Mouse Trap

Y’all heard of the love square, what about the relationship clusterfrick that is Chloe?

Thinking about her (a show that was cancelled unjustly) again

Listen I know I am hardcore on that HSMTMTS bullshit and I promise if you follow me for the multitude of other shows I talk about/write about I will get back to them. But before that happens…

I’m seeing a lot of negative feedback regarding how “bad” some of the actual production of HSM was (as in, the show within the show). 

All I can say is…that’s the point? The point is to make this show (as in HSMTMTS) as realistic as possible. 

Which is meta in it’s own right, isn’t it? The kids in the HSM FILM were all so unnaturally good at singing/dancing? Like Chad had a whole song about how he doesn’t dance while he was doing freaking pirouettes and backflips on the baseball field. Come on. 

But an entire cast is not going to be like that in a normal, real world public school. Even “East High.” Those kids are just like anybody else; some of them are good, some of them are not so good, but all of them are trying their best.

And again, that’s the point.

The scene with Ricky and EJ as Chad/Troy in the hallway talking/walking? Do you really think that was supposed to be anything other than awkward? Do you remember the rehearsal for “Start Of Something New?” Or how Ricky can’t really dance that well, or how EJ’s voice breaks sometimes, or Nini’s subpar acting/getting thrown off by things that alter the production?

That’s high school theatre!

Federle was concerned the dancing in the show was TOO good! He didn’t want it to look like a professional production (but the dancers they hired were so awesome and the choreographer was so talented he decided he had to keep it). 

If the argument is that Gina and EJ deserved the lead-they explained that. Ms. Jenn cast Nini and Ricky as leads because of the emotional connection to the material. Her gut said to go with the underdogs, because there was something between them she felt read like Troy/Gabriella. It happens in life, because it happened with my senior musical–the director cast kids in leading roles who had NEVER performed before, because he felt they embodied the character they auditioned for so well. 

It worked for my high school theatre director and it worked for Ms. Jenn. She was completely on point, because Ricky and Nini legitimately recreated the “Breaking Free” scene in real time during opening night.

Again, the META of it all!

This show is incredibly high concept and while I know not every viewer is going to pick up on all these small moments and decisions and appreciate them like I do, I just hate to see this blind hate without really thinking a little bit more critically about what a piece of art or entertainment is trying to tell you. 

(We all in agreement no one should be getting into that performing arts program, though…besides maybe Seb)

FINALLY a Cat Noir centered episode that showcases him in a way we rarely get to see, from going out of his way to try and make Marinette happy, to fighting to his last breath to save her.

like? this kid is strong and brave and he’s an angel and bless the dupain-chengs for cheering him on and being nice to him at the end. he deserves it

After defeating Hawkmoth, Ladybug and Chat Noir decide to meet at a specific table at a specific café as civilians and finally get to know each other behind the masks. They both try to get there anxiously early but Marinette, being the disaster she is, arrives with a box of personalized sweets after Adrien has already taken the table. Now, as excited as she is to run into the love of her life like this, she needs the table and she’s going to get it. She goes over and they exchange friendly greetings but as soon as she asks for the table Adrien gets serious and gives her a stern “No”. Marinette continues trying to convince him to leave but he insists that he needs the table because he has a date with the love of his life and he ain’t budging (that explains the bouquet he has with him) and it hurts to hear that but not as much as its going to hurt him when she removes him from the goshdang table by force.

They both wind up getting kicked out of the café btw

alya: (doing an interview) do you have anything left to say to your fans

chat noir: yeah

chat noir: gabriel agreste is a little bitch

After watching Glaciator 2.0, we ought to revisit Hack-San, Rocketear, and Wishmaker after getting more context from this episode, because I really wanna talk about Adrien and Chat Noir's characterizations as of late. Take a look at the scene from Hack-San as an example:

While there have been instances, such as in Oblivio and Troublemaker, where Adrien occasionally displays Chat Noir's mischief and playfulness, you don't usually see Adrien act out or be petty about anything. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't recall Adrien ever "acting out" like this in his civilian form in previous episodes. For the most part, this is the first time Adrien has shown any kind of emotional outburst (or immaturity, I guess?) in his civilian form. Adrien is usually portrayed as being"perfect" because he has to uphold his father's brand. Most of Adrien's emotional range is expressed through Chat Noir because Chat Noir is Adrien's emotional outlet.

We don't typically see Adrien act like this unless he's Chat Noir. Because of this, I have always found it a bit challenging to see Adrien and Chat Noir as the same person. At first, I thought that the writers couldn't make up their minds with his characterization, but now, especially after seeing Wishmaker, I think this disconnect between Adrien and Chat Noir was an intentional writing choice.

It's so easy for the audience to see Adrien and Chat Noir as two separate characters because, in a way, they are. That's certainly how Adrien views himself; he's either this teenage heartthrob who's constantly on his best behaviour, or he's the goofy and mischievous Chat Noir. These two personality traits are seemingly at odds with each other, and yet Adrien somehow embodies them both. This contrast was made especially clear in the art room scene in Lies:

"There. This is really you."

"Do you really think?"

"Yes. You're... perfect."

This scene honestly told us so much more about Adrien than I think most of us realize. A lot of people have analyzed this scene and said that Kagami is able to see Adrien for who he really is, but I don't think that's the case at all. Look at his reaction. If Adrien had a strong sense of self in the first place, then this interaction between him and Kagami wouldn't be like this at all. Adrien would be happy, or at the very least flattered, that someone actually understood him and wanted to get to know the real him. Yet, look at Adrien's face; he's not scared or put off, but he's definitely not happy nor relieved. He's unsure. He's confused. He doesn't connect with Kagami because he doesn't understand what Kagami means. Kagami only sees what she thinks is Adrien's true self, but even Adrien has no clue what that even is.

This season, Adrien is starting to push back against his father, as we saw in Mega Leech, and that line between Adrien and Chat Noir is slowly starting to blur. This "perfect" facade that Adrien has to perform all the time is starting to dissipate. His flaws are starting to show as he's being put in situations where he has to assert himself.

Now, before he can do all of that, Adrien is going to have to come to terms with that the fact that Ladybug isn't interested in Chat Noir, and that the idea of them being together is completely off the table.

Some people might look at this and say "well, yeah, it's about time. Adrien needs to learn about boundaries and stop projecting this fantasy onto Ladybug." That's true, yes, but a lot of people forget just how isolated Adrien is and just how desperate he is for some kind of deep emotional connection. Remember this scene in Glaciator?

"Perhaps Ladybug will love me someday. I mean, like I love her. I have to believe. In the meantime, her friendship is the best gift of all."

Most of us overlooked this scene, but this was a crucial piece of characterization for Adrien, not to mention foreshadowing for Glaciator 2.0.

Of course, Adrien values Ladybug's friendship, but he always had this hope that she was going to fall for him eventually. Whenever horrible things went on in his life, he always turned to Laybug to make him feel better. Even after defeating the akuma in Lies, despite being on rocky terms with Kagami, he doesn't seem as bothered by it because Ladybug was still practically living in his head rent-free.

This is a heavy contrast to the way Marinette felt about her breakup with Luka, which left her devasted.

In Adrien's case, he's not just clinging onto this romantic fantasy, he's become dependent on it for his emotional well-being, so much to the point where it clouds his better judgement. Now he's experiencing emotional whiplash after being faced with the fact that his fantasy won't ever become a reality. He can't depend on this fantasy anymore, because now he has to face all of the loneliness and lack of control he has in his life and realize that he's the only one that can change it.

This is the catalyst for Adrien's character development, and it's going to be intense.

So hang on, hang on, lemme make sure I’m getting this right. So she’s in a psych ward. In a wedding gown. And she takes the “miracle move on drug” the “forget him” pill of which the effects are temporary. Right, right. And then she’s set free, and immediately walks into a sterile office in a VICTORIAN MOURNING gown! And sits down to start working away on her typewriter. She’s writing, and she loves her muse, and it’s ruining her life. Okay. And then she and the muse are laying on the papers, in love. The pages of her work, her diary, her songs, THE FILES!! And they’re together, and the pages are flying around them, blocking them from the camera, okay? You still with me? She reaches for the muse and then she’s getting electric shock therapy?? With curly hair?? Okay. Okay. And again, loving the muse is ruining her life. And all the doctors, the people closest to her, run away scared when the electricity short circuits or whatever, and the muse is the only one who notices and stops it from killing her!!! The muse is in a (glass) phone booth, and Taylor is sitting right on top, but out of view from the muse. And they are in the middle of NOWHERE. The rust that grew between telephones??? And then we’re back in the office, and she’s pulling all the files out of the drawers!! In the mourning gown again!!! And she’s letting them out, ruining the sterility, and she’s freaking out, sobbing. And then she’s facing the camera, stone cold, letting the files swirl around her, now out in the open ON FIRE I MIGHT ADD. And back in the psych ward in the wedding dress, she breaks the glass to escape, to bolt?? And then, once the files are free, once the glass is broken, once the muse steps out of the glass!! Then she can touch the muse. Then she can touch the muse. Somebody give me an oxygen mask, holy shit

CHAT’S SUCH A FURRY