Episode 40
- Prime Queen - Tales of Nadja the Reporter
Lila's on the phone, thanking Marinette for hooking her up with a babysitting gig. While she doesn't look entirely thrilled at the prospect of dealing with Manon, side-eyeing the girl as she bounces on the couch, she still needed some extra cash so she could get a gift for their teacher's upcoming birthday. Marinette already had plans, so she couldn't handle the job herself, meaning this works out nicely for everyone involved.
She notes that Lila might want to record Mme. Chamack's show that evening; since Manon usually falls asleep around 8:30pm, she's likely to miss half of it and will want to see the whole thing. Lila groans at the prospect of an hour-long interview with Scarlet Lady, then chuckles; maybe Chat Noir and Marigold will tie her up so she behaves. Marinette, already transformed, remarks that it's not such a bad idea.
With ten minutes before the show goes live, Nadja's producer Arlette remarks that none of the heroes have shown up yet. Nadja hastily reassures her that they're going to break records tonight. Arlette replies that they'd better if she wants to keep her prime-time spot.
Looking up, Nadja's startled to see Chat Noir and Marigold casually sitting on the couch across from her. Chat attributes their sudden appearance to a "trade secret"; when the reporter asks where Scarlet Lady is, he reassures her that she'll be showing up at the last possible second. In the meantime, they need to go over what topics are off the table. No asking about their secret identities, what Miraculous they have in reserve, powerups, etc. As he lists off taboo subjects, Marigold silently notes that he's acting like a professional who's done this before. Meanwhile, Scarlet Lady's counting down the seconds as she prepares for her "showstopping entrance."
Arlette declares that they don't need Scarlet Lady; they have the two that matter, reminding Nadja that their goal here is to break records and ensure that the red bar on the reporter's bracelet turns to green.
A loud bang announces Scarlet Lady's arrival as she swings down from above. Chat Noir sarcastically remarks, "Nice of you to join us, Scar," while she insists that the show couldn't have started without her. All across Paris, people settle in to watch; Manon points out her mother to Lila as her babysitter smiles, and the Césaires gather around the TV together. Nadja thanks them for coming; Marigold replies that they're happy to be there, and Chat Noir teasingly observes that the "queen bee" is pleased. Marigold wonders just how many nicknames Chaton has for her, but before he can answer, Scarlet Lady pops up in front of the camera, greeting all her loyal fans while hogging all attention.
Nadja observes how little they know about the heroes; Chat Noir declares they can ask them anything—within reason, as Marigold notes that they never know who could be watching. Indeed, Gabriel Agreste smirks evilly to himself as he views the program, intent on exploiting any weaknesses that might come to light.
Nadja invites them to answer questions from their fans, starting with a video call from Alya—who wastes no time asking Marigold and Chat Noir if they'd be willing to give her an interview for her Ladyblog sometime. Scarlet protests that the blogger's forgotten about her; Alya counters that her followers are interested in the heroes of Paris, not her.
Ella and Etta pipe up next, asking when they're going to bring back Koki Marina. Marigold reassures them that Koki Marina was a fantastic hero, and that they'll definitely be calling on her again in the future. As her little sisters cheer, Alya blushes, hastily reminding everyone to send their akuma sightings to her blog and tune in for her own interview while Nadja angrily shouts for the next call.
Next up are Lila and Manon, who have another question for Marigold and Chat Noir. Scarlet Lady chortles and pointedly asks Lila if she has anything for her "ex-best friend" while Marigold warns her to knock it off. But what Lila wants to know does concern the Ladybug superheroine: mainly, she's curious how the other two heroes put up with Scarlet Lady when she's the worst? Scarlet furiously accuses her of Malicious Slander while, after composing themselves, Chat Noir and Marigold declare that they're all working towards the same goal and that Scarlet Lady plays an important role in ensuring that the people of Paris's can continue their lives mostly unbothered by akumas. Lila quickly translates this, scoffing, "So you put up with her because you have to, got it."
Harlette berates Nadja to regain control of her show and get the big scoop. Smiling brightly, the reporter asking if the heroes can confirm they're really a couple like rumors say they are. Scarlet Lady immediately rejects the notion... only to learn that Nadja was only referring to the ChatGold ship and that nobody seems interested in her love life.
Both Chat Noir and Marigold insist that they're just partners doing their jobs, calling out Nadja's unprofessionalism. But with Harlette declaring that views are rising and egging her on, the reporter reveals her "evidence"—starting with a shot of Chat Noir and Marigold Kissing Under the Influence of Dark Cupid's spell. As the Cat superhero frantically tries to explain this to a flustered Marigold, Nadja reveals several other pictures, all taken out of context.
"OH KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!!! I'm at my #$%&ing limit!" screeches Scarlet Lady, berating Nadja for wasting so much time speculating on her sidekicks' love lives instead of focusing on her. Nadja tries to reassure her that they'll give her time to shine next, after the others admit—
But Scarlet Lady cuts her off, declaring that they're leaving, now. For once, Chat Noir agrees, glaring the reporter down as he declares how unpleasant and uncomfortable this has gotten. He leads the near-comatose from shock Marigold away while Nadja protests, insisting their fans will be disappointed if they don't get their answers. But she's bluntly informed that "NO MEANS NO, LADY!"
With the heroes having stormed out, Nadja is left sobbing on the set while the others wrap things up. One of the workers wonders if they'd have a better success rate if they didn't insist on airing every show on their station live while a little black butterfly drifts towards the weeping reporter.
As Scarlet Lady fumes about how Nadja turned out to be nothing more than an audacious hack, Chat Noir tries to apologize for Marigold for the unpleasant reveal about Dark Cupid, offering to let her punch him; she turns him down, observing that it was only because of the akuma. It didn't mean anything, so she'd rather just... drop it. Even as she says this, though, it's clearly bothering her... but unlike the still-ranting Scarlet Lady, she doesn't seem interested in talking about it, leaving Chat Noir at a loss.
Lila watches over the sleeping Manon, remarking to herself about what a dumpster fire the interview turned out to be. And it's clearly getting worse, as Prime Queen introduces herself to Paris as their new hostess. According to her, Marigold and Chat Noir disappointed their fans by refusing to admit their feelings, but she'll see how far they're willing to go in order to "hide the truth"—and Lila recoils in horror upon seeing herself on the screen, angrily demanding, "Why me?!" as Prime Queen's hand reaches through the monitor.
Prime Queen then welcomes her viewers to the Subway of Suspense, declaring that if the train reaches 100 km/h, they can all say goodbye to "Scarlet Lady's former best friend!" Lila screeches at the akuma, pointing out that she just kidnapped her own babysitter and left Manon unattended. Scarlet Lady's initially unmoved by the akuma's taunts, declaring she'd never get her nails dirty for the "superliar"; once Chat Noir observes that the whole thing is being broadcast live, however, she dives in headfirst, ordering the other two out of her way.
Once they're all on board, Prime Queen reveals the rules: she'll only stop the train if Marigold and Chat Noir admit the "truth" that they're a couple in love. Chat Noir points out that a forced confession is as good as a false one, while Marigold questions why anyone even cares about this, but Prime Queen doesn't care. She wants her scoop. (Lila, for her part, just cares about "not crashing.")
Marigold steps up and declares that she confesses: she is in love with Chat Noir. As Prime Queen gushes and gloats, Chat Noir whispers to her, congratulating her on that lie... only for her to softly respond that "Superheroes don't lie, Chaton." As he processes this, Prime Queen declares that they haven't broken records quite yet; they should further prove their love by unmasking and handing over their Miraculous.
Scarlet Lady dismisses that, pointing out that she's not in love with either of them and turning the akuma down flat. Prime Queen wrinkles her nose distastefully as she admits that she'd forgotten the Ladybug heroine was there, much to Scarlet Lady's ire.
The akuma then reveals that she's kidnapped Alya, shutting her inside a coffin and goading the heroes to hand over their Miraculous before she gets mummified. Scarlet questions why she should bother saving her after she snubbed her but gets cut off as Lila shoves the heroine through the screen, ordering her to hurry up so she can go home.
The heroes emerge inside a locked freezer; Prime Queen taunts them for falling into her trap, declaring that they've got one last chance to give up their Miraculous before Alya takes a dip in the Seine. But Scarlet Lady flatly asks "So what." Why should she care if Alya drowns? All that means is that she'll be brought back by the Miraculous Cure after they win. So, what's the big deal?
The "big deal," Marigold declares, is how messed up that way of thinking is. And it's clear from the horrified expressions of all the Parisians watching that they agree, as it sinks in that their Nominal Heroine sees nothing wrong with letting innocent people die.
Fortunately, her cohorts convince her to act, though she dismisses them as "big babies" while nonchalantly summoning her Lucky Charm: a roll of tape, which they use to plaster an unfolded pizza box over the monitor, blocking Prime Queen's view. Positioning themselves on either side, Chat Noir and Marigold taunt her by proclaiming they will take off their Miraculous, revealing themselves to each other—but she won't get to see it. (Scarlet chimes in that they'll probably make out too, which they bluntly deny.)
The moment Prime Queen punches her way through the cardboard, she's stung by Venom; Chat Noir then hits the door with Cataclysm while the girls haul the paralyzed akuma through, with Scarlet Lady remarking on how embarrassing it is that she actually fell for their Schmuck Bait. Marigold brightly wonders whom the bigger idiot is, Prime Queen or Hawk Moth?
Afterwards, Chat Noir privately approaches Marigold. Though she tries shutting him down, he insists on comforting her, telling her what an amazing partner she is, and how easy it would be to fall in love with her... except he's already in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As she stammers in shock, Chat goes on about how she's not likely to know her, as he'd asked her to stay out of akuma fights before Marigold joined the team, but she's completely captured his heart. What's more, he sees her everyday as himself, making it impossible to just forget his feelings for her. And the two of them are so alike, it's almost like—
Cutting him off, Marigold hastily encourages him to go for it before taking off, leaving him wondering just what the heck happened.
Back safely in her room, Lila sardonically notes that Manon slept through the whole debacle. As she lets herself out to let the girl sleep, her laptop chimes; Alya's checking in on her, and both are happy to see the other's safe. Lila observes that the Cure must have more heart than its wielder, while Alya rants about how Scarlet Lady was going to let her drown.
She also notes that Prime Queen certainly stirred up a lot of traffic on her Ladyblog, with people gossiping about ship wars and freaking out over Scarlet Lady. Then she notices an email that just came in... from Nadja Chamack, inviting her to guest star on her new show, Side by Side. Lila's utterly incredulous that after all that melodrama over getting canceled, she just got handed a new one.
Plagg cradles some cheese, grateful for the chance to relax after such a long day. Noticing that Adrien seems distracted, he asks what's on the kid's mind; Adrien notes how strange Marigold's reaction was. She didn't act jealous of Marinette, leaving him wondering if maybe... maybe...
Meanwhile, Pollen celebrates the revelation that Chat Noir loves her wielder. But Marinette is similarly distracted, questioning what Chat Noir meant by his remark that he sees her everyday as "himself"...
This episode contains examples of:
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Played With; after learning that his partner Marigold actually has feelings for him, Chat Noir privately admits to her that he's in love with somebody else: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He does so unaware that he's actually revealing this to the girl in question.
- Big "WHAT?!":
- Scarlet Lady gets several of these in response to Alya and Lila's less-than-flattering comments.
- Poor Marigold reacts this way to seeing herself kissing Chat Noir, something she doesn't even remember happening.
- Nadja exclaims this when the heroes decide to cut her interview short and storm out.
- Character Development: Lila's clearly come a long way since her Heel–Face Turn if Marinette trusts her enough to takeover babysitting Manon for a night. From what we see, she actually does a good job (until she was kidnapped by Prime Queen, but that clearly wasn't her fault).
- Color Failure: Marigold suffers this when Chat Noir declares he's in love with Marinette.
- Didn't Think This Through: Nadja and Harlette's plan to save her show's sinking ratings is to browbeat Chat Noir and Marigold into a public admission of their feelings for each other in order to capitalize on all the ChatGold shippers in Paris. Neither one of them considers how this sort of harassment might upset the heroes, or that the heroes might grow so frustrated by Nadja's badgering that they could cut the interview short and walk off.
- Disproportionate Retribution:
- Alya hijacked Nadja's show to ask Chat Noir and Marigold for an interview; Lila also proved to be a disruptive guest with her question. Prime Queen kidnaps both girls and threatens their lives.
- Scarlet Lady is unwilling to rescue either girl; all of Paris gets to witness her willingness to let Alya drown rather than make any effort to save her, all because the girl snubbed the heroine during the interview.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Despite her Lack of Empathy, bullying behavior, and enjoyment of other people's misfortunes, Scarlet Lady actually feels some secondhand embarrassment for Prime Queen when the akuma falls for the Schmuck Bait that the heroes had set up. While she does say that it's embarrassing that the plan worked, it's clear she gets no joy from making fun of such a brain-dead move.
- Fatal Flaw:
- Two of Chloé/Scarlet Lady's greatest flaws, her love for being the center of attention and Lack of Empathy, combine in a brutal backfire when she only jumps in to help Lila because the entire thing is being broadcasted live, only to forget that later and demonstrate the second flaw to the millions of people watching everything by stating she doesn't care if Alya dies since she can bring her back with the Cure.
- Nadja/Prime Queen's obsession with getting her "big scoop" leads directly to her downfall when the heroes taunt her with the possibility of missing the reveal.
- Internal Reveal:
- Nadja reveals the existence of the ChatGold ship to Paris's heroes.
- Marigold learns about how she and Chat Noir kissed under the influence of Dark Cupid's spell in the worst possible way.
- Chat Noir subsequently learns that Marigold actually does have feelings for him.
- All of Paris discovers just how little regard Scarlet Lady has for innocent lives, and that she considers them to be effectively disposable due to how her Miraculous Cure works.
- Marigold learns that Chat Noir loves her alter ego.
- Irony: Scarlet Lady declares that the interview couldn't have started without her. Arlette had been all too willing to start everything since they had "the two that matter" - Chat Noir and Marigold.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- Lila calls in on Nadja's interview with the heroes just to mock Scarlet Lady on TV and calls the heroine "the worst"; Chat Noir and Marigold's expressions show they completely agree, even if they can't outright admit it. Moreover, Lila correctly deduces that the two's diplomatic answers are just nice ways of saying they put up with Scarlet Lady because they have to, which she gleefully announces on TV.
- Scarlet Lady mocks Lila for doing her "question" part because of what happened in "Volpina". While Lila has legitimate grievances against the Ladybug heroine, Scarlet Lady is right in that a good part of the former's grudge is because she was exposed as a liar.
- While Scarlet Lady's fury stems entirely from how she's not the center of attention, she still rightfully calls out Nadja for spending so much time badgering her "sidekicks" with pointless speculation about their love lives to try and get a Love Confession out of them. Chat Noir even admits that he agrees with her for once, even calling her by her full title instead of his usual nickname for her.
- Scarlet Lady flatly states that it's embarrassing that Prime Queen actually fell for the heroes' Schmuck Bait. Marigold completely agrees, calling both the akuma and Hawk Moth idiots.
- After Prime Queen is dealt with, Alya notes that while Nadja was being incredibly invasive, she wasn't wrong about people being interested in what sort of "romantic connections" the heroes might have; the Ladyblog is currently filled with speculation about the nature of Chat Noir and Marigold's relationship. On the other hand, people are also talking about Alya nearly drowning and Scarlet Lady's willingness to let her die.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Zig-Zagged. Nadja cheerfully ignores the heroes' boundaries, presents pictures taken out of context, and harasses them in hopes of securing a "big scoop" at their expense. This blows up in her face, ensuring that her show was canceled... but she ends up landing a new show immediately afterwards.
- Loves My Alter Ego: Chat Noir reveals to Marigold that he's been in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng for ages, unaware that she and Marigold are one and the same.
- Moving the Goalposts: Marigold truthfully confesses her feelings for Chat Noir, only for Prime Queen to declare that they need to further prove themselves by unmasking.
- My Fist Forgives You: Discussed; Chat Noir offers Marigold the opportunity to punch him over the Dark Cupid incident, but she isn't interested.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When he seconds Scarlet Lady's protest, Chat Noir calling her by her full name instead of "Scar" underscores how, in that moment, he actually respects what she's doing.
- Out-of-Character Alert: After her downcast reaction to learning Chat Noir only kissed her because of Dark Cupid, Marigold happily encourages Chat Noir to pursue Marinette. Chat Noir notices this sudden change in behavior and begins to suspect that Marigold and Marinette are the same person.
- Paparazzi: Nadja conducts herself this way once she moves to reveal her "big scoop": she ambushes the heroes with photos taken out of context and makes clear that she refuses to take "no" for an answer. Prime Queen proves to be even more gleefully invasive.
- Poor Communication Kills: Scarlet Lady taunts Lila by referring to her as her "ex-best friend" and a faker. Nadja, unaware of the full context, latches onto that misinformation later and abducts Lila in order to exploit that supposed connection, with Prime Queen describing her as "Scarlet Lady's former best friend."
- Properly Paranoid: During the interview, Chat Noir and Marigold make it clear that there are some questions that they won't be able to answer, as they don't know who might be watching the interview. This is said while it's revealed that Gabriel is watching them on TV.
- Refuge in Audacity: Alya manages to snag an interview (or promise of an interview) from Chat Noir and/or Marigold while Nadja's giving her interview. The author even points out how bold this is.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked:
- Played for Laughs when Scarlet Lady initially sneers that she'd never get her nails dirty to help a Consummate Liar like Lila, only to dive into the screen once Chat Noir reminds her that the whole thing is being broadcast live.
- Played for Drama when Scarlet Lady dismisses Alya's mortal peril, declaring that it doesn't matter whether she lives or dies since she'll be brought back by the Cure regardless... with all of Paris watching in horror.
- Rule of Symbolism:
- Nadja's earbud allows Harlette to act akin to a devil whispering in her ear, encouraging her to ignore the discomfort of her guests and push their agenda to boost the ratings.
- Prime Queen targets Lila due to misinterpreting Scarlet Lady's taunting reference to Lila's previous false claim of being the superheroine's best friend, further underscoring how Nadja was spreading misinformation and misrepresenting matters.
- Saying Too Much: Chat Noir tells Marigold that she sees Marinette every day as "himself," thus telling Marigold that she actually knows him in their civilian identities.
- Skewed Priorities: The heroes all agree to stop the interview at the same time: Chat Noir and Marigold because Nadja is ignoring their feelings and trying to get them to admit something that isn't true, while Scarlet Lady ends it because she's mad no one's talking about her.
- Shipper with an Agenda: Nadja is intent upon proving that ChatGold is real in order to boost her show's ratings. Prime Queen cranks this up to eleven.
- Stating the Simple Solution: As Nadja breaks down in tears over the heroes walking out on her interview, a techie wonders whether they'd have a higher success rate if they didn't film every show at their station live.
- Two-Person Love Triangle: Adrien and Marinette gain some crucial perspective regarding theirs. Chat Noir learns about Marigold's feelings for him, and Marigold learns about his feelings for Marinette, all while they also begin to suspect each other's Secret Identity.
- Wham Line:
- Played With; Marigold's Love Confession is treated as one by Prime Queen, but for Chat Noir, it's her private follow-up of "Superheroes don't lie, Chaton."
- Scarlet Lady's dismissive response to Prime Queen threatening Alya's life serves as one as well to all the Parisians watching the fight: "What? I'll bring her back when we win, so what's the big deal?"
- Chat Noir drops two in a row: "But I'm already in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" and "But since I see her every day as 'myself' I can't just forget her!"—which are made stronger because he's unknowingly telling this to Marinette.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Chat Noir and Marigold react this way to Scarlet Lady casually revealing her willingness to let Alya drown, as well as her reasoning as to why:Scarlet Lady: So what.
Chat Noir: Scar—!
Scarlet Lady: What? I'll bring her back when we win, so what's the big deal?
Marigold: The "big deal" is that that's seriously messed up, SCARLET! - What You Are in the Dark: When Prime Queen threatens to drown Alya, Scarlet Lady states she doesn't care about her, since she can always bring her back after they defeat Prime Queen—having forgotten that the entire thing was being shown live, so millions of Parisians now know how callous their "heroine" is with other people's lives.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!:
- Chat Noir, Marigold, and Scarlet Lady respond this way in chorus to Prime Queen's declaration about how the former two disappointed their fans.
- Alya also says this when Nadja invites her onto the latter's new show, Side by Side; Lila reacts similarly to the news.
