Chloé's reign as mayor continues, while the heroes struggle with how to deal with a villain who isn't using superpowers.
Tropes:
- 11th-Hour Superpower: Ladybug and Cat Noir overcome the five-minute limit on their powers and can now use them endlessly, just in time for the finale two episodes from now. Cat Noir immediately puts it to good use by Cataclysming every single robot in sight.
- Acquaintance Denial: While on camera, Chloé refers to Zoé as "this girl who's pretending to be my sister".
- Alas, Poor Villain: Chloé gets a minor one at the end after her parting shot at Marinette backfires. Her pride and arrogance completely shatter in that moment and she drops her mask of entitled brattiness as she breaks down into tears, showing the audience what's truly underneath it: a lonely and broken teenager who has lost all she's ever cared about due to her own actions and is now living her worst fear: being left alone, powerless, and under the control of someone more tyrannical than she is.
- Badass in Distress: Ladybug and Cat Noir are bubbled by Chloé's robots and can't escape on their own. It's up to the citizens to rebel against Chloé and break her akumatization, thus freeing the duo to purify the akuma and destroy the (now-depowered) robots.
- Best Served Cold: Chloé claims that "revenge is a pastry best served cold" after Lila stops her from revealing Adrien's secret to Marinette. Unfortunately, she waits a bit too long and Adrien winds up beating her to it, so her attempt backfires spectacularly.
- Beyond Redemption: After purifying the akuma, Ladybug briefly hesitates to give Chloé another Magical Charm when she isn't liable to change her ways, but still decides to go through with it. André then stops her and insists on dealing with Chloé himself by sending her away with her mother.
- Big Damn Kiss: Adrien and Marinette share a proper kiss just as he is being forced to leave for London.
- Bittersweet Ending: Chloé is ousted as mayor, stripped of every ounce of power that she has (political, super, and otherwise), abandoned by her allies, deemed the most hated person in all of Paris, and left by her father in the care of her controlling mother who whisks her out of the city in exile, her reign of terror finally over after so long. In addition, Ladybug and Cat Noir unlock the ability to stay transformed after using their special powers, and Ms. Bustier has thrown her hat in the ring for the election of a new mayor. However, Adrien is still forced to move to London with his father, and is only able to tell Marinette on his way to the airport, with the two meeting and sharing their first kiss just before he is forced to leave. And Lila now has Tomoe's laptop and all the secrets within it.
- Borrowed Catchphrase:
- Miss Bustier borrows one of Ladybug's finishing lines as she releases the akuma.Miss Bustier: No more evildoing for you!
- Marinette calls Chloé "ridiculous, utterly ridiculous" as part of her "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Miss Bustier borrows one of Ladybug's finishing lines as she releases the akuma.
- Book Ends: This all started when Chloé got Miss Bustier fired as a teacher in the previous episode, and it ended with Miss Bustier playing a key role in Chloé's final defeat.
- Break the Haughty: Chloé officially hits her rock-bottom by the end of this episode: she has been stripped of every bit of power she has (political, super, and otherwise), the entirety of Paris now despises her, her only two friends (Adrien & Sabrina) have cut ties with her, her allies (Gabriel, Tomoe, and Lila/Cerise) have abandoned her, and her father sends her off to live with her mother, who blames her for the ruin of their family name and reputation and vows to come down harder on her like she used to do with her father. And finally, her attempt to regain some kind of control of the situation by taunting Marinette over Adrien's departure completely backfires due to Marinette shutting her down and tearing into her with cold hard truths about her. This last instance finally breaks Chloé's spirit, and all she can do is break down in tears as it finally hits her that she truly has lost everything.
- Call-Back: This is the second time that Chloé has been taken down by normal people in an Akumatized form, but this time the event is shown and she is immediately Brought Down to Normal. Chloé lampshades the Sole Destroyer incident in her brief hesitation to be akumatized by Monarch.
- Continuity Nod: The racist ticket inspector from "Qilin" returns as a Chloé supporter.
- Deal with the Devil:
- Chloé cuts a deal with Monarch to use Miraculous powers through her robots, unaware that Gabriel and Tomoe plan to betray her as soon as Ladybug and Cat Noir are captured.
- Chloé also gets discarded as a pawn by Lila in the end after willingly working with her over the course of the last few episodes.
- Death Glare: Marinette to Chloé when the latter tries to spite the former about Adrien's departure to London.
- Delusions of Eloquence: Chloé just cannot pronounce "democracy".
- Demonization: Chloé justifies undoing Ms. Bustier's rehiring at the end of the previous episode because she was "evil" and the students needed to be protected from her.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Chloé sends her father to "Detention" for not spoiling her, André Glacier for being a Shipper on Deck for Marinette and Adrien, Marinette and Adrien for becoming a couple, Ivan, Myléne and Alya for protesting against her and Nadia Chamack and Officer Roger for reasons not made clear.
- Double-Meaning Title: The very climax of the episode is Ladybug and the Resistance encouraging the Parisians to stand up and go after Queen Mayor angry mob-style. Also, as a History Repeats, it reflects the most famous event in France's history where normal people openly rebelled in response to an apathetic queen and forced her out of power.
- The Dog Bites Back:
- Miss Bustier, who got fired from her job in the previous episode, is the one to defeat Chloé by tearing her sash and freeing the akuma. The Resistance as a whole also helps inspire the citizens to rebel against their former classmate.
- André Bourgeois, once an Extreme Doormat who let his family walk all over him, finally steps up and is instrumental in exiling his out-of-control daughter.
- Finally, Marinette puts the nail in the coffin by completely dismantling Chloé's last act of spite and making it clear exactly how far she's fallen, leaving Chloé sobbing from the weight of being left completely powerless and alone.
- Evil Gloating:
- When she thinks she's beaten Ladybug and Cat Noir, Chloé gloats to them about how she's been akumatized and all superpowers belong solely to her. This helps drive the public to rebel against her rule.
- Chloé's one last attempt to regain some control is to call Marinette and taunt her over the fact that Adrien is being forced to move to London. It backfires because Adrien has already told her and they shared a parting kiss, pushing Marinette past despair and into anger, which she turns on Chloé.
- Evil Is Petty: As soon as she has superpowers to enforce her will, Chloé goes on a tear using them to get petty revenge on everyone. She sends anyone who displeases her to detention, steals from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, forces André Glacier out of business, and rewrites the school lessons to glorify her family in a wildly ahistorical way. After she's defeated and shipped off with her mother, she can't help but take a parting shot at Marinette by taunting her about Adrien's departure in an (unsuccessful) attempt to regain some agency after losing everything.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Chloé has Mrs. Mendeleiv teach history lessons about how the Bourgeois family discovered gold, complete with a diagram of evolution with her face (badly) taped over the different hominids. Mercifully, no-one but her is listening, as the rest of the class is protesting her firing of Miss Bustier.
- Gambit Roulette: Lila's plan relies on getting the chance to grab Tomoe's laptop in the confusion, which never would have happened had Tomoe not dropped it when the mob bumped into her.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: After getting akumatized into Queen Mayor, Chloé becomes even more tyrannical, using her robots to imprison anyone and everyone she wants to get rid of, even when their only "crime" is not letting her do whatever she wants.
- Goofy Print Underwear: Ladybug's Lucky Charm produces the bottom half of a swimsuit, and naturally is Ladybug-themed as all her Lucky Charms are. Cat Noir gets a good laugh out of it, dubbing it a "mirakini". Since the object winds up destroyed, how this would have defeated Chloé is left to the viewer's imagination. It's worth noting that when the Resistance revolts against Chloé's rule, Kim is the first one to jump on the stage to confront her, wearing an identical swimsuit (apart from the coloring).
- Heroic Willpower: Ladybug and Cat Noir, having used their powers and run out of time, start to de-transform. They will themselves to stay transformed a little longer to buy time for the citizens, before declaring that they won't transform back and willing their powers to return.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: As the crowd rebels against Chloé, one civilian grabs a robot and turns it towards another so it will bubble its ally.
- Impossible Task: Chloé's Detention informs the prisoners that they can get out by finding a corner and sitting in it. The entire area is a long, looping path with rounded edges so they can never do so, as André lampshades.
- Irony:
- Chloé had twice wanted to previously move to New York with her mother to get away from her troubles, but was unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances. By the end of the episode, she is leaving Paris with her mother, though it won't be the happy occurrence she had hoped for due to her mother being upset over the Bourgeois family name being ruined. It's also worth noting that for all of her attempts to exile her sister Zoé back to New York, Chloé ends up being the one exiled in the end.
- Chloé had tried for years to leave Marinette friendless, break her spirit, and ruin her life with her bullying. By the end of this episode, as Marinette scathingly points out, her own actions have left her as the one with no friends, her spirit broken, and her life ruined.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: After spending years thriving on her family's power and connections to make people miserable, and keep herself from getting in trouble for it, Chloé is finally hit with all of the bad karma she’s earned: she is overthrown and ousted as mayor, stripped of every ounce of power, becomes universally hated by the entirety of Paris, is abandoned by her allies, is personally exiled by her former pushover father to live with her self-absorbed and controlling mother (who blames her for their family name being ruined and vows to take control of her life), and sees her once-favorite punching bag Marinette stand up to her and shut her down one last time by laying out some cold hard truths about her, the last of which finally breaks her, bringing her to tears.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- In Chloé's Detention Center, the hallway has blood red lighting while video clips of herself yell at the prisoners for being ridiculous. Her last scene shows her crying on the plane, which has the same red lighting, after Marinette calls her utterly ridiculous.
- In the previous episode, Chloe suggested that Miss Bustier be exiled from Paris to punish her classmates. Here, she's the one exiled.
- Love Hurts: Marinette's boyfriend Adrien is forced to leave for London on his strict father's orders, meaning that the two lovers will be separated from each other indefinitely. This drives both of them to tears.
- Manly Tears: The Gorilla as he's saddened to see Adrien crying and clutching the charm bracelet Marinette gave him.
- The Maze: Anyone who opposes Queen Mayor is Voyaged to "Detention", which is a large pathway that contains giant screens of Chloé yelling at them on loop. It's downplayed since it's really one single loop of a path that's located in the sports stadium.
- Metaphorically True: It's always been a consistent rule that only grown-ups can use the Miraculous without having to transform back eventually. While this remains true, Marinette and Adrien's power-up implies that, for the purposes of this rule, being a "grown-up" is more of a state of mind than anything to do with physical age.
- Monument of Humiliation and Defeat: Chloé has a giant, gold statue of herself built on top of the Arc de Triomphe.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Chloé blurts out that she's been akumatized when she thinks she's won, further proof to the assembled crowd that she needs to be deposed.
- Gabriel's plan to use Chloé as a pawn to capture the heroes ultimately only makes them stronger by placing them in a situation where they have to overcome their limitations. It also provides an opportunity for Lila to swipe Tomoe's laptop and gain access to the secrets contained therein.
- Not Helping Your Case:
- While Chloé slanders her former classmates by saying that they've teamed up with a crazy ex-principal who thinks he's a superhero, Damocles strikes a superhero pose and gives his iconic "hoo-hoo" in response, before slinking off once he realizes what he's done.
- While Chloé calls out André Glacier for operating his ice cream cart without a license, he just claims he doesn't need one.
- Now, Let Me Carry You: With the Miraculous Heroes subdued and seconds away from having their secret identities revealed, the Resistance decides to step up and defeat Queen Mayor on their behalf.
- Now or Never Kiss: Adrien and Marinette.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: Chloé belittles Adrien by calling him a clueless puppet who follows his father's whims without question, not realizing that she has allowed herself to be an Unwitting Pawn to both the same man (as Monarch) and Lila.
- Operation: [Blank]: Now that a critical mass of people worldwide have adopted the Alliance rings, Gabriel and Tomoe plan to launch Operation Perfect Alliance.
- Orbital Kiss: Marinette and Adrien's Big Damn Kiss at the airport has the camera rotating around them.
- Pet the Dog: Despite playing his part in forcing Adrien to leave Paris forever, the Gorilla unbuckles Adrien's seatbelt so he can see Marinette one last time, and looks sad for Adrien when Adrien starts crying after being returned to his seat.
- Powerful and Helpless: Since most of the havoc Chloé is wreaking in the episode is done without an akuma, Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't able to do anything about her authoritarian antics. They draw the line at her kidnapping people, however, and choose to intervene despite not realizing she has been akumatized by then and is using Miraculous powers to do it.
- Properly Paranoid: Chloé initially rejects Monarch's offer of an alliance, since he left her high and dry last time, but is talked into it by Lila. History Repeats, naturally.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- While being exiled to New York, Audrey harshly and angrily gives one to Chloé for her foolishness and vows to gain control of her life. Chloé, seething that she also lost her mother's love and respect, retreats to the back of the plane.
Audrey: Because of you, we've lost face! You've ruined our name and our reputation! You had all the powers in your hands, and you foolishly lost them! Bourgeois do not raise losers. You think you're going to London on vacation? Dream on! I'm going to take control of your life again, starting with your education.- Marinette's response to Chloé's final attempt to bully her over Adrien's departure, completely shutting her down and telling her that she already knows about it (having just witnessed it after the two shared their first kiss), adding that she knows Adrien loves her, and finishing that Chloé no longer has any power over anyone or anything anymore, and that she is the "utterly ridiculous" one. This ends up shattering Chloé's spirit and makes her realize that she has finally hit rock bottom as she breaks down in tears.
Marinette: Be quiet, Chloé! I already know your little secret. I know it because Adrien told me. I also know that he loves me. And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing! You've lost any and all power over us. You're the one who's ridiculous, Chloé. Utterly ridiculous. Enjoy your trip. - Race for Your Love: Not content to let Adrien leave Paris without showing that she'll always be there for him, Marinette hops on her scooter and breaks through airport security to reach him on the tarmac moments before his plane is about to take off, allowing the two to share a big damn parting kiss.
- Room 101: "Detention" is a looping path where the prisoners are forced to march endlessly as giant screens loop a recording of Chloé switching between berating them and claiming to be there for them.
- Rousing Speech: Trapped and about to de-transform, Ladybug inspires the citizens of Paris to rebel against Chloé by telling them that it's their turn to stand up to tyranny now that she and Cat Noir won't be able to.
- Rule of Symbolism: In the last scene, Marinette's hair in the same style back when Chloé used to torment her non-stop.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When the tide turns against Chloé due to Ladybug and Cat Noir mastering their powers and the crowd revolting against her tyranny, Gabriel and Tomoe take off before things get even worse, and Lila cuts off contact with Chloé to focus on getting the latter's laptop, leaving Chloé to her fate.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Marinette responds to Chloé with a furious "Be quiet" when Chloé attempts to gloat about Adrien being forced to move to London by his father, before verbally ripping her a new one.
- Sore Loser: Even after she's de-akumatized and is dragged away by her father, Chloé throws a tantrum by saying that she has more robots at her disposal, even though she has no means to control them. Even as she's being flown out of Paris, she calls Marinette for one last spiteful act, only for Marinette to turn the subject against her.
- The Stinger: Marinette arrives at the end-of-the-year party, and despite being heartbroken over Adrien's departure, stands up to and completely shuts down Chloé's final attempt to bully her, breaking Chloé's pride and spirit in the process. Elsewhere, Lila begins working to unlock Tomoe's laptop to gain access to all of her and Gabriel's secrets.
- This Cannot Be!: Gabriel is taken aback by Ladybug and Cat Noir suddenly overcoming the limit on their powers, since that is supposed to be exclusive to adults. Nooroo surmises that they've grown up on the inside.
- Tranquil Fury: During Marinette's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Chloe she never raises her voice, but wears a running-mascara-enhanced Death Glare that could burn a hole through solid steel.
- Unwitting Pawn: Twice over with Chloé. Gabriel/Monarch is using her to capture Ladybug and Cat Noir, at which point he intends to depower her and have Tomoe seize control of her robots. Lila, meanwhile, is using her to spy on Gabriel and Tomoe so she can find an opening to steal their secrets.
- Villainous Breakdown: After Marinette throws her final bullying attempt right back in her face, Chloé sits staring in utter shock for a few moments before breaking down in tears as the reality of her situation finally hits her dead-on.
- Villain Reveals the Secret: Subverted. During the protest at the school, Chloé intends to tell Marinette that Adrien is moving to London, but Lila stops her. She also tries to use it to force Adrien's compliance later, but he intends to tell Marinette himself so she sends him to Detention. When she finally gets around to it as her last act of spite after being defeated, Marinette already knows and tears into her.
- We Can Rule Together: Chloé tries to blackmail Adrien into becoming her deputy mayor, but he turns her down.
- What You Are in the Dark: Stripped of her power, exiled from her hometown as the most hated person there, and stuck under the thumb of her controlling mother, Chloé thumbs through her contacts and stops on Sabrina, seemingly intending to reach out to the one person she could have called a friend. But that moment doesn't last, as she lets on a look of regret and can't bring herself to call her, out of undecipherable feelings (possibly pride, shame, and/or remorse), and she instead scrolls to Marinette with an evil grin on her face, intending to make one parting shot of cruelty on her way out. It doesn't pan out that way, but it demonstrates that, even at her lowest point, Chloé's first instinct is to make someone else suffer to make herself feel better. This could be be because, after having done it for so long, with Marinette as her victim of choice for at least four years, she doesn't know how to do otherwise.
- You Keep Using That Word: Well, trying to, at any rate. Chloé keeps talking up decromacy as an ideal, but she forcibly took control with the power of superpowered robots. Later, she simply declares that everyone clearly loves what she's done with Paris, and that there is no need for elections - that's the detomacric answer!
- Your Makeup Is Running: Marinette's mascara smudges slightly from her tears after being separated from Adrien.
