History Recap / ScarletLadyS3E5DarkCupid

!!Episode 25 - Dark Cupid - Tales of Kim the Romantic

...Though not really much of one, as both Alya and Marinette immediately peg that it's for Ondine. All three cheer him on as he hurries off; Alya then teases Max about playing Cupid. Max replies that it's not strange at all: Ondine is quite commendable, and Kim is clearly happy with her. So long as they keep the PDA to a minimum, he's more than happy to support his friend.

Kim is waiting for Ondine to arrive when Chloé walks by, placing an order for something "framed with 24-carat gold" to be delivered to Le Grand Paris on her Daddykins' dime. Noticing the box in Kim's hand, Chloé smirks evilly, asking if he's really trying to spring a love confession on her. Ignoring his protests to the contrary, she makes a big scene out of "rejecting" him--and when Ondine shows up, tells her to get lost, as she's busy "trying to turn down this loser." Ondine runs off in tears, and Chloé laughs at both her and Kim's misery, mockingly asking, "Don't you hate how harsh love can be?"

* TemptingFate: After dealing with Dark Cupid, Adrien expresses hope that there won't be any akumas for a while so he has time to process what happened and work up the courage to look Marigold in the eyes again... right before she knocks on his bedroom window.
* ThisIsGoingToSuck: Chat Noir sighs with dismay when Scarlet Lady shows up, declaring that she's just ruined his odds of being able to handle Dark Cupid and the corrupted Marigold at the same time. Surprisingly, [[SubvertedTrope he turns out to be wrong this time]], as Scarlet Lady actually ends up pulling her weight due to the HumiliationConga she's received all day on account of the akuma.

Retreating into the bathroom, Marinette discusses this development with Pollen. She'd never imagined that Adrien would develop a crush on her heroic alter ego; Pollen declares that her holder has left quite the impression and cheers her holder on as Marinette decides that she has to try and answer his feelings properly. Outside the bathroom, meanwhile, Alya is attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. She can't hear what Marinette and Pollen are actually saying but assumes her bestie is talking to herself as her ownn odd way of dealing with bad news.

* EurekaMoment: During their fight, the corrupted Marigold declares that "Hate conquers all!", reminding Chat Noir of how Rose had declared during class that "Only love can conquer hate!"
* EvilIsPetty: Chloé ruins Kim's plans to meet up with Ondine simply because he was ''available'' for her to take her bad mood out upon.

* HumiliationConga: Chloé does ''not'' have a good day. She learns the hard way that Adrien is writing poetry for somebody else, defaces her own Adrien poster with a forged signature and gets called out on it, wastes a chunk of her father's money on a frame for said poster only to get the wrong type of gold, sees it smashed and ripped to pieces before her eyes, then crashes into a flower stand and has humiliating pictures taken of her.

* LetsGetDangerous: Chloé is so ''immensely pissed off'' by the horrible holiday she's been having that she actually shows some competency as Scarlet Lady, even intervening to save Chat Noir from being stung just in the nick of time.
* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: Mme. Bustier's special holiday lesson amounts to gushing about ThePowerOfLove in fairy tales, and she sidesteps the prospect of any ''serious'' discussion of the material.

* SayingTooMuch: After flashing back to Mme. Bustier's lesson, Chat Noir remarks that he "never imagined [his] first kiss would be like ''this''," unintentionally alerting Marigold to his plan and causing her to run away.
* ShoutOut: Chloé dismisses Ondine as "[[Franchise/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] girl"; an author note states that she would have called her "ComicBook/SheHulk", but they didn't want to accidentally imply that Chloé was cultured enough to be ''aware'' of the latter's existence.

As their own school day wraps up, Ondine asks Kagami if the holiday is any different in Japan. Kagami notes that it is, though she's never really participated in it before. She asks if Ondine has any plans, and Ondine admits that she's ''really'' hoping that Kim's ready to make things official by asking her to become his girlfriend. While she gushes, Kagami muses about how proud she is that her friend made the first move... and swears to herself that she'll maim Kim if he winds up breaking her heart.

Ambushing her poor "Adridarling," Chloé snatches away something he's been working on, asking if he's been writing a love letter for her. Upon reading it, however, she remarks that he got her description wrong: she has ''cornflower'' eyes and ''golden'' hair, thank you very much. Adrien bluntly replies that ''she's'' the one who's wrong, but stammers and flinches when she demands to know just who he '''was''' writing about.

Not wanting to admit the truth--not with the subject matter standing ''right behind him''--Adrien blurts out that he was writing it for Marigold. This sends shockwaves rippling through the whole class, with Alya immediately wanting to know how Nino ''didn't'' already know about this. Chloé runs off, going on an angry tirade against that "Stupid fool's gold-bumbling bee-'''Marimold!'''" and deciding to make ''herself'' Adrien's valentine. Tikki asks her to stop acting so pathetic and is told to ''shut up''.

Retreating into the bathroom, Marinette discusses this development with Pollen. She'd never imagined that Adrien would get a crush on her heroic alter ego; Pollen declares that she left quite the impression, and cheers her on as she decides that she has to try and answer his feelings properly. Outside the bathroom, meanwhile, Alya notes that her bestie has an odd way of dealing with bad news; she can't hear any of what she's actually saying, but can tell that she's apparently talking to herself.

Back at the manor, Plagg mocks Adrien's misfortune: this is the first ''he's'' heard about any "crush" on Marigold! Adrien scolds him--he ''knows'' that Chat Noir was going to give that poem to Marinette! But now everything thinks he's got a crush on Marigold instead... though it could be worse. At least he didn't blurt out ''Scarlet Lady''.

Meanwhile, Max declares that Operation: Valentine's Day is underway, handing Kim a heart-shaped box while explaining how extensive online research has led him to the conclusion that this particular jewel is the most popular. Taking a peek, Alya playfully asks if the broach inside is for her. Max starts to tell her who the intended recipient is, only for Kim to hastily cover his mouth--it's supposed to be a ''secret!''

...Though not really much of one, as both Alya and Marinette immediately peg that it's for Ondine. All three cheer him off as he hurries off; Alya then teases Max about playing Cupid. Max replies that it's not strange at all: Ondine is quite commendable, and Kim is clearly happy with her. So long as they keep the PDA to a minimum, he's more than happy to support his friend.

Several members of Adrien's fan club are gushing over a massive advertising poster plastered on a pillar; Mireille's even hugging the side of it, which Aurore calls "excessive." Chloé then barges in to demonstrate what ''true'' excessiveness is as she shows off a signed poster, declaring that Adrien is already hers. The other girls immediately recognize that his supposed signature is forged, asking her just what she thinks she's trying to pull with such a pathetic lie. Chloé can only clutch her rolled-up poster while lamely yelling at them to shut up.

Alya brings Marinette a heart-shaped card, declaring that she shouldn't give up so soon. Marinette thanks her for the sentiment, but admits that she doesn't have any way of giving it to him. Much to Alya's confusion, spurring both girls to ask each other "Who are you talking about?" Once she's brought up to speed, however, Alya's more than happy to help her track down Chat Noir, dragging her off to start searching.

Kim's waiting for Ondine to arrive when Chloé walks by, placing an order for something "framed with 24-carat gold" to be delivered to Le Grand Paris, on her Daddykins' dime. Noticing the box in Kim's hand, Chloé smirks evilly, asking if he's really trying to spring a love confession on her. Ignoring his protests to the contrary, she makes a big scene out of rejecting him--and when Ondine shows up, tells her to get lost, as she's busy "trying to turn down this loser." Ondine runs off in tears, and Chloé laughs at their misery, mockingly asking "Don't you hate how harsh love can be?"

Naturally, Hawk Moth exploits Kim's agony, akumatizing him into Dark Cupid, who declares that "No love affair or friendship will escape my fury! No one will ever love again!" Arrow after arrow find their mark in various hapless bystanders; Rose gets sniped and immediately slaps Juleka away, yelling that she hates how tall and gorgeous her girlfriend is... leaving Juleka wondering if she's supposed to be insulted.

Alya gets hit as well while she and Marinette are taking a break from their search for Chat Noir. Sticking her novelty lollipop on Marinette's shirt, she sneers that the hero would never ''want'' a valentine from someone like ''her'' before running off, while Marinette yells after her that she'll ignore that ''only'' because Alya looks good in black lipstick.

Outside the hotel, Chloé angrily berates the delivery team, blaming them for how ''someone'' got her order wrong: a mere 18-carat frame won't match her 24-carat bathtub. Marigold and Chat Noir arrive to protect her from getting sniped, but get distracted by the gaudily framed poster. Chloé refuses to take cover, ordering Marigold to protect her poster while shoving her forward... and causing her to get hit.

Ears folded back, Chat Noir asks "Goldie-?" only for her to cut him off with a BigShutUp, declaring she hates that nickname almost as much as she hates him. Both him and that blonde pest, prompting Chloé to yell angrily--then scream in agony as Marigold's attack misses Chat Noir and shatters right through the frame, ripping up her precious poster. On the bright side, this finally convinces her to ''listen'' to Chat Noir's order to flee; as she runs off, Marigold orders Chat Noir to square up, declaring that she finds his kindness and friendliness insufferable. Chat Noir notes that she's not very good at the whole "being mean" thing, upsetting her further.

In her haste to escape, Chloé crashes into a display of potted plants, winding up sprawled on the ground covered in dirt and scrapes. Lila and Sabrina come across her, snapping pictures of her misfortune while chuckling about how Alix will react when she gets to see this. Chloé berates them, assuming they're under Dark Cupid's influence, but both blankly ask "What akuma?" while the akuma in question bursts out laughing behind them.

Chat Noir struggles against Marigold, asking how he can overcome all this hatred inside of her. She declares that he can't--hate conquers all! This triggers a flashback, as he recalls Mme. Bustier's lesson and Rose's insistence that "Only love can conquer hate!" Blushing, he muses out loud that he never expected his first kiss to turn out like ''this''... causing Marigold to recoil and ask what he's talking about. Faced with an opponent who's dead-set on smooching her, Marigold turns tail and flees until she meets back up with Dark Cupid. Undeterred, Chat Noir declares he can take them both on... though he doesn't like his odds when Scarlet Lady shows up.

But Scarlet Lady is actually focused for once. Summoning her Lucky Charm, she brains Dark Cupid with the resulting novelty sweet, covering him with sticky goo as it wedges in his hair. She rants to Chat Noir about how ''awful'' her day was, as he reminds her that this is not the time for such things--they've still got a fight to focus on.

Marigold manages to pin him down, but Scarlet Lady snares her arm, buying him time to lean up and kiss his brainwashed partner. It's a lengthy kiss, too... one that both get lost in while Scarlet Lady and Dark Cupid look on, unimpressed. Scarlet Lady finally asks if they need to come back another time, jolting the highly confused Marigold back to reality. Taking advantage of the fact she already has her Venom stinger activated, Chat Noir throws her at Dark Cupid, knocking him over and paralyzing him. She then plucks off the broach at Scarlet Lady's urging, saving the day despite being completely at a loss at how they got here.

...Or maybe it's not so hopeless after all. Given how Ondine saw the flying birdman with a faux hawk and thought it might be him, so she followed Dark Cupid around and overheard the whole thing. She shyly asks if she can be his valentine after all, and Kim agrees: "Valentine, girlfriend, whichever means I get to kiss you!"

Marigold tries to ask what happened, but Chat Noir hastily shoos both her and Scarlet Lady away, pointing out how both their timers have started beeping. No time to explain, just get going--! After all that excitement, Adrien's eager to get home and collapse on his bed, hoping that there's no more akumas to deal with for a while... he's going to have trouble looking Marigold in the eyes after all that drama.

But wait! Who's that knocking on his window? Why, it's none other than Marigold herself! Seems she's heard a rumor that he might have written her a valentine? Blushing, Adrien claims he just wanted to express his appreciation for the new heroine, and that he definitely doesn't have a crush on her... only to feel a bit stung when she sighs in relief.

She explains that the whole reason she became a hero was to help protect Paris and make things easier on Chat Noir. So having his support, even when he saw her at her newest and clumsiest, makes her happy. And she's also relieved that he doesn't have a crush on her, since there's somebody else she has feelings for, meaning she doesn't have to let him down. Adrien admits that he's also got someone else he's interested in, leaving both sides curious and blissfully unaware of the truth.

With a chaste kiss on the cheek, Marigold thanks Adrien for being her first fan, wishing him a happy Valentine's Day before heading off. Watching her go, Adrien feels his heart skip a few beats and frantically scolds it: "No 'doki-doki'! You're in love with Marinette!"

Meanwhile, Ondine and Kim update their best friends on how things went, with Ondine gushing on her phone to Kagami while Kim embraces Max and cheers over how Operation: Valentine's Day was a total success.

* AsYouKnow: Adrien sulkily reminds Plagg that his plan was to give Marinette the poem he was writing in class as ''Chat Noir''.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: While Chloé recognizes that Adrien's poem isn't describing her "properly", she doesn't realize that it's not describing her ''period''.

** Chloé forges Adrien's signature on a advertising poster, then shows off her prize to a group of Adrien's fans... who immediately recognize the forgery for what it is, much to her humiliation.
* DramaticIrony: Marigold and Adrien admit to each other that they have crushes on somebody else, with both idly wondering who the other might have feelings for. Both are completely unaware that they're talking about the other's alter ego.

* KickTheDog:
** As [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] as she is, Chloé ''does'' appear to recognize that Kim wasn't waiting for her. Yet she still ''pretends'' to believe that Kim was preparing to confess to her simply so she can ruin his day, laughing at the misunderstanding she ''deliberately'' causes.
** When they see Chloé sprawled on the sidewalk after crashing into a display of potted plants, both Lila and Sabrina snap pictures while laughing at her misfortune.

** Chloé pushes Marigold into harm's way while ordering her to protect her poster of Adrien's latest perfume ad. The corrupted Marigold promptly destroys it.
** Chloé also gets a taste of what it's like to be humiliated just for the sheer hell of it when Lila and Sabrina come along right after she's wiped out and mock her misfortune.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Intentionally {{Invoked}} by Chloé, who makes a big scene out of rejecting Kim on the bridge and tells Ondine to get lost.
* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: {{Inverted}}; Chloé can immediately tell that Adrien's love letter "got her description wrong", and she tries to correct him, only to be blindsided by the news that ''it's not about her''.
* OperationBlank: Max refers to his plan to help Kim make things official with Ondine as "Operation: Valentine's Day".
* PokeThePoodle: While Dark Cupid's arrows turn positive feelings to negative ones, several of his victims seem to have trouble seriously ''insulting'' those they've turned upon, listing off the qualities they supposedly hate.

* SayingTooMuch: After flashing back to Mme. Bustier's lesson, Chat Noir remarks that he "never imagined his first kiss would be like ''this''," unintentionally alerting Marigold to his plan and causing her to run away.

** PlayedWith; Chloé legitimately doesn't think that Kim could have any kind of grudge against her after the stunt she pulled on the bridge, assuming that he's only attacking out of jealousy over her "signed Adrien poster".

* TakeThat: Max points out the UnfortunateImplications that can come into play with TrueLovesKiss at the start of the episode.
* TemptingFate: After dealing with Dark Cupid, Adrien expresses hope that there won't be any akumas for a while so he has time to process what happened and work back up towards being able to look Marigold in the eyes... right before she knocks on his bedroom window.
* ThisIsGoingToSuck: Chat Noir sighs with dismay when Scarlet Lady shows up, declaring that she's just ruined his odds of being able to handle Dark Cupid and the corrupted Marigold at the same time.