Episode 24
- Syren - Tales of Ondine the Mermaid
Nadja's on the scene with breaking news—there's been a breakout from the zoo, and animals are running rampant across Paris! Thankfully, Chat Noir and Marigold are on the scene (though Nadja notes that Scarlet Lady hasn't shown up). Kim, Ondine and others watch a gorilla run over the skylight at the public pool, marveling at the fact that the animals apparently just escaped by themselves without any akuma being involved.
Kim asks Ondine if she thinks the heroes have some kind of super-secret training facility. She admits that she doesn't know, but she's got a secret of her own to share, provided Kim's able to retrieve it from underwater. Sealed inside the bracelet is a note declaring, "I'm super in love with a boy who doesn't suspect anything." Upon reading this, Kim laughs—that guy sounds like a total moron! Ondine can only agree, deciding to be more direct with her next note.
Unfortunately, Kim notices the time and realizes he's got to get going: the whole class is meeting up to see a movie together, and Max bought his ticket for him, so he can't miss out! Even Chloé is supposed to show up—though as he rushes away, he notes that he hopes she doesn't make it, given how she's such a pain.
But Ondine doesn't know he feels that way. Looking at the note she had sketched—his name inside a heart—she wonders what he sees in Chloé. She's so mean... but does he see that as assertiveness? She's vain... or girly... and so arrogant... or is that confident? No matter how she looks at it, it's clear that Chloé is the polar opposite of her—so if that's the type of girl he likes, then she hasn't got a chance, does she...?
Sensing her heartbreak, Hawk Moth purrs about what a shame it would be if someone made it ten times worse. Someone like him, naturally.
Meanwhile, Marigold uses her trompo to bait the last of the escaped animals into the back of a van. Watching this unfold live, Tikki questions why Chloé didn't help while her holder dismisses those sorts of tasks as grunt work, completely beneath her. But without her around to hog all the credit, Nadja's microphone finds itself thrust into Chat Noir's face instead as the reporter notes how much happier he seems as of late. Chat Noir happily credits this to his amazing partner, pulling Marigold into view... while Chloé crushes the TV remote in her hands, furious that he's talking to the media without her.
The two true heroes of Paris are sharing a victory fist-bump when Scarlet Lady arrives, berating them both for going on TV without her. Unimpressed by her ranting, Chat Noir sees another opportunity to mess with her when she suggests that he knows where the "new-bee" got her Miraculous from. As she rages over the idea that he's keeping secrets from her, he quietly admits to Marigold that he barely knows anything more than Scarlet Lady... not that the Ladybug heroine knows that.
Back at the pool, one of the workers notices a black butterfly fluttering towards Ondine, who's been sitting silently with tears streaming down her face. He takes off running as it alights upon her and Hawk Moth addresses her as Syren.
Kim makes it to the meet-up roughly three-and-a-half minutes late. Marinette arrives next; aside from her, the only one absent is Adrien... and Chloé, which they all celebrate. The girl in question is too busy sulking in her room, obsessing over the notion that her lackeys are keeping secrets from her. Tikki mentally notes that she could remind her holder about the movie but isn't particularly interested in doing so.
Adrien's paying Master Fu a visit; the Guardian wants his help crafting some power-up potions. But Wayzz and Plagg are forbidden from entering since they're not allowed to know the recipes—that could spell disaster if they were ever caught. After the door is shut in their faces, Plagg declares he's going to break some of Fu's pottery in retaliation.
Fu asks Adrien how well he's getting along with Marigold. Things are going great, the teen reports... although Scarlet Lady is pretty upset about being left out of the loop. There's a brief pause as Fu looks at Adrien, considering this, before turning back to his cauldron and casually remarking, "Well, sucks for her." Adrien chortles in amused agreement.
Sadly, the potion doesn't turn out as intended, and Adrien has to hurry to meet the others. Before they can head into the cinema, however, Marinette notices that the streets are flooding and yells for everyone to run. Chloé casually observes the chaos from her balcony, unconcerned; the extras can get their hair wet while she sits things out. But Tikki points out that with how rapidly the water's rising, it looks like she's going to be be getting wet either way, causing Chloé to panic—she can't deal with water from the Seine! "Fish pee there!"
Kim, by contrast, happily suits up and dives in, inviting the others to follow. Max refuses, bluntly reminding him that it's February. But there are other reasons to avoid taking a dip as a fin slices through the water towards the distracted swimmer—and despite the others' frantic warnings, he's pulled under. Alya swiftly discovers that both Adrien and Marinette have vanished as well and desperately demands to know "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"; she's unaware of how both of their friends are stealthily rowing away on makeshift rafts.
Fortunately, Captain Anarka is here to save the rest of the stranded teenagers, steering the Liberty through the flooded streets with ease. Luka helps his sister aboard but is disappointed to hear from her that Marinette went off on her own to get help.
Underwater, Syren gives Kim a bubble helmet so he can breathe. Marigold, holding her breath, intervenes, snagging him with her trompo and hauling him up to safety. Syren pursues, screaming, "Give me back my prince!"; though unable to respond, Marigold fervently wishes that she'd choose any other nickname for her target, given it's also how Scarlet Lady refers to Adrien.
Swiftly catching up, Syren sends Marigold flying out of the water. Thankfully, Chat Noir is nearby and manages to catch the waterlogged heroine before jokingly praising, "Bold strategy, but you know bees can't swim!" Scarlet Lady makes her own appearance, complaining about how her room has been flooded with fish water and demanding they deal with this already. Chat Noir decides to take Marigold with him to get help—and only Marigold, leaving their self-proclaimed leader behind.
Fu is shocked to see the Bee heroine at his parlor, nearly blurting out Chat Noir's secret identity before berating him—he knows that the Guardian's identity and location are meant to be hidden! It simply isn't safe, not when Hawk Moth could potentially akumatize any of the heroes and learn whatever they know! As Chat Noir stammers, Marigold turns on him as well, asking what he was thinking.
Chat Noir explains that he brought the Bee heroine there because she's his friend. Marigold is swayed by his sincerity while Fu sighs into his palm. What's done is done; for now, they need to focus on figuring out what the last ingredient he needs for the underwater breathing potion is. Thankfully, Marigold immediately realizes what a "tear of joy" is and demonstrates by cracking a joke. Caught off guard, Fu laughs; Chat Noir catches on and joins in, and they soon have the Guardian crying from laughter.
Scarlet Lady has been busy sulking on a rooftop. When she sees her lackeys' new looks, she angrily declares that if they're going to keep secrets from her, they can deal with the akuma without her. Both declare that they gladly would if they could, but since that's not an option, Chat Noir grabs her from behind while Marigold force-feeds her the Aqua potion.
Syren has taken Kim all the way down to the pool, which has been decked out quite impressively, makeshift throne and all. She reveals to him that she'd tried confessing her feelings, showing off her akumatized bracelet; this helps him realize that not only is Syren Ondine, he's the idiot he was laughing about earlier. She then leans in to kiss him, ready to turn him into a merman so he'll be just like her...
But the heroes interrupt, and Kim immediately notices that all three have taken on fish-like attributes, wondering how they managed that. (Hawk Moth immediately wonders the same thing, pouting jealously at the sight of their aquatic makeovers.)
Chat Noir immediately engages and distracts Syren while Scarlet Lady summons her Lucky Charm: a set of car keys, which she dismisses as a cheap model. Meanwhile, Marigold asks Kim what set his friend off, and he explains how he accidentally ignored her love confession while they were playing bracelet secrets, the game Ondine invented. This helps her pinpoint said bracelet as the akumatized object. Kim then asks if the Bee heroine wants to hear his secret; she asks if he wants to help some superheroes, leaving him marveling at how easily she guessed it.
Inspired by Scarlet Lady's Lucky Charm, they lure Syren into a trap by baiting her to look through the sides of an open vehicle, with Kim appearing to be in distress on the other side. Syren takes the shortest path towards him, swimming right into the car, only to have the doors slammed shut once she's inside.
As they reel Syren in, Scarlet Lady complains that the Miraculous Cure had better dry off her hair. Meanwhile, Marigold checks in on Kim, who laughs off her concern—Max says he's too dense to let the cold bother him. Marigold points out that she was actually talking about Ondine's confession, causing him to blush as it sinks in. He then volunteers to take her back to the pool, rejecting Chat Noir and Marigold's offer of aid: he's not sharing!
Scarlet Lady confronts the duo next, demanding to know where they got the "mermaid drink." Chat Noir cheerily replies that it's none of her business, reminding her that her timer's going off—she'd better go before she loses the only secret she has.
Back at the parlor, Chat Noir apologizes as Master Fu lectures him on his carelessness. But again, what's done is done, and the Guardian reveals that he's willing to take both Chat Noir and Marigold on as apprentices—provided they don't come together. He also reveals that he's decoded even more recipes; as he explains how they can change the potion's container to suit their respective Kwami, Marigold realizes that means she'll be eating chili peppers.
As punishment for revealing Master Fu's secret, Adrien is forced to bring down and painstakingly reorganize the Guardian's pantry full of ingredients. Meanwhile, Pollen reassures Marinette that the latter doesn't actually have to eat the potion-packed chili peppers for her.
Deep within his hidden lair, Gabriel asks Nooroo how he can obtain more powers. Nooroo asks what he means, only for Gabriel to snap at him, outright demanding to know how the heroes had new abilities during their last battle. Nooroo stammers that the Kwamis don't know the recipes; only Guardians can read the Grimoire. Gabriel immediately vows to find this Guardian as visions of what his own aquatic form might look like swim in his head.
Back at the pool, Kim offers Ondine his own bracelet secret, which she reads out: "Will you go to the movies with me?" She ecstatically agrees, hauling him down into the water for a hug.
This episode contains examples of:
- Beware the Nice Ones: Ondine is a sweet girl in love with a boy. Syren is easily the most devastating Akuma the heroes have had to fight.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- The heroes arrive just in time to prevent Syren from turning Kim into a merman.
- Anarka and Luka arrive with the Liberty to rescue the classmates stranded on the roof of the theater (who might have drowned had the water had continued to rise).
- Big "YES!": Ondine when Kim asks her if she wants to go to the movies with him.
- Broken Pedestal: Downplayed. Chat Noir taunts Scarlet Lady about the latter being Locked Out of the Loop, even though he admits to Marigold that he barely knows more than the Ladybug heroine and is only pretending otherwise to mess with her. The Bee heroine is surprised by Chat's childishness.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- During the interview at the beginning, Chat Noir states he's happier nowadays because he now has an amazing partner in Marigold. Chloé misses the blatant implication that Chat Noir thinks Scarlet Lady is useless—because she's only angry about the "sidekicks" doing an interview without her.
- Plagg seemingly doesn't (or refuses to) acknowledge the importance of keeping the power-up recipes secret from Kwamis despite Master Fu pointing out they may fall into the wrong hands like Nooroo did. The Kwami even decides to break some of Master Fu's pots when the Guardian shuts him and Wayzz out of the room as the potions are being made.
- Didn't Think This Through: Chat Noir brings Marigold to meet Master Fu because unlike Scarlet Lady, he trusts her. Fu immediately calls him out on his thoughtlessness; by bringing her there, he's created another potential security risk.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Ondine get akumatized out of jealousy of Kim's apparent crush on Chloé after hearing him mention that his entire class made plans to go see a movie and that even Chloé will be there. The truth, however, is that Kim doesn't like Chloé at all and sincerely hopes she won't be there.
- Dwindling Party: After Kim's abduction, Adrien and Marinette immediately disappear as well, leaving Alya and the others freaking out, though Juleka seems to know that Marinette left to get help.
- Easily Forgiven: Marigold forgives Chat Noir for his thoughtless exposure of Master Fu when he reveals he only did it because he considers her his friend. Averted with Fu; while he accepts Marigold as another apprentice by the episode's end, he also punishes Adrien for his thoughtlessness.
- Face Palm: Master Fu does this when Chat Noir declares that he unintentionally betrayed his trust and brought Marigold to meet him because she's his friend, with Marigold swooning over his sincerity.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- Implied; while Alya had no idea where Adrien or Marinette got off to, Juleka knows that the latter intentionally left, telling Luka that she went to get help.
- Kim doesn't recognize Syren as Ondine until she brings up her failed confession attempt and shows off her bracelet.
- Force Feeding: Scarlet Lady tells Marigold and Chat Noir that they can save the day without her since they won't tell her their secrets. They declare that they want to but can't as they force-feed her the power-up potion.
- In Spite of a Nail:
- A new hero still helps Chat Noir to round up escaped zoo animals, but it's Marigold rather than Rena Rouge. The Ladybug hero is absent, however.
- Even though Kim thinks Chloé is "a pain," Ondine thinks that he's running off to the movies because Chloé's there and thus still gets akumatized over jealousy of Chloé. The author comments in the tags, "Catch me still trying to figure out why Kim liked Chloé in canon."
- As in canon, one of two original heroes is called to Master Fu's shop to help with power-up formulas, and they discuss how the other original hero is starting to feel left out. Unlike in canon, the left-out hero is Scarlet Lady, and neither Adrien nor Master Fu shows her any sympathy or has any intention of letting her know anything.
- Marinette still comes up with a way to acquire a tear of joy for the aqua potion by telling bad jokes to Master Fu after Chat Noir brought Marigold along to see him.
- It's All About Me: Per usual with Chloé. She outright refuses to show up and help deal with the escaped animals, then gets offended that Chat Noir and Marigold gave an interview without her, acting as though they should have magically summoned her out of the ether. Moreover, she would have ignored the akuma as well if Syren hadn't flooded the whole city—and her room along with it.
- Locked Out of the Loop:
- One of the rules of the Order is that, as a precautionary measure, Kwamis are deliberately kept ignorant of how the power-up potions are created. This way, if one should fall into evil hands, they can't be forced to relay information they don't have. Nooroo demonstrates the benefits of this during the ending.
- Scarlet Lady finds herself deliberately excluded from any knowledge related to the Guardian while Marigold is brought into the loop in this episode.
- Love Makes You Stupid: Referenced by name when Marigold is swayed by Chat Noir's reasoning that he betrayed Fu's trust and brought her to the Guardian's location because she's his friend.
- Luminescent Blush: Kim's reaction as the fact that Ondine likes him sinks in.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: This is what Kim meant when he mentions that "even Chloé" is expected to show up to their class outing. Ondine misinterprets this as him wanting Chloé to be there in particular because he likes her.
- Mythology Gag: Like in canon, the episode focuses on one of the two original heroes feeling upset over being Locked Out of the Loop regarding the Guardian's existence. However, unlike Ladybug, Adrien has No Sympathy for Scarlet Lady's anger at being excluded while bringing Marigold to meet Master Fu without a second thought.
- Never My Fault: Despite not showing up to help capture the escaped animals, Scarlet Lady blames the other heroes for daring to do an interview without her.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: Kim fails to realize he's the guy Ondine admitted to having a crush on in her first note, laughing about how stupid her crush must be. Ondine silently agrees with him.
- Oblivious to Love: Kim doesn't realize that he's the idiot who doesn't suspect Ondine is crushing on him until Syren tells him outright.
- Plot Parallel: As a student of the Order, Master Fu places a high value on secrecy, illustrated by how he prevents Kwamis from learning how the power-up potions are made and hides his identity from the other heroes. This secrecy is shown to have value when it prevents Nooroo from being able to share the recipes with Hawk Moth when ordered, not to mention how clearly untrustworthy Scarlet Lady is. This emphasizes how much Adrien/Chat Noir breaches the Guardian's trust when he brings Marigold to the parlor.
- Poor Communication Kills: Not only does Kim miss the point of Ondine's Love Confession, assuming she's talking about some other guy, Ondine mistakes his referring to Chloé in a My Friends... and Zoidberg fashion as an indication that he's crushing on the Rich Bitch, leading to Ondine's akumatization.
- Power of Trust: Played With. Chat Noir doesn't trust Scarlet Lady as far as he can throw her, but he does trust Marigold... which spurs him to unthinkingly betray Master Fu's trust. Both Fu and Marigold call him out on this; Marigold is quickly swayed by his declaration of friendship, though Fu remains firm.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Even though Master Fu's angry with Chat Noir for betraying his trust by bringing Marigold to the parlor (and, although not mentioned, coming in as his hero self instead of as a civilian), he only punishes Adrien by making him reorganize Fu's pantry and agrees to train both heroes, although separately.
- Saying Too Much: Narrowly Averted. Master Fu is so startled by Marigold's unexpected appearance that he almost addresses Chat Noir by his real name, cutting himself off at "Ad-!" Fortunately, Marigold focuses on her partner's breach of trust rather than that choked-off fragment.
- Skewed Priorities: Downplayed. When Marigold is trying to get Kim away from Syren, Syren's statement that she'll save her prince cause Marigold to mentally demand the akuma use any other nickname since "my prince" is Scarlet Lady's for Adrien.
- So Unfunny, It's Funny: Marigold and Chat Noir rattle off several lame jokes, causing Master Fu to laugh so hard he begins to cry.
- Spanner in the Works: Kim ends up ruining the class's plans to go see a movie when he mentions Chloé to Ondine as he's rushing to leave the pool. Ondine is soon afterwards akumatized due to jumping to the false conclusion that Kim likes Chloé and subsequently floods the entire city as Syren.
- Take That!: Downplayed; on the page where Master Fu intentionally shuts the Kwamis out while he and Adrien work on the power-up potions before dismissively declaring that he doesn't care if Scarlet Lady feels slighted by being Locked Out of the Loop. One of the tags is "#or how certain people THINK canon syren went lol." As a whole, the episode's plot emphasizes why secrecy is so important, with Chat Noir's decision to bring Marigold to the parlor portrayed as a serious breach of trust, underscoring why Ladybug was canonically unwilling to do the same—she was not deliberately excluding Chat Noir to be "mean" or "spiteful" but because it wasn't her secret to share.
- Tantrum Throwing: Master Fu shuts Wayzz and Plagg out of the room as he and Adrien are brewing power-up potions, explaining that they can't risk the power-up recipes falling into the wrong hands if either of them gets captured like Nooroo. Plagg still declares he's going to break Fu's pots in retaliation.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Master Fu is furious at Chat Noir for revealing the Guardian's identity and location to Marigold, all the more so because his shock nearly caused him to compromise the hero's secret identity. Marigold calls Chat Noir out on this as well (at least until she's moved by him declaring he did it because she's his friend).
