#Let Émilie Be Evil 2021

[mikauzoran]

The Collector in Retrospect

Hey there. I was bored, so I started watching old episodes again. I thought I’d go back to Season Two and see what new insights I had into the characters.

First and foremost, the most important part of the episode was the JuleRose moment near the beginning.

I can’t help it. They’re adorable. XD I need to go back and watch Season One again to see if they act cute in the background anywhere. I know Rose says something like, “Oh, my poor Juleka” when Juleka gets locked in the bathroom before she gets akumatized, but I don’t recall any other couple-y moments from Season One.

Moving on. This is the “Gabriel is emotionally abusive” episode, honestly. Look at him calmly trashing his atelier while his son listens and feels horrible in another room.

The below is just diabolical. He purposely goes to the cabinet where he keeps Adrien’s picture, looks at it for a moment, and then flings it. Emotionlessly. Also, notice that he keeps the picture in a cabinet, not on display like the pictures of Adrien modeling Gabriel’s designs that fill the room. Adrien’s drawing isn’t even in the safe with Gabriel’s precious items. It makes me question why Gabriel still has the picture at all. He doesn’t seem to value it. :/

And Adrien looks so heartbroken when he sees the picture lying on the ground amidst the rubble. ;-: Poor baby. I wonder if he thinks it’s significant that his father has the picture in his office. To Adrien, is that a sign that his father loves him? The boy lives on scraps of affection, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did think of Gabriel having the picture as proof that his father cares.

Though, when Ladybug and Chat Noir go to Adrien’s room to find Adrien missing, Chat Noir suggests that Le Collectionneur has already captured Adrien. Ladybug’s response is “Do you really think he would do that to his own son?!” You can tell from Chat’s body language below that he’s honestly not sure if Gabriel would hurt Adrien or not. It’s really sad that he’s uncertain of his father’s love. Baby Boi deserves ALL of the love. Who’s with me?

But then, after the battle, Gabriel comes to, profusely thanks Ladybug and Chat Noir for saving him, and then remembers he has a son whom he is terribly worried about.

On first viewing, I thought that Gabriel was earnestly worried about Adrien, but now I’m more inclined to think of this as part of the act he’s putting on for the heroes. Obviously, his thanking them just before this was an act, and after they leave, he gets his evil face on and bwahahas about how everything went according to his plan. I’m thinking that everything he said and did in front of Ladybug and Chat Noir was an act to throw off suspicion, including his feigned concern about Adrien. (I mean, he knows Adrien is all right after the Miraculous Ladybug, right?)

But here’s Chat Noir’s face as Gabriel says how precious his son is to him. Chat’s like, “Oh! My father does love me after all!” Poor baby. :/

In other news, something I found really interesting was the below scene. Gabriel is telling Adrien that the book is important because it was the last gift he received from Adrien’s mother before she disappeared, so, along with Adrien, it’s all Gabriel has left of her. This might not be true. We know why the book is really important, but it could be true that she gave the book to Gabriel. XD I really want her to be the evil mastermind behind all this. That would make me really, really happy. XD #LetÉmilieBeEvil2021

Adrien’s body language when he’s around Gabriel was really interesting to me this episode. The below is from earlier on in the episode when Gabriel is chewing Adrien out for losing the book and telling him he’s forbidden from returning to school.

See how Adrien curls up, hands between his knees, head hanging? He’s making himself as small as possible. In the above, which takes place after the “reconciliation” when Gabriel is apologizing for losing it over the book, Adrien still has a protective arm across his front, and he holds his other arm in a self-soothing gesture. He’s still really uncomfortable and skittish around his father after their conflict. 

Okay. That was pretty depressing. Let’s end with something cute. Look at Wayzz running on the gramophone! He’s so precious!

Look at him getting stuck while evil Tikki watches his suffering and laughs as she sits high atop her throne. XD (I also love the evil Tikki theory. ^w^)