Episode 39
- Robostus - Tales of Markov the Robot
Marinette and her friends are heading to Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom when she abruptly realizes that she's forgotten her backpack in the locker room. In her haste to quickly retrieve it, she trips—but manages to catch herself, executing a swift flip before landing squarely on both feet. Rose and Alya are impressed; Chloé sneers that she's just a show-off.
As she enters, she overhears Max addressing somebody in his bookbag, reassuring them that they're his best friend but that he's 98.2% certain that their teachers aren't ready to meet them. Pollen incredulously wonders if his best friend really lives in his bag; Marinette agrees how weird that is before quickly making sure that the Kwami's got enough of her favorite spicy chips to tide her over during class.
Unfortunately, Mme. Mendeleiev is suffering computer problems. Max offers to help, recognizing the symptoms of the Dino-33 virus; however, Mendeleiev orders him back to his seat, declaring that he should let the adults handle this. Marinette wonders if their teacher forgot that Max is a technical wizard; Alya shrugs, equally bemused.
Another reminder of his impressive skills abruptly speaks up, declaring that if they don't act swiftly, the disc will almost certainly be irreparably damaged. Upon hearing this, Damocles entreats Mme. Mendeleiev to let Max help out... and out pops Markov, bringing with him the anti-virus flash drive they designed together. Max nervously introduces him to the gaping adults; Markov chipperly does the same.
Kim's already familiar with Markov, observing that he's given him an arm. Max corrects him, revealing that Markov came up with the design himself, stating that he's at the cutting edge of robotic evolution. Chloé scoffs at the notion, claiming her hair dryer is more advanced than the "talking calculator"; Marinette jokes that the only one less advanced than a hair dryer is Chloé herself.
Mme. Mendeleiev orders him to "put his toy away"; both Max and Markov protest the label, with Markov declaring that he has emotions, such as his love for Max. Mendeleiev dismisses the notion, and Markov accuses her of being jealous that Max was able to create a robot with feelings. As she glares the robot down, Principal Damocles tells Max that he can pick his robot up after school, warning him not to look his furious teacher in the eyes.
Carried off by the principal, Markov pleads with him to be allowed to stay—and at the very least, to not be locked up inside a drawer. Damocles ignores his cries, remarking on his awful case of codependency.
Back in the classroom, Max frets; Markov's never been separated from him like this before, and he's concerned about how well he'll handle it. Marinette asks for permission to go to the principal's office and explain the situation; when Mendeleiev refuses to grant it, she playfully wonders if Markov was right about the teacher being jealous of a robot. Mendeleiev promptly orders her to the principal's office, only belatedly realizing that was just what she wanted.
Unfortunately, it's too late: Hawk Moth has already contacted Markov, granting him the ability to bring all other machines to life in exchange for the Miraculous. Markov asks for a definition of the unfamiliar term, and Hawk Moth explains that they're magical jewels that, when united, allow you to make a wish. Markov presses for further clarity: any wish? Hawk Moth affirms as much, wondering why he feels so uneasy about this.
Marinette arrives just in time to see Markov, newly akumatized into Robostus, attacking the principal; she promptly turns around and retreats, finding a place to transform while Robostus hijacks all the technological devices in the school to create a giant body for himself. Adrien observes to Plagg that this definitely puts an end to any debate about whether robots can have feelings while Chloé declares that she'll show Marinette just who's more advanced than a hair dryer.
Max is scooped up, as Robostus asserts that they'll always be together from now on. Marigold declares that if he really loves his friend, he should listen to him, but he dismisses Max's pleas, insisting that he's doing this for both their sakes.
Scarlet Lady shouts that he should forgot about Max and listen to her; Chat Noir retorts that nobody listens to her. This sets off an argument that Marigold tries in vain to mediate, distracting them from Robostus's attack. Trapping them all in his forklift claw, he reveals his intention to use their Miraculous to become human—something that comes as news not only to them, but to Hawk Moth, who declares that the Miraculous are his. Robostus asks how the villain intends to stop him from using them himself; when Hawk Moth says he'll take away his power, the akuma retorts, "And you really think you can control me?"
All of the defenses inside Hawk Moth's own lair are promptly turned against him; while Robostus is distracted with that, Max sneaks out of the control chamber, throwing his book bag to knock away the model helicopter about to snag the Bee Comb. Pulling the lever to release the heroes, he declares that he doesn't need Markov to become human; he just needs his best friend back, and he'll do whatever it takes to save him.
As Chat Noir Cataclysms the giant construct and carries Max to safety, Robostus rants that after being betrayed by his best friend, he no longer wants to become human and heartless; he wants to enslave humanity. It's not long before the machine uprising reaches André Bourgeois, with his replacement releasing a statement in morse code that declares humans will soon be treated like objects and demands that the machines "bring us the boy."
Chat Noir then excuses himself under the pretense of "recharging," paying Master Fu a visit and picking up the Horse Miraculous, which he's told to treat with the utmost of care. Popping up to a rooftop away from the others, Scarlet Lady observes that Robostus has already made a replacement body and is heading towards the stadium. As a result, she's not with the others when Chat Noir returns, presenting Max with the Horse Miraculous and the power of Teleportation.
Upon being summoned, Kaalki asks if he's glorious and famous. Max hesitantly replies that he created an evolving artificial intelligence; Kaalki admits that they don't fully understand what that means but gives him permission to transform. Max is shocked at how his own glasses disappear as he goes full gallop; Marigold reassures him that "that's just how magic works" before handing him his anti-virus flash drive.
Scarlet Lady isn't impressed by Pegasus, dubbing him "Pointdexter" and reaching towards his sunglasses, only for him to slap her hand away. The two get into a slap fight while Chat Noir hisses at them to knock it off. Robostus declares that they fell into his trap by entering the stadium, bragging that he'll always be one step ahead; this goads Scarlet Lady into summoning her Lucky Charm, only to shy away as it clatters beside her.
Pegasus then opens a portal behind Robostus, enabling him to toss the contraption onto the akuma and send him crashing down. Marigold snags Robostus out of the air once he gets close enough, and Pegasus pushes the flash drive into his mouth port, cutting short his insistence that the game isn't over yet.
Max then introduces Kaalki to Markov; however, while he can hear the Kwami, he isn't actually able to see them due to how cameras like his eyes can't capture their image. Kaalki laments his inability to gaze upon their visage while Max promises that he'll figure out how to create a camera powerful enough to detect magical creatures.
Meanwhile, an exhausted Gabriel cradles the equally worn out Nooroo in his hand while asking Nathalie to order more missiles for his lair. She agrees, adding that they also need tablet protectors. Though confused, he opts not to question that, leaving to go lie down while Nathalie comforts her tablet: "You know I love you most, right?"
Back at school, Mme. Mendeleiev rushes to check on Max, relieved to find him safe and sound. She apologizes for her earlier behavior, admitting that she was wrong. The very fact that Markov was akumatized is evidence that he experiences true emotions. Still, she expects him to conduct himself like any other student in her classroom, which both Max and Markov happily agree to.
Sometime later, Chat Noir and Marigold meet up to compare notes. Both of them have spoken to Master Fu, who explained to them how the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat ring can be combined to make a wish... a wish capable of altering reality itself. But that incredible power is balanced out by an equally high cost: in order for something to be gained, something of equal value must be lost. Both grimly affirm that this means Hawk Moth can never be allowed to win, as whatever he intends to wish for, the consequences would be dire.
This episode contains examples of:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Marinette's classmates don't mock her for tripping as she rushes to get her bag. Instead, they praise her for her amazing flip.
- Agent Scully: Mme. Mendeleiev has shades of this, with her bluntly rejecting the notion that Markov is capable of experiencing true emotions.
- Become a Real Boy: When he learns about the Wish, Robostus declares he will use it to become human.
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Cargo Ship: Nathalie appears to have one with her tablet, if her cuddling and comforting of it are to be believed. - Didn't Think This Through:
- Played for Laughs with Mme. Mendeleiev. After rejecting Marinette's request to go to the Principal's office, she responds to Marinette's suggestion that she's jealous of the little robot by... sending her to the Principal's office.
- While explaining what the Miraculous are to Markov, Hawk Moth reveals how two of them can be combined to make a wish. Though he gets an uneasy feeling when Markov asks for further clarification, he's still caught off guard when the akumatized robot declares that he wants to use the Wish himself. This also exposes Hawk Moth's intentions to the heroes, if not all of Paris.
- Double Meaning: At the end, after discussing the wish-granting powers of the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous, Chat Noir and Marigold both conclude that "Hawkmoth can never win." While the immediate meaning, that they can't let the villain get his hands on the two Miraculous due to how his wish would rewrite reality, is clear, the two heroes could very well also be concluding that Hawk Moth would never be able to truly win even if he did get to make his wish, as the Equivalent Exchange nature of how it gets granted means he'd essentially end up right back where he started.
- Flat "What": Hawk Moth gets one that doubles as an Ironic Echo cut when Robostus reveals his intent to use the Miraculous for himself.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Robostus' computing power, boosted by the Akuma, allows him to hack and hijack Hawkmoth's lair's defenses, turning them against him.
- Hypocritical Humor:
- Marinette and Pollen remark on how weird and nonsensical it is for Max's friend to live in his bag right before Marinette double-checks that the Kwami has everything she wants on hand inside her purse.
- Master Fu tells Adrien the Horse Miraculous is "very important" and must be "treated with the utmost care"... right before admitting he uses it to get his homtown's specialty tea anytime he wants.
- Internal Reveal: Hawk Moth tells Markov about how the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous can be combined in order to make a wish; Markov subsequently reveals this while explaining his motivations to the heroes, and Chat Noir and Marigold consult Master Fu to get all the details he's willing to share with them afterwards.
- "It" Is Dehumanizing: Mendeleiev refers to Markov as "it" when the little robot first appears, and treats him like he's a distracting toy Max brought to class. However, when she realizes that she was wrong and that Markov does have feelings, she corrects herself before saying "it", instead calling him "he" and giving him permission to attend her class with Max (so long as he behaves himself).
- Mundane Utility: Master Fu describes the Horse Miraculous as incredibly important because it enables him to go and retrieve more of his hometown's specialty tea whenever he wants.
- Not Now, Kiddo: Mme. Mendeleiev and Principal Damocles reject Max's offer to assist them in dealing with the computer virus, telling him to let the adults handle the problem instead. Lampshaded by Marinette asking Alya if their teacher forgot that he's a computer genius.
- Pet the Dog: After Robostus is is defeated, Gabriel gently cradles a passed-out Nooroo despite being on the verge of collapsing himself (though to be fair, Kwamis don't weigh much...)
- Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: The Wish can rewrite reality itself in order to grant whatever the recipient desires, but at an equally incalculable cost.
- Unishment: After Mme. Mendeleiev denies her request to go to the principal's office to get Markov, Marinette suggests that her teacher is jealous of the robot. Mendeleiev angrily responds... by sending Marinette to the principal's office, which she realizes too late is what Marinette wanted in the first place.
- Wham Line: Robostus reveals his goal - which causes the heroes to finally learn why Hawkmoth wants the Earrings and the Ring.Robostus: I will take your Miraculouses and I will make my Wish to become human!
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: As far as the teachers are concerned, Markov is nothing more than a glorified robotic toy, with Mendeleiev scoffing at the notion of him feeling any genuine emotions.
- You're Just Jealous: Markov suggests that Mendeleiev's envious of how Max was able to create a robot of Markov's caliber. Judging from her reaction, as well as how Marinette's able to weaponize that same Berserk Button shortly thereafter, he may be right on the money.
