Episode 31
- Despair Bear - Tales of Jean-___ the Butler
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 and wonders 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 the Kwami was suffering from her sickness crossed a line even for her... as far as Marinette'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 dissension and infighting in the ranks, it could complicate matters considerably. Plus, 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 Dupain-Cheng getting all that attention, somebody also 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 cellphone on her and Adrien insisting she'd never interrupt her father's workshop. Marinette counters by asking whom Chloé was calling, but Chloé refuses to answer, so Principal Damocles punishes the whole class... save for Chloé after she reminds the principal whom her father is, 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, "I can't be friends with someone who treats people like you do!" before adding, "We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore!"
Devastated, Chloé bawls to her butler about how Adrien saying he won't be her friend anymore. The butler 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! Her butler hesitatingly goes along with her plan.
Marinette and most of the girls are up in her bedroom, trying on 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, his father would 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 over 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.
Afterwards, Chloé complains to her butler that Adrien isn't falling all over himself to be friends with her again. He suggests that she further demonstrate her good will by ensuring that all of her guests are enjoying themselves. With an aggravated sigh, she attempts to do just that...
...leaving poor Mylène in a state of shock. She recounts to Ivan and Luka how Chloé came up to her and declared her dress belonged in the trash, only to abruptly claim she was just joking and actually loved her style. She then attempted to pour an entire bucket's worth of ice into Mylène's drink, much to her confusion.
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 the latter (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 (what she thinks is) 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. His partner, Marc, laughs, admitting that Chloé honestly scares them as well as they and Nathaniel both blush.
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 called the fire department.
Chloé snaps at her butler, complaining about his "stupid bear, [his] stupid party, and [his] 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. Hawk Moth 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, to which the heroine brags that she got her out safely, even declaring, "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 Miraculous. 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 as Chat Noir picks up the shrunken servant.
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 Chloé slams the door open and yells at Jean to "Get down here and save [her] party!"
Adrien returns, noting that everybody still seems to be there; Chloé ambushes him, bragging about how she totally helped Scarlet Lady reach the akuma and save everyone. Isn't that nice of her? Doesn't that make him want to forget their little fight and be friends forever?
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 her friend incredulously asks, "Didn't you see—!" before cutting herself off, declaring that she's just... got some things she needs to work out.
Catching up with Marinette, Adrien suggests that the others might be upset because the party got canceled, comparing it to how disappointed he was when the baking lessons were ruined. He was really looking forward to trying his hand at making macarons. Laughing, Marinette invites him to swing by the bakery for a lesson sometime, promising to bring some for the whole class tomorrow.
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 whom the real dramatic one is...
This episode contains examples of:
- Adaptational Karma: Adrien straight up tells Chloé that they aren't friends anymore after her fire alarm stunt rather than just giving her an ultimatum. He doesn't forgive her by the end of the episode, either, not that she's willing to acknowledge it.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Based on her reaction to seeing Kagami in an evening gown, Aurore may be lesbian or bisexual. There's also the fact they later seem to be dancing together in the background when Adrien asks Marinette for a dance.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: 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.
- Believing Their Own Lies: After crying over Adrien ending their friendship, Chloé thinks that throwing a party will prove she is nice and win him back. Unlike in canon, Butler Jean doesn't really encourage this belief, saying only, "Uh, sure," with a Sweat Drop speech balloon, though Chloé later yells that she's had enough of his stupid party after hitting her Rage Breaking Point. Moreover, by the end of the episode, she's wholly convinced herself that she and Adrien are still friends because she forgives him for overreacting and declaring they aren't.
- Big "NO!": Despair Bear belts one out as he's being unraveled.
- Blunt "No":
- How Luka turns down Chloé's offer of a dance.
- Adrien gives Chloé one when he tells her near the end of the episode that he doesn't forgive her for her fire department stunt.
- Broken Pedestal:
- 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.
- Downplayed with the butler. While he's accustomed to Chloé's myriad temper tantrums and brattiness, he still sincerely believes that his mademoiselle can become kinder and repair her ruined friendships. Then she fires him, only to start screaming at him after he's purified to salvage her party, and his final thoughts hint at some Servile Snarkery.
- Comical Overreacting: 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.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Since both of them are so used to dealing with Scarlet Lady, Adrien and Marinette don't realize why all of the party guests are left in shock afterwards, misattributing it to disappointment over the party getting canceled.
- Convenient Slow Dance: It's not convenient for Chloé when she can't find anyone to dance with at her party, but it is convenient that she drives Nathaniel to dance with Marc so that they start to get together long before they did in canon.
- Damned by Faint Praise: When Chloé sees her classmates entering the hotel for the party, all she can say is that they "don't look totally homeless."
- Dramatically Missing the Point:
- 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's 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.
- She 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.
- Chloé 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 baking lesson was actually the straw that broke the camel's back.
- When Marinette asks Adrien if he knew why 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 they are all in shock after witnessing Scarlet Lady's true nature firsthand (the next episode reveals that Adrien and Marinette didn't notice due to having already gotten used to the Ladybug heroine's antics).
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: After being deakumatized, Butler Jean laments his firing. Chat Noir reassures him that knowing Chloé, she'll have forgotten she fired her butler by tomorrow... right before Chloé storms onto the scene and demands her butler save her party.Chat Noir: [Sweat Drops] Or she'll forget right now.
- Friend of Masked Self: Chloé once again declares that she's friends with herself; this time, she does so as Scarlet Lady, lending credence to her claims, though this backfires when it just damages her reputation as a hero.
- Funny Background Event: In the background during the party, Chloé tries to get Butler Jean to put Mr. Cuddly away before everybody sees it.
- George Jetson Job Security: Played With. 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.
Word of God states that Chloé is "only serious about 25% of the people she fires." - Get Out!: Chloé is implied to have done this when her party is abruptly cancelled after Adrien tells her he isn't going to forgive her and take her back as a friend.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- Scarlet Lady severely damages her own reputation simply by claiming her alter ego Chloé is her best friend. Seeing firsthand how she relies on her "sidekicks" to do all the work while playing The Millstone also leaves the party guests shellshocked as they process just how horrible an excuse for a heroine she is.
- While mind-controlling Scarlet Lady, Despair Bear has her summon her Lucky Charm, creating a fork which Marigold snags and uses to unravel him.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Chloé tells Jean that Adrien's just being dramatic, the butler sarcastically thinks to himself that, "Yes, he's the dramatic one."
- I Reject Your Reality: After her party plan fails, Chloé decides that Adrien is "just being dramatic" and only pretending that he doesn't want to be friends anymore.
- Ignored Epiphany: 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.
- Internal Reveal:
- All of the guests at Chloé's party get to see Scarlet Lady's "fighting style" up close and personal, witnessing her ordering her "sidekicks" around and forcing them to do all the work.
- Played With 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.
- Jaw Drop: Aurore is so taken aback by the sight of Kagami that Mireille has to gently prop her chin up with the back of her hand.Mireille: Don't let her catch you drooling, Aurore.
- "Just Joking" Justification: Chloé attempts this with Mylène; after insulting the latter's dress, claiming she was only joking and actually loves her style.
- Malicious Misnaming: 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!"
- The Millstone: Scarlet Lady is in fine form at the party, constantly screaming at Chat Noir and Marigold to deal with the akuma and the various people it possesses... until she gets mind-controlled herself.
- Mind-Control Eyes: Anyone under Despair Bear's control gains a Splash of Color in the form of bright green eyes.
- Must Make Amends: Played With; while Chloé throws a party and invites everyone at their school, she's not trying to make up for how she called the fire department. Her sole concern is winning back Adrien's friendship, and 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 even after he called her out for it, she still doesn't.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Despair Bear, possessing Scarlet Lady, makes her invoke Lucky Charm. This produces a fork that Marigold and Chat Noir can use to unravel his costume and defeat him. If he had kept Scar silent, they would have been unable to get the object. They might've still defeated him, but they wouldn't be able to undo any side damage.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Chloé's butler tried to help her repair her broken friendship with Adrien, only for her to completely miss the point, lash out, and fire him for his efforts.
- Ocular Gushers: How Chloé cries after Adrien breaks off his friendship with her.
- Painting the Medium: In the title card, the second part of Jean's name is hidden due to canon having a Running Gag of it being unknown and constantly gotten wrong before "Adoration" (released after the comic episode) revealed that the butler's name doesn't even start with "Jean" and is in fact Armand.
- Rage Breaking Point:
- Adrien reaches his with Chloé after her fire department stunt, giving her a "The Reason You Suck" Speech and declaring they aren't friends anymore.
- 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.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Adrien delivers one when breaking off his toxic friendship with Chloé:Adrien: You know, Chloé, being at school has taught me a lot about what a good friend is.
Chloé: A—huh?
Adrien: You watch out for each other, consider each other's feelings, and make each other feel good when you're together!
Chloé: Okaaaay?
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!
Chloé: WUH—?!
Adrien: We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore! - Scenery Censor: The second part of the butler's name is obscured from view by Mr. Cuddly's head.
- Ship Tease:
- The episode teases Aurore developing a crush on Kagami and Nathaniel starting to crush on Marc.
- This is also a very heavy Adrien/Marinette teaser: Adrien compliments Marinette before the party, the two having a slow dance, Marinette gives a Laugh of Love after Adrien tells her about breaking off his friendship with Chloé, he gives her his jacket when he sees her trembling from the cold, and Marinette offers him a class on making macarons at the bakery whenever he wants.
- The Unapologetic: 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 her fire department stunt.
- Unwitting Pawn: After learning about Chloé's party, Gabriel eagerly declares that "A party organized by the most despicable girl in Paris is a breeding ground for akumas!" Then, when Chloé fires her butler, Hawk Moth remarks that he knew that she wouldn't let him down.
- Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: Chloé expects Adrien to fall over himself in becoming friends with her again just because she was "nice." It doesn't work.
- We Used to Be Friends: Adrien finally ends his friendship with after her fire alarm stunt. Chloé's initially broken up about this, but when her attempts to suck up to him fail to win him back, she just convinces herself she doesn't need to because he was just being overdramatic.
- Wham Episode: Adrien officially breaks off his friendship with Chloé after her prank call to the fire department.
- Wham Line: Adrien decides that Chloé's latest stunt in calling the fire department just to disrupt Tom's baking lesson is the last straw and makes clear what he thinks of her:
- Adrien: We're done, Chloé! We're not friends anymore!
- What Would X Do?: Jean manages to temporarily get Chloé to behave by suggesting what Mr. Cuddly would do in her place.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Chloé expects to be Easily Forgiven once Adrien sees how "nice" she can be and is shocked when he bluntly rejects the idea.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Marigold and Chat Noir both yell, "Seriously?!" when they realize that Scarlet Lady got possessed by Despair Bear after doing nothing but order them around and make them do all the work.
