YMMV / Miraculous Ladybug S05E01 "Evolution"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Has Gabriel truly become obsessed and insane on his own volition, or was it the multiple Miraculous driving him insane?
• Catharsis Factor: After his devastating victory in "Strike Back" it’s pretty satisfying to see Monarch being thwarted and outsmarted at every turn while paying the price for using so many Miraculii at once. It gets even better when he loses the extremely powerful and dangerous Rabbit Miraculous to Alix. In the end he barely manages to escape, and when he arrives home, he loses his most loyal ally in Nathalie, who finally realizes what an absolute monster he is when she learns that, despite his past claims, saving her and his wife meant nothing to him compared to destroying Ladybug. And as a final moment of catharsis, his defeat occurs at the hands of the same Dog Miraculous that granted him his victory last season in the first place.
• Fanfic Fuel: Now that Alix has her Miraculous, she can travel through time and space. What places and eras will she visit and what adventures will she experience? And how will she react when she learns who Ladybug, Cat Noir and Monarch are?
• Genius Bonus: Gabriel's new name as Monarch. Not only is it a term used to describe an incumbent king or queen, fitting given the power Gabriel has recently gained, it continues the animal naming theme by also being the name of a species of butterfly, with the stained-glass effect on his lapels even resembling the brightly coloured wings of one.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight:
  • While it’s already been implied that Alim knows more about the Rabbit Miraculous than he told Alix, learning that he always knew that his beloved daughter would become a heroine one day is very heartwarming. The bonding moment between him and Alix only makes it better.
  • A lot of fans were extremely worried about Nathalie starting to cough while Lila was just watching. Now we learn that Lila actually did look after her.
• Moral Event Horizon: Gabriel had the power of the Rabbit Miraculous and he could have used it to prevent Emilie and Nathalie's sickness. Instead, he tries using it in yet another harebrained plot to steal the Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous. Not only does this result in him losing the Rabbit Miraculous, wasting his only opportunity for a clean and easy victory, but it makes Nathalie realize that Gabriel isn't as selfless as she believed him to be.

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