloé, [[HerBoyfriendsJacket him giving her his jacket when he sees her trembling from the cold]] and Marinette offering him a particular class on making macarons.

** This is also a very heavy Adrien/Marinette teaser: Adrien complimenting Marinette before the party, the two having a slow dance, Marinette's LaughOfLove after Adrien tells her about breaking off his friendship with Chloé, [[HisBoyfriendsJacket him giving her his jacket when he sees her trembling from the cold]] and Marinette offering him a particular class on making macarons.

** Chloé also doesn't understand the ''spirit'' behind her butler encouraging her to be nicer to her peers, seeing it simply as a way to win back Adrien's regard.

'''Adrien:''' We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore!

* ShipTease: The episode teases Aurore developing a crush on Kagami and Nathaniel starting to crush on Marc.

* BrokenPedestal: Scarlet Lady deals a staggering blow to her standing amongst her classmates when she declares that Chloé is her best friend. It's further damaged when they witness firsthand just how poorly she deals with the akuma.

Marinette meets with Master Fu at his parlor, asking whether he's ever discussed reclaiming the Ladybug Earrings with Chat Noir. Fu confirms that he has, asking what brought this on. She explains that while she's always known how lazy and inept Scarlet Lady was, the fact that she allowed Tikki to grow so gravely ill, even letting her get stolen while suffering from her sickness... as far as she's concerned, Scarlet Lady never should've been permitted to keep the Earrings in the first place!

However, Master Fu reminds her that Scarlet Lady has one thing going for her: public opinion. Most Parisians don't see her flaws, only their beloved superheroine who saves the day and repairs all the damage done by the akumas with her Miraculous Cure. That approval makes it easier for the whole team to do their jobs; if people noticed that there was dissention and infighting in the ranks, it could complicate matters considerably. And since Scarlet Lady only ever comes out to show off for the public and gain more glory, confronting her privately will be difficult.

Fu also points out that the Ladybug Earrings are still necessary for dealing with akumas. So once they ''do'' recover them, somebody else will have to step up and replace Scarlet Lady. Marinette asks if Chat Noir has suggested anybody; Master Fu hedges, not wanting to reveal that Adrien was keen on having Marinette herself take the reins... ironic, given how Fu himself originally chose her for the role.

Marinette's father leads a baking class at Francoise Dupont; while most of the class is enjoying it, Chloé's not happy. Not only is a ''Dupain-Cheng'' getting all that attention, somebody shushes her when she complains about how cooking could soil her brand new pants! ''Obviously'', this has to be corrected--and as Marinette's taking the dough over to the cafeteria fridge, the fire alarm goes off, forcing an immediate evacuation.

Principal Damocles confronts the class afterwards, revealing the alarm was raised by a prank call. Chloé immediately tries to pin the blame on Marinette, only to be shouted down by the rest of the class, with Alya pointing out that Marinette didn't even have her cell on her and Adrien insisting she'd never interrupt her father's workshop. Marinette counters by asking who ''Chloé'' was calling, but Chloé refuses to answer, so Principal Damocles punishes the whole class... save for Chloé. Much to the outrage of all her peers.

Adrien confronts her, asking if she ''seriously'' called the fire department just to get out of the baking class. Chloé chirpily admits it, and is dumbstruck when her childhood friend calls her out for being so horrible, concluding that "I can't be ''friends'' with someone who treats people like ''you'' do! We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore!"

Devastated, Chloé bawls to her butler about how he says he won't be her friend anymore. He offers her Mr. Cuddly, reminding her that when she was little, Mr. Cuddly was always nice to her. This gives Chloé an epiphany: if she convinces Adrien that she's ''nice'', then he'll ''have'' to take her back!

Marinette and most of the girls are up in her bedroom, trying out some of her new designs. As Rose gushes over a rose-petal skirt, they all unexpectedly receive texts from Chloé, inviting them all to a party she's throwing. Alya wonders whether they should go; Lila's all for it: "Let's eat her food, trash her hotel, and leave her with the bill. It'll be fuuuun~"

Over at the Agreste Manor, Gabriel encounters Adrien and Nino getting ready for the party. Oddly, he seems to approve, telling his son to let his driver know when to pick him up. Nino notes how strange it is for Gabriel to actually ''let'' Adrien do something fun; Adrien wryly remarks that given how Chloé's the one throwing it, he'd probably ''make'' him go. But while he's thinking his father's hung up on networking opportunities and getting in good with the mayor's daughter, Gabriel's secretly gloating over how a party organized by "the most despicable girl in Paris" is a natural breeding ground for akumas.

Adrien and Nino pick the girls up; Adrien gushes over Marinette's dress, realizing that she made it herself. Alya remarks that it must be nice getting so many compliments, glancing over at Nino... only to see that he's dramatically collapsed, etching "Dead by beautiful girlfriend" in the dirt.

Observing her guests from above, Chloé remarks that they don't look totally homeless. Her butler encourages her to follow Mr. Cuddly's example and greet all her guests with a kiss on the cheek, which Chloé balks at -- does he ''really'' expect her to let these ''peasants'' touch her when Adrien isn't even around to see it? Jean remarks that Adrien ''is'' here to see, and she instantly changes her tune, sweeping down to drape herself off her former friend and leadingly remark "''Nice'' of me, huh?"

She then sweats her way through actually greeting her guests, angrily urging Marinette to "Get it over with, Dupain-Cheng!" Marinette wonders what she did to get punished in such a fashion.

Chloé then spots Kagami, and starts complaining to her butler about the other girl stealing her spotlight by dressing up so well. He encourages her to go compliment Kagami, while Aurore openly swoons over her. (Much to the restrained amusement of Mireille, who warns her co-anchor not to let Kagami catch her drooling.)

A slow song starts up, and Chloé starts looking for a partner. Luka flatly refuses, so she tries to exploit Kim's former crush on her, only to find he's already dancing with Ondine. She then whirls on Nathaniel, who hastily grabs another person's hand and asks them to dance. As they sweep away, he apologizes, admitting that he was trying to escape Chloé. Marc laughs, admitting that Chloé honestly scares them as well.

Chloé then declares that she doesn't need any of them when she's got Adrien... only to see that he's already dancing with Marinette. As she demands for her butler to get out of her way and let her confront them, Adrien remarks that the party's actually been surprisingly fun so far. Marinette agrees, wondering what brought it on; Adrien explains that it probably has something to do with how he broke off his friendship with Chloé. Marinette's impressed, while Adrien notes that it's not like Chloé is doing anything to make up for how she pulled the fire alarm.

Chloé snaps at her butler, complaining about ''his'' "'''stupid''' bear, '''stupid''' party and '''stupid''' name, Jean-whatever-it-is!" He protests that the party was her idea, only for her to declare that he's fired and order him out. Hawkmoth happily declares that he knew Chloé wouldn't let him down, greeting his latest akuma.

As Chloé rounds on Adrien and Marinette, Sabrina interrupts, asking her former friend to let her brush her hair. Chloé resists, while Adrien and Marinette both spot a creepy teddy bear clinging to Sabrina's leg. They hastily make excuses to each other and dart off, transforming into their respective alter egos and returning to save Chloé, sending her spinning out of the room.

The pair announce that this is officially an akuma alert, while Chloé grouses about her "sidekicks" crashing her party. Transforming into Scarlet Lady, she sweeps into the ballroom, loudly and proudly announcing her arrival. Chat Noir asks if she passed by Chloé, and she brags that she got her out safely, declaring that "After all, she and I are ''best friends''." Though she clearly sees this as a ringing endorsement (and protecting her secret identity), her guests are... less than enthusiastic about this, letting the implications sink in.

Things only get worse for her as the battle rages on. Despair Bear possesses one person after another, and Scarlet Lady responds to each challenge by ordering her "sidekicks" to do all the dirty work... until she gets possessed herself, at which point she orders them to hand over their Miraculouses. Despair Bear then has her summon her Lucky Charm, but gets confused by it turning into a fork, wondering just what kind of power this is. Marigold snatches it out of her hand and snags a loose thread on the teddy bear, tossing it to Chat Noir and working together with him to unravel the akuma. Scarlet Lady is left questioning how they got out by the pool, while Chat Noir picks up the shrunken servant.

Looking her straight in the eyes, Adrien smiles and replies "No?" Much to her utter shock. The party's promptly canceled, and everyone files out, still processing everything they just witnessed. Marinette asks Alya if everything's okay, to which she incredulously asks "Didn't you see--!" before cutting herself off, declaring that she's just... got some things she needs to work out.

Meanwhile, Chloé reassures her butler that Adrien is "obviously just being dramatic" with his declaration that they're no longer friends. But since she's so ''nice'', she's willing to forgive him for teasing her so cruelly. Sweating heavily, her butler silently thinks about who the ''real'' dramatic one is...

** When Adrien confronts Chloé about calling the fire department, she completely fails to pick up on his incredulity and ''proudly'' admits her crime. She also doesn't comprehend why he starts talking about how much he's learned about friendship, clearly wondering what his point is before getting blindsided by his declaration that they aren't friends anymore.

** Scarlet Lady ''dramatically'' damages her own reputation simply by claiming her alter ego Chloé is her best friend. Seeing how she relies upon her "sidekicks" to do all the work while playing TheMillstone also leaves the party guests shell-shocked as they process just how horrible an excuse for a heroine she is.

* HypocrisyNod: When Chloé tells her butler that Adrien's just being dramatic, he sarcastically thinks to himself that "Yes, ''he's'' being dramatic."

* IgnoredEpiphany: The closest Chloé comes to any kind of epiphany is recognizing that Adrien would prefer if she was nicer, which she ultimately decides isn't worth the hassle. By the episode's end, she's convinced herself that his declaration was some kind of "cruel prank", and that she doesn't need to do anything to win back his favor.

* JustJokingJustification: Chloé attempts this with Mylène; after insulting her dress, she claims she was only joking and actually ''loves'' her style.
* MaliciousMisnaming: Chloé has no clue what the second half of her butler's name is, refering to him as Jean-(insert random name here). Her utter lack of care regarding this is highlighted when she fires him, outright calling him "Jean-whatever-it-is!"

* MustMakeAmends: PlayedWith; while Chloé throws a party and invites everyone at their school, she's not trying to make up for how she pulled the fire alarm. Her sole concern is winning back Adrien's friendship; her acting nice towards the others is only a means to that end. How proudly and readily she confessed what she'd done to him also underscores how she doesn't see anything wrong with what she did, and ''still'' doesn't even after he called her out for it.

'''Adrien:''' Thing is, you don't do ''any'' of those things! You do the ''opposite'' of those things! And I can't be ''friends'' with someone who treats people like ''you'' do!\\

* TheUnapologetic: {{Discussed}}; Adrien notes that while Chloé is likely trying to win him back by throwing the party, she still isn't doing anything to make up for how she pulled the fire alarm.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Chloé expects to be EasilyForgiven once Adrien sees how "nice" she can be, and is shocked when he bluntly rejects the idea.