Thoughts On "Grudge Match"

Thoughts on "Emotion Sickness"

This is one of the most frequently-cited episodes for evidence that Kim's always been in love with Ron, even if she just didn't realize it. And, honestly, if that's how you choose to interpret it, fine.

But looking at it through adult eyes, and comparing it to the rest of the series, it doesn't quite fit.

But, before we begin, a thought:

It would have been better if they gave the little black dress scene to the fully grown woman instead of the teenage girl.

(Or not include it at all.)

Seriously. Gross.

Now, on to my analysis.

First, the outfit:

This is not the style of outfit Kim picks for dates. The dress is too short and too tight and there are too many accessories.

This is Kim's style for date outfits. Knee-length dress that doesn't hug her curves and minimal accessories.

Even her Junior Prom dress isn't quite like the one from "Emotion Sickness".

The dress Kim wore in "Emotion Sickness" isn't like one Kim would wear on a date.

At all.

Secondly, Kim's behavior:

Now, we've seen Kim on a few dates. She's usually nervous and afraid of messing up.

I'm not saying these are good traits to have, but they do coincide with another thing:

She's not usually the one initiating physical affection.

But under the effects of the Moodulator, she kisses Ron without even making sure it's something he'd want.

Conclusion:

Kim might have had some underlying feeling enhanced, but it doesn't appear to be romantic attraction, just physical attraction.

(Which, again, gross.)

Kim was attracted to Ron, but not in love with him.

OMG. Somebody said it out loud.

Disney is absolutely not the only studio doing this though.

It seems to have become standard practice across movies and series everywhere.

Anything that doesn't do it is like a breath of sunlight and fresh air inside a dank musty cave.

It's part of the 'fix it in post-production' epidemic sweeping through the studios. Fix it in post is often used as a time/money-saving measure - and is absolutely part of the same mess that the WGA is fighting against currently.

Rather than fixing things on-set - audio, lighting, something in-frame that shouldn't be, etc. (which is all handled by unionized crew) - they leave it for the CG folks (not unionized) to edit later.

(on ridiculously tight schedules that leave them scrambling, cutting corners, and working inhumane hours)

See also: that part where scripts aren't finished, because the studio won't fully staff the writers room, and won't pay to have writers on-set for day-of-filming script questions and fixes (which could resolve issues such as 'what kind of lighting do we need here?')

Anyway, all this shit we, as audiences, keep complaining about - bad lighting, bad sound, wonky visual effects, over-usage of not-great CGI, stilted acting on green-screen sets, scripts that seem not-quite-finished, costumes that look like they're cheap and flimsy, terrible hair and makeup, films and series that aren't as polished as they could be...

Plus the complaints we have about streaming services and their shenanigans...

All of that is enmeshed in the extreme capitalism that has taken over everything, including entertainment, to the point that studios are abusing their workforce and churning out material that - at best just doesn't live up to its potential - at worst, is just unwatchable shit.

Ngl, I kind of love this idea.

Back before the Zodiac Kwamis were introduced, I had loved imagining other ways for the classmates to get powers to help.

And Max as an Iron Man-like character because he accidentally made a Kwami is perfect.

The Science Hero

So, I've talked about this and suggested it a couple of times on Tumblr. But I don't think I ever actually made an official prompt about this.

What if Max secretly researched the Miraculous and even managed to collect some of the magic of the Miraculous? What if he used that to build Markov?

This is basically an expansion on Max's character where we can see him use his genius to study the Miraculous and help the heroes by making devices related to his research on the Miraculous.

He might even use his research to make Markov based on the magic and accidentally create an artificial Kwami. Maybe letting him turn into an Iron Man-like superhero.

Yeah, the show fumbled this, big time.

It's like the exact opposite of all my Ron Stoppable posts.

In those, I point out how Ron is shown to be extremely competent and important to the success of the team, but even the narrative refuses to recognize it.

In Miraculous, Chat Noir is important, narratively, but is rarely, if ever, given a role that can't be fulfilled by anyone else.

Anyone else can distract the villain. Arguably, other miraculouses would be better for the job. Like pig, rooster, mouse, or monkey.

Anyone else can throw themselves in front of a villain to protect ladybug. Arguably, the turtle and ox miraculouses would be better for that.

And let's not forget that Adrien is shown to goof off as Chat Noir a lot. Desperada happened because he decided to tell Ladybug his identity instead of focusing on fighting the villain.

I can understand that Chat Noir is freedom for Adrien, but it's also a responsibility that he's not taking seriously.

Luckily, there's a Miraculous Cure, that Chat Noir isn't needed for, to fix things, including bringing Chat Noir back from the dead at least once.

On the one hand, it does seem unfair to expect teenagers to behave perfectly in every situation.

On the other hand, Marinette/Ladybug is shouldering most of the responsibility herself because Chat Noir/Adrien refuses to take the job seriously.

And it's extremely unfair to her.

And that's not even getting into how the romance was handled.

Ladybug: Chat Noir is most important member of The Miraculous Team.

Chat Noir's "important role":

"Distraction Grot: Once per battle, in your opponent’s Shooting phase, before making a saving throw for a model in this unit, it can deploy the distraction grot. If it does, until the end of the phase, models in this unit have a 5+ invulnerable save.Designer’s Note: Place a Distraction Grot token next to the unit, removing it when this unit uses this ability."

Does Ladybug ever say that Chat Noir was the most important member of the team? I honestly don't remember that. Either way, I fully agree that the show failed to make him feel like a pivotal member of the team. That's extra true after the season five final. It's really hard to get excited about Chat Noir when he didn't even try to get to his Lady's side in the final fight. Super weird choice for both a romantic lead and one of your main heroes. What is his arc even supposed to be if he's never going to have a meaningful confrontation with his father? And what's the point of his place as Ladybugs main partner if he's allowed to sit out the show's most important fight? He really is just one of the team now.

I have a post somewhere that I don't feel like digging up, but my stance is that - at the very least - they should have let Adrien fight his way to Paris where he could hand off the ring to Luka since Luka knows both identities, but heaven forbid that plot point lead to anything interesting or that Adrien be allowed to do anything more than motivational speeches. I think season five was the first season to not have the famous "you and me against the world" line, which is really funny when you remember that Ladybug was literally up against the world.

The Adults of the Possible Universe

The villains are bad in obvious ways, but the civilian adults have issues too, theirs are just more subtle.

James Possible:

Almost no concern for the dangerous things his boys build because he was just like that at their age.

Doesn’t usually know about Kim’s missions until after she gets back, and is okay with it as long as she’s not out with some boy.

Threatens to launch Ron into a black hole if he breaks Kim’s heart in “Emotion Sickness”.

Ann Possible:

Like James, doesn’t know about Kim’s missions until she gets back, and is okay with that.

Expressed concern over Kim forcing Ron into a haircut in “The New Ron”, but did nothing else, not even when Kim made it clear Ron didn’t get a say in the matter.

I understand these two have careers that keep them occupied, but it doesn’t really excuse neglecting their children. I understand normal teenagers don’t save the world, but even if they did, parents would still want to know where they’re going.

Mr. Stoppable:

Adopts a girl and turns Ron’s bedroom into a nursery, moving his things into the attic, in the time Ron was at school, and doesn’t tell him ahead of time.

Mrs. Stoppable:

Adopts a girl and turns Ron’s bedroom into a nursery, moving his things into the attic, in the time Ron was at school, and doesn’t tell him ahead of time.

Doesn’t tell him he’s going to Camp Wannaweep until the bus gets there.

Stops taking his calls while Ron is at Camp Wannaweep.

We don’t really see enough of them to know if they’re okay with Ron going on missions, but they certainly have a bad habit of making drastic life changes for Ron without telling him.

Mr. Barkin:

Power-tripping; admits in “Bonding” that he’s hated Ron since the ninth grade because Ron gave him a “funny look” and gives Ron extra homework just because he can. (Here’s an interesting question; If Barkin wasn’t the one grading most of Ron’s assignments, do you think Ron’s grades would be higher? It makes sense that Barkin would grade Ron more harshly just because he could.)

Does not inform high school students of changes made to field trip plans until the last minute. Examples: “Return to Wannaweep” and “Cap’n Drakken”. Though I might believe he also didn’t know until the last minute, he still shouldn’t be taking the students to places they hadn’t previously agreed to go to.

Approaches running a high school likes it’s a boot camp, and really shouldn’t be in charge of teenagers.

Not much else needed to say about Barkin; he approaches everything, including running a high school, like it’s boot camp, so the fact that he’s still there is amazing. Middleton High needs more teachers.

I’m not saying they’re all bad people, but these issues are pretty serious and should’ve been addressed in the show. The only time any of them is addressed is within the context of how it affects Ron, and so those concerns aren’t taken seriously.

Since I mentioned that there are times when Kim could have gotten character development if the creators had chosen to do it, I thought it'd be fair to give examples.

"The New Ron" - Kim learns she can be pushy and needs to respect her friends' decisions, even if she doesn't agree with them.

Note: I'd like to take out the aspect where Ron embraces the haircut and have him stay miserable instead. The takeaway from this episode, as written, is that you shouldn't force people into things because you might hate it. I want to focus on how miserable it'd make others to be forced into something like that. So, for those purposes, Ron stays miserable with his new haircut, and Kim learns that the reason you don't push people into stuff like that is because they'll be miserable and that's not something you should do to your friends.

"Number One" - If they had chosen to portray Will as competent, this could have been a valuable lesson for Kim about how being good at something doesn't mean no one else is good at it either. And that someone else being good at something doesn't diminish your skills. And that, sometimes, it is better to let someone else take over. The episode could end with Kim having a moment of humility where she has Bonnie takeover the job as Cheer Captain, not because she believes Bonnie will give it up in a few weeks, but because Bonnie is genuinely much better suited for the job.

"Sink or Swim" and "Return to Wannaweep" - These could have been episodes where Kim recognizes that she tends to dismiss Ron's feelings and realizes she needs to work on that.

"Coach Possible" - This would be a great moment for Kim to recognize that her competitive drive can get the best of her. It would be great if, to show that Kim recognized this and is going to work on it, they actually showed Kim apologizing to the team.

"The Ron Factor" - This would have been a great episode about Kim recognizing Ron's contributions and learning to appreciate him more.

"Adventures in Rufus-Sitting" - Kim could learn a lesson about taking her responsibilities seriously, both watching Rufus and guarding the chip.

One thing about Rainbow High that drives me crazy is that River Kendall is supposed to be the teal colored character, my favorite color, but he doesn't actually wear teal.

So, to make myself a little less mad about it, I made an edit where he's actually wearing teal. I left his letterman jacket as is.

And, just for fun, River in teal with his hair the same color as his eyebrows.

Obviously, I know they're not perfect, but I still think they're pretty good.

A criticism I’ve heard people say towards Ron’s character is that he was too caught up on his own anxieties and feelings through S4 and that he stopped being Kim’s emotional support, with there being no room for Kim’s own problems.

I’ve also seen people say Ron was much more competent on early seasons and that his characterization on later seasons was a downgrade. Do you think any of this is true?

Admittedly, I haven't watched every episode recently, but I think I've watched enough to comment.

Firstly:

Ron's always had massive insecurities to deal with.

Monique's debut episode, "Pain King vs Cleopatra", has him be afraid he's going to be replaced as Kim's best friend/sidekick.

"Exchange" has Ron show insecurity over his lack of ability in martial arts.

"Grudge Match" and "Virtu-Ron" show Ron has insecurities when it comes to dating.

So, it's not as though Ron having anxieties is a new thing.

Also, and this is a genuine question, but what problems does Kim have in S4 that Ron's not helping with?

He tries to help her feel better about her brothers being skipped ahead.

He tries to offer her advice about finding a new mission outfit. It was even his idea to go to The Fashionistas for it.

Remember, despite Monique having constructed the outfit, The Fashionistas had designed it.

So, it wasn't a bad idea.

The only problem he wasn't helping with was in "Fashion Victim", and it's not as though he didn't want to; he was locked in a crate with Barkin at the time and couldn't.

Also, the main personal conflict in that episode was between her and Monique. It's not as though Ron could've helped with that anyways.

Not to mention, after 3 seasons of Ron being Kim's emotional support, it's only fair that she start being his now that they're dating.

Secondly:

I wanted to argue against Ron getting a downgrade in S4, but I do see the point about Ron not having a lot of awesome moments in this season.

I'm just not sure if it was done with the intention of having Kim and Rufus shine more.

It could be because, to show the audience that Hana is a powerful weapon, they had her be the one dealing finishing blows to Monkey Fist, when typically that would've gone to Ron.

It could also be that they realize they made Ron too competent to be a sidekick, so they needed him to be less competent without explanation, and were just hoping that no one noticed.

Honestly, whatever the reason, it is kind of annoying. Ron is extremely competent at times, and he deserves to shine and be recognized for it.

He deserves to be Kim's partner, not her sidekick.

So, I do agree with the second criticism, though I'm not sure about the reason, but I don't really agree with the first.

But I do love when people send me asks! Feel free to send more!

Okay, it's not that I hate Rainbow High. It's just that...who thought "future influencer" was a good career goal to give a teenage girl?!

Especially in a franchise geared towards children?

There are so many stories about what's wrong with influencers that I wouldn't make that a goal at all.

There are so many other things you can do with a Digital Media focus than influencer.

Or, if they didn't want to keep that, Violet has won at least one award for her photography.

Or, as we learn later, she used to paint.

Either of those would be acceptable.

Far better than influencer, the most unhealthy and toxic lifestyle you could pick for a Digital Media focus.

And they think one of their main characters should have that as a career goal.

Good grief.

Lying is NOT a Superpower

Obviously, there are a lot of things I hate about Lila as a character, if she can even be called that.

But, I want to talk about how others treated her.

"Chameleon" is Lila's second appearance in the series. In this one, Marinette wants to warn her friends that Lila is a liar and manipulative, and Adrien thinks they shouldn't. For some reason.

When he apologizes later, Marinette doesn't get mad. She reassures him that he did nothing wrong, even though he did.

Marinette tries several times throughout the series to convince people, mostly Alya, that Lila is lying, but Alya chalks it up to jealousy about Lila having a crush on Adrien.

When Lila's lies are revealed, Alya apologizes and berates herself for being gullible. Marinette reassures her by claiming lying is it's own superpower.

No, lying is not a superpower. Anyone can do it.

Lila's lies aren't even convincing if you think about them for a few seconds.

Lila claimed to know Prince Ali. Too bad they don't have a classmate who also knows Prince Ali and gets along with him really well. Too bad she wouldn't be able to write him a letter or call to confirm he knows Lila. (Rose)

She claimed Jagged Stone wrote a song about her and that she saved a kitten. Too bad they don't have multiple classmates who's mom worked with Jagged Stone and can confirm he hasn't had a cat in decades. Or at least know all of his songs well enough to realize none of them are about Lila. (Luka and Juleka)

She claimed Ladybug saved her life and that they're best friends. Too bad the journalist of the group didn't even think about that before posting it. Or decided to confirm with Ladybug first. (Alya)

She claimed she once saw a guy in India get his eye gouged out by a napkin. Too bad no one's smart enough to point out how that's impossible. (Max)

She claimed to get injured from Marinette pushing her down the stairs. Too bad no one took her to a doctor to get the injury treated.

Lying isn't a superpower. Most of Lila's lies come apart if you think about them.

Heck, Luka and Juleka get to hang out with Jagged later in the series, so the fact that they never found out Lila was lying is ridiculous.

The real superpower is how dumb everyone acts around Lila. Not one person is able to see through Lila's lies, even when they're obvious.

And if you have to dumb down your cast for the villain to succeed, they're not a good villain.

Worst of all, no one is being held accountable for it.

The message here is that you're supposed to just forgive people for blindly following a liar over you.

No, scratch that, you're supposed to just forgive people for accusing you of being a jealous liar when you try to warn them.

You certainly shouldn't point out how they blindly trusted her when they could've easily disproven her lies.

You shouldn't tell them how horrible and alone you've felt because everyone chose to believe the liar over you.

And it is a choice.

Lila states in "Chameleon" that no one thinks she's lying because they like what she has to say. That they don't want her to be lying.

Maybe not a conscious choice at first, but when Alya chooses to say Marinette's lying about Lila because of jealousy instead of believing her best friend, it became a conscious choice.

When your friends apologize and beg forgiveness for something they've done wrong, you're supposed to smile and assure them they did nothing wrong.

Your feelings here don't matter.

It's not their fault.

Lying is a superpower.