Monarch learns that Luka may know the secret identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir, so he sends his latest villain to steal that knowledge.
Tropes:
- Achievements in Ignorance: All Monarch wanted to do with Luka was create another villain to fight Ladybug and Cat Noir. In the ensuing attempt, Luka's panic not only ends up tipping off Monarch that Luka knows their secret identities, but also forces Luka to leave Paris at the end of the episode, leaving the Miraculous team with one less member for him to worry about.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Gold Record is unimpressed by the songs produced by the thoughts of Rose, Juleka, or Anarka, and he teleports their records into outer space. When Cat Noir interrupts a thrown record with a rubber duck, it produces a song full of quacking. Gold Record likes this song, and he teleports the record to his own office.
- An Aesop: Always read the terms and conditions of the contracts you sign.
- All for Nothing: Luka kept his knowledge of Ladybug and Cat Noir's true identities a secret because he didn't want to become a potential target for Monarch and endanger his friends. Lo and behold, his near-akumatization in this episode ends up alerting Monarch to the fact that he does know, forcing him to leave Paris at the end of the episode.
- All-Loving Hero: Luka tells his mother to give Bob Roth a chance, saying even the worst people deserve it. This would prove to be a huge mistake.
- Amicable Exes:
- Once Jagged convinces her that he seriously intends to be a better father and Penny will be there to help, Anarka is willing to trust him with Luka and the two hug.
- Marinette and Luka as usual. Marinette confides in him and thinks she's a bad person for breaking Luka's heart, but Luka assures her that is not the case.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Bob Roth claims that if Luka doesn't work for him he will make his "little friends' lives hell".
- Artistic License – Law: Contract law generally has exceptions for obviously lopsided contracts or those signed under false pretenses. Luka was careless in signing Bob's contract without reading it, sure, but Bob misrepresented the details and the ridiculous provisions he added would almost certainly get it canceled by any reasonable judge. The contract would also likely be unenforceable because the band members are all minors who signed without parental consent.
- Bait-and-Switch Sentiment: When transformed into a record, Rose reveals that, with all her heart, she loves Juleka. Juleka blushes. She then continues and lists other friends that she loves.
- But Now I Must Go: Once Gold Record is defeated, Luka realizes he can't stay in Paris now that Monarch knows that he knows Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities. Jagged offers to take him on tour, out of Monarch's reach.
- Crush Blush: Juleka blushes when the Rose record confesses its love for her. Given the context, this is all but an outright confirmation that Juleka has romantic feelings for Rose.
- Delayed Reaction: It's only after Luka calls Ladybug "Marinette" a second time that she realizes he knows her secret identity.
- Deliberate Injury Gambit: Ladybug allows Luka to be caught by Gold Record, knowing he'll be too distracted by catching his prize to notice her coming from behind.
- Double-Meaning Title: Gold Record receives the power of Migration, and at the end of the episode, Jagged Stone, Penny, and Luka migrate out of Paris.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Bob Roth doesn’t understand why Luka would stay loyal to his friends and choose them over wealth and fame.
- Entitled Bastard: In the denouement, Bob is smug that Anarka isn't a threat both because he's got the law behind his contract as well as Ladybug and Cat Noir nearby to protect him from her. It's then that the duo suddenly say they have to run because they're about to detransform.
- Evil Gloating: Bob Roth is at his absolute worst in this episode. After getting Kitty Section to sign their contracts, he very snidely boasts about how he's got them on the hook, putting on a scuba suit as he does so in preparation for Anarka to throw him overboard, shouting he doesn't care now that he's got his contract.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: When Luka tells Ladybug that he has a secret, she initially assumes it's that he's in love with someone and starts telling him it's nothing to be ashamed of... until she finally realizes that Luka called her "Marinette", at which point she becomes a deer in headlights as she tries to figure out how he learned it.
- Face Palm: Gold Record does one every time he hears a song he doesn’t like.
- Forced Transformation: Anyone hit by Gold Record's record is transformed into a floating record that sings out their deepest desires/secrets.
- Foreshadowing: There are indications that something is wrong with Marinette that is keeping her from expressing her love for Adrien.
- Godzilla Threshold: Despite Luka's attempt to keep his knowledge of their identities to himself, he's forced to reveal to Ladybug that he knows she's Marinette and likewise knows Cat Noir's secret identity (though he doesn't reveal the latter for obvious reasons) so she understands exactly how dire the situation is and why he absolutely cannot be allowed to spill his secrets to Monarch.
- Heir Club for Men: Bob Roth wants Luka to replace his dad, but he apparently doesn't know or doesn't care that Juleka is also Jagged Stone's child and a talented musician in her own right.
- Heroic Willpower: Luka, knowing that he would reveal Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities if he were to be Akumatized, not only resists Monarch's Akuma when it enters his guitar but smashes the guitar himself to release the Akuma. Unfortunately, Luka's fear and desperation to not become Akumatized clues Monarch into his knowledge of Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities.
- His Name Is...: When Luka is transformed, he comes very close to revealing what he knows, but Ladybug and Cat Noir release the Akuma before he can finish.
- I Lied: When trying to convince the kids he’s changed his ways, Bob earnestly admits he was lying in “Silencer” when he promised them their own record deal. He once again offers them a record deal and after they sign his contract, he smugly admits that he lied again.
- Idiot Ball: Despite knowing what a sleazeball Bob Roth is, Luka and the rest of Kitty Section still sign his contract without even reading it simply because he promises to be a better person now.
- Internal Reveal: Luka reveals to everyone that he knows the secret identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and Monarch is able to figure it out through Luka's emotions as he resists being akumatized.
- It's All My Fault: Luka says this, considering himself completely responsible for Bob Roth forcing Kitty Section to split apart since he suggested to his friends that they should give Roth a chance. His guilt over this nearly gets him Akumatized.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Bob Roth rightly tells Kitty Section that they should’ve been careful and read his contract before they signed it. He also refuses the Magical Charm, calling it worthless. While it was pretty rude, it’s been shown that the Magical Charms can’t protect people from being akumatized by Megakuma and are just a Magic Feather solution by now.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Jagged Stone cuts off Bob Roth after his actions in this episode, depriving him of one of his profitable musicians.
- Kick the Dog: The second Kitty Section signs their contracts, Bob Roth immediately lets them know that the entirety of Kitty Section are banned from ever playing while Luka is now essentially his indentured servant. He even puts on a scuba suit as he gloats, knowing Anarka would throw him overboard for it.
- Leonine Contract: An absurd example in Roth's contract, which had a "you will play for me or else" clause for Luka and a "you're not allowed to play ever again" clause for the rest of Kitty Section.
- Lost in Translation: Anarka's record's song ends with the last word she would have being "freedom". In the original French dub, she specifically uses the term "Liberté", alluding to Liberty, her boat's name.
- Love Confession: Played with.
- When Rose is transformed, her song outright confesses that she loves Juleka... and everyone else.
- Juleka, in turn, sings a song that very clearly refers to Rose without actually using her name.
- Mama Bear: Anarka makes clear her disdain for Bob Roth and throws him off her boat everytime he says something related to Luka she doesn’t like,
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Luka naively assumes Bob Roth's contract would be fair and he gets his band to sign it without reading the fine print, practically making them Bob Roth's slaves. Making this worse is the guilt he feels nearly gets him akumatized, leading Monarch to discover that Luka is aware of Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities, forcing him to leave Paris for his and their safety.
- Properly Paranoid: Luka kept his knowledge of Ladybug and Cat Noir's real identities a secret because he feared that Monarch would end up using him to learn what those identities are in order to get their Miraculous. This is exactly what ends up happening when he gets nearly akumatized, forcing him to go with Jagged Stone on tour in order to run away from Monarch.
- Put on a Bus: Jagged Stone, Penny and Luka all depart Paris on a tour.
- Read the Fine Print: Kitty Section signs Bob Roth's contract without actually reading its terms. They then find out that the contract's fine print grants Bob license to do pretty much whatever he wants, starting with forcing Kitty Section to split apart and Luka to become a solo musician under Roth's wing. Thankfully, the contract is nullified by the end of the episode.
- Rockers Smash Guitars: Both Played for Drama and Justified. During Monarch's attempt to akumatize him into Silencer, Luka ends up suffering a panic attack that causes him to smash his guitar, which is where the Akuma is located, in a desperate attempt to avert the transformation and not spill the beans.
- Running Gag:
- People coming to Luka for advice, with him asking them "You sure that's really what you to talk to me about?" after they provide some other pretext.
- Anarka tossing Bob Roth off her ship. Just before she does it for the 4th time, he puts on a wetsuit, goggles, and a snorkel with an oxygen tank to prepare.
- Ship Tease: When Rose is transformed into a record and signs that she loves Juleka, Juleka blushes. Rose then goes on to sing that she loves all of her other friends, too.
- Shout-Out:
- Penny references David Bowie. This means that he exists in the Miracuverse.
- Later Monarch calls Luka a "Rebel Rebel", like the Bowie song.
- One of the fake album covers is a parody of Nirvana's Nevermind, with the band members dressed like KISS.
- The album cover with a screaming Rose is a reference to In the Court of the Crimson King.
- Rose's song sounds awfully similar to Toto's "Rosanna".
- When Cat Noir tells Gold Record that his song wouldn't sound good, the latter tells him he should dance instead.
- Gold Record does a take on Alien's Tag Line "In space, no one can hear you sing!" after he portals the record of Rose into space.
- Penny references David Bowie. This means that he exists in the Miracuverse.
- The Shrink: Luka serves this roll for Marinette, Adrien, Jagged Stone, and Penny Rolling in quick succession at the beginning of the episode.
- Significant Name Shift: Luka calls Ladybug "Marinette" to make it clear that he knows who she is. It takes her a couple times to realize what he's just said.
- Smug Snake: Bob. After conning Kitty Section once again, he proceeds to do some very smug Evil Gloating.
- Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: At the end of the episode, Bob Roth taunts Anarka that she can't throw him overboard again because Ladybug and Cat Noir have a duty to protect him. They both immediately leave, claiming they're about to transform back — even though neither of their Miraculous is beeping.
- Taking the Bullet: A variant. Rose and later Juleka jump in front of Luka to prevent him from being hit by Gold Record's record, turning them into records.
- Tempting Fate: Bob Roth went onto Anarka's boat without her permission. When she says as much, he mocks her by asking "What are you gonna do about it?" She proceeds to throw him off into the water.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Played with. Gold Record portals the boring records he creates into space.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Bob Roth being a greedy jerk as usual makes Luka mad enough to render him vulnerable to Akumatization, and though Luka is able to fight it off, Monarch can sense why he's so desperate to do so, making Luka a liability to the heroes going forward.
- Walk the Plank: Anarka throws Bob Roth off her houseboat and into the Seine when he refuses to leave. Repeatedly.
- What Does She See in Him?: Or in Penny's case, "What Do I See in Him?" She wonders why she is in love with Jagged, despite his wild and childish behavior and (in her opinion) subpar musical skills. Also, after Bob Roth learns that Jagged has a son, he says he can’t believe someone would be “foolish” enough to have a kid with a “good-for-nothing” like him.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Monarch does this when trying to akumatize Luka. Once the akuma makes contact, Monarch reads Luka's emotions and can sense that Luka is resisting him because he knows Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities before he destroys his object and breaks the connection. Now directly targeting Luka, he akumatizes Bob Roth into Gold Record and gives him the power to force people to reveal their hidden secrets along with the Horse Miraculous power to teleport and sends him after Luka to learn them.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: Luka addressing Ladybug as "Marinette" instantly lets her know that he knows her secret identity, jeopardizing her plan to use him as bait for Gold Record.
