Determination

**Determination**

**Season 5, episode 6 (Production order); Episode 110 (Overall)**

> *(about Marinette)* "I think I'm in love."
> *(about Cat Noir)* "I think I'm falling in love."
>
> Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, "Determination"

**"Determination"** is a Season 5 episode of the series, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. As based on the series' production order specifically, **"Determination"** is the 6th written and produced episode of Season 5. It is also the 110th written and produced episode of the series, overall.

## Synopsis

Marinette and Adrien wonder about their feelings. While Marinette tries to convince herself that she needs to stop being in love with Adrien because it diverts her from her role as a superhero, she discovers that she has feelings for another boy, who has changed a lot lastly... As for Adrien, he is becoming increasingly interested in Marinette. What if she were more than just a friend? He doesn’t know that, by inviting Marinette out, he is about to unleash a whirlwind of feelings that will change their lives...

## Plot

The episode begins when Marinette rides her motorcycle to Collège Françoise Dupont , Adrien was shocked to see Marinette take off her helmet with her hair down, Kagami gave Marinette the I Love Unicorns helmet, then Adrien greeted Marinette, and then she left the school. As Kagami talked to him about something Adrien was brooding. In the locker room, Kagami put on her fencing outfit for fencing class, then saw that Adrien was looking at her paintings, however, he looked at the painting with Marinette in it, and then showed Kagami the painting he looked at . Kagami showed Adrien her phone with Marinette’s contact open, saying he needs to call her and ask her out.

The next day, Marinette arrives at Liberty to see her other friends to show them her work for the band. Adrien calls her and says his feelings have changed asking to meet. Adrien tells Kagami he asked to meet at the Musée Grévin because that's where his feelings changed. Marinette talks to Luka and tells him how she always makes mistakes when in love with Adrien. He reassures her by telling her to explore her feelings and spend time alone with Adrien. She asks Luka to go with her so she would be less scared.

They meet outside along with Adrien and Kagami and meet Véronique the museum curator. She leaves Adrien and the gruop to see mayor Bourgeois. Adrien talks about his feelings and realises he loves Marinette. Kagami and Luka start to leave the room they are in, and Adrien and Marinette follow them.

Véronique meets with mayor Bourgeois to talk about opening her new hall of superheroes. The mayor does not want to open the hall and says it will cause more akumatizations. She argues that it will cause hope instead. He threatens to close the museum. Marinette and Adrien run after Kagami and Luka end they get trapped inside the hall of superheroes together.

In the following scene, Véronique is heartbroken. Monarch senses Veronique's emotions and makes a megakuma, absorbs Kaalki in the ring and uses the power, voyage, to teleport the megakuma to Véronique's location. Véronique temporarily tries to resist the akuma, but Monarch akumatizes her in the end and gives her the power of the Ox Miraculous. Véronique is turned to Manipula and has the power to bring the wax statues to life and recreate the superheroes using her wax statues.

Marinette starts to panic after trying to open the metal wall, thinking something will go wrong. Adrien says that it is fine, and he is here. Marinette mixes up her words in saying that he is the problem and makes all sorts of mistakes because of her feeling for Adrien (including losing all the miraculouses in the Season 4 finale). She mentions that I can't tell you anything, while Adrien responds, "You can tell me everything." Manipula smashes the metal wall to the same exhibit Adrien and Marinette are in.

Manipula uses her brochures to bring the superhero wax statues to life. They both hide behind statues. Marinette escapes by making a run for it while Adrien stays hidden. Marinette transforms into Ladybug while the wax heroes run out of the museum. Ladybug follows them and lands on a roof top meeting up with Cat Noir, who apologises for the delay.

Ladybug and Cat Noir catch up to Manipula. Manipula announces that she brought the heroes back and Monarch will renounce evil and that the museum can once again celebrate the superheroes. Ladybug and Cat Noir try to persuade her to reject the megakuma and that Monarch is manipulating her. Monarch then convinces her not to trust Ladybug. She blames Ladybug for losing the miraculous, but Cat Noir supports her. Then, the wax heroes were actually an illusion and the wax statues of Rena Rouge and Vesperia surprise attack from behind but, Ladybug and Cat Noir destroy the statues. Manipula runs away. On top of their heads, it a piece of paper which contains each part of the megakuma. After destroying and realizing all of the strips of paper must be destroyed in order to capture the megakuma, they chase after Manipula. Monarch tells Manipula that he was right that it was Ladybug's fault on losing the miraculouses. Manipula announces that Paris has a new superhero.

She orders the statues to pair up and get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. She enters City Hall and orders mayor Bourgeois to open the hall of superheroes. Chloe tells the mayor not to listen to her. The mayor apologizes to Manipula, saying he can't. She tells the statue Cat Noir to use his cataclysm. She threatens mayor Bourgeois by saying that if he doesn't change his mind, the wax statue Cat Noir will destroy City Hall. Meanwhile, the Minotaurox statue is walking behind her. After defeating the wax statue superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir rip up the brochures and capture the parts of the megakuma.

They enter City Hall, ready to battle the statue versions of themselves. Cat Noir saves Ladybug just when the fake Cat Noir is about to cataclysm her. Cat Noir helps her up and Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. She gets a bowling ball. Cat Noir opens the door and meets Manipula. She points to Minotaurox who is about to hit the mayor and Chloe who are whimpering in fear. Ladybug demands that mayor Bourgeois and his daughter be free but Manipula says she will not until the mayor opens the hall of superheroes. Ladybug asks mayor Bourgeois why he won't allow it and Chloe blames Ladybug for losing the miraculouses. Chloe also calls her lame and tells her this would not have happened if the Bee miraculous was with her and that Ladybug has no choice but to protect her from Manipula.

Ladybug looks around, trying to figure out how to use her Lucky Charm but finds nothing. Cat Noir tries to cataclysm the remaining strips of paper but Manipula grabs his wrist and uses Cat Noir's powers on her. Scared he has harmed another person with his superpower, Manipula reveals she is immune to superpowers due to Monarch giving her the power of Resistance. She throws Cat Noir to the Minotaurox statue and he tries to take his ring. Ladybug tries to rescue Cat Noir but is stopped by Manipula. She tries to take Ladybug's earrings but realizes that how to use her Lucky Charm and that Manipula is not invincible. She gets crushed under a chandelier and the rest of the brochures are destroyed and the remaining parts of the megakuma are captured.

Ladybug throws her lucky charm in the air and all of the damage has been undone. Manipula gets deakumatized back into Véronique. Ladybug gives her the magical charm and mayor Bourgeois is convinced by Ladybug to authorize the opening of the hall of superheroes. After that, she admits her true feelings to Cat Noir. They run off and detransform.

At the museum, Marinette asks Adrien if it is safe to come out to which he answers yes. Marinette leaves to go home and waves goodbye to Adrien, Kagami and Luka. Kagami asks Adrien if he has figured out how he feels about Marinette and he answers yes. Adrien believes he is falling in love with Marinette and Marinette believes she is falling in love with Cat Noir as the episode ends.

## Characters

### Major Characters

* Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug/Aqua Bug
* Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir/Aqua Noir
* Monarch
* Tikki
* Megakuma
* Stompp
* Véronique/Manipula
* Luka Couffaine (Viperion wax statue)
* Kagami Tsurugi (Ryuko wax statue)

### Minor Characters

* Rose Lavillant (Pigella wax statue)
* Juleka Couffaine (Purple Tigress wax statue)
* Mylène Haprèle (Polymouse wax statue)
* Ivan Bruel (Minotaurox wax statue)
* André Bourgeois
* Chloé Bourgeois (Queen Bee mentioned)
* Kaalki
* Bob Roth (wax statue and mentioned)
* Nadja Chamack (wax statue)
* Jagged Stone (wax statue)
* Clara Nightingale (wax statue)
* Mireille Caquet (wax statue)
* Philippe (wax statue)
* Audrey Bourgeois (wax statue)
* Alec Cataldi (wax statue)
* Aurore Beauréal (wax statue)
* Fang (wax statue)
* Aurore Beauréal (wax statue)
* Prince Ali (wax statue)
* Sabine Cheng (indirectly mentioned)
* Bunnyx (wax statue)
* Caprikid (wax statue)
* Carapace (wax statue)
* King Monkey (wax statue)
* Miss Hound (wax statue)
* Pegasus (wax statue)
* Rena Rouge (wax statue)
* Rooster Bold (wax statue)
* Vesperia (wax statue)
* Civilians

## Trivia

* Internationally, this episode first premiered in France on TFOU.
* The episode shares its name with the concept of the Ox Miraculous.
	+ It's revealed that Resistance, despite protecting the user from the effects of Miraculous-related superpowers, including Cataclysm, it doesn't work on indirect attacks like a falling chandelier.
		- It has not been confirmed if the power works against other type of superpowers that are not related to the Miraculous.
		- Compared to Shell-ter, a superpower born from the concept of protection that can be destroyed with one hit from Cataclysm. However both powers are the same to a degree as both protect the user from damage but to different levels as Resistance is used directly on the user while Shell-ter provides protection around the user.
	+ Sometimes resistance doesn't only mean physical but also mental as it checks out the mental state of various characters with hurt feelings or damaged minds.
		- For Ladybug, she is still hurt over the events of "Strikeback" at the lost of the jewels and depowerment of the team.
		- As herself, just like every other fan girl even Kagami and as she and Luka mentioned Marinette always had come up with plans to get Adrien's love but always ended in disaster as she said in "Glaciator 2" but unlike the others Marinette is beginning to distinguish what is real and fake.
		- Cat Noir is still traumatized over the use of his powers in "Destruction" and "Jubilation" even to the point of saying the same line when his Cataclysm was used on someone.
		- Chloé is still continues to harbor a grudge towards Ladybug for the Miracle Queen incident and jealously towards the other holders. And Veronique's akumatization and Chloe's depowerment happened for the same reason: she couldn't put her own fears, desires and feelings aside for the sake of the people.
			* In a way, Chloe was partially right had they defeated Hawk Moth back in "Heroes Day" then the loss of the jewels probably wouldn't have happened however she would still have to face surrendering her powers upon the discovery of him having the Peacock Miraculous and like "Lady Wifi", it would lead to complications for the characters and creators.
				+ All 3 were reminded of what they did, happened or didn't have anymore similar to Ladybug and Cat Noir's shared dream in "Jubilation".
		- Veronique as Manipula, she too was tricked as she hastily believed because she had a team she could defeat Monarch unknown to her she was in the same boat as the real heroes. Or had Monarch let her "overthrow" him it would be done under an illusion and it would be a matter of time before Manipula had figured out she was tricked.
		- Monarch's greed had gotten out of control which may also explain why he doesn't like heroes because they make him feel threatened as he said he likes it when superpowers are working for him.
	+ As well as how resistance and mental discipline was showed in other episodes:
		- How Marinette was mentally disciplined and clever enough to handle the strain of using many Miraculouses in "Kwamibuster" as compared to Monarch in "Evolution" and with Cat Noir's powers in "Re-Creation".
		- Chloe loss control of her anger in "Queen Wasp", which also destroyed what little mental discipline Gabriel had when he gave up his Miraculous.
		- Cat Noir grew with the mental discipline to control his powers while Felix lacked it at first in "Emotion".
		- How people mentally began to fight against Hawk Moth's influence in various episodes.
		- As well as Ladybug and Monarch gloated to each other of how they their plans were a success but counted their chickens before they hatched.
	+ The Ox Miraculous represents knowing when someone needs to pick their battles wisely, stand their ground especially when someone else is wrong and that determination can be a good or bad thing depending on how someone uses it.
		- As Ladybug and Cat Noir continuously stood their ground against Hawk Moth, Shadow Moth and Monarch.
		- In "Derision", Socquline was the only one who stood against Chloe.
		- Marinette and Adrien knew that Lila was a liar but while Marinette wanted to stand against her, Adrien chose not too.
		- Gabriel's determination to use the Miraculous to fix his mistaken but along became his obsession.
* Véronique is the first character to be akumatized for the first time in season 5.
* Marinette's hair is seen down for the third time following "Cat Blanc" and "Heart Hunter".
* This is the third appearance of Marinette's scooter following "Dearest Family" and "Jubilation".
* It's revealed that Kagami is proficient in watercolors as well as sketching.
* Marinette fumbling with her phone on the Liberty when Adrien's calling is similar to scenes from "Félix" and "Simpleman".
* This is the fourth time Cataclysm is used on a real person, after "Miraculer", "Destruction" and "Miraculous Paris".
	+ But unlike previous times, Cataclysm doesn't affect Manipula due to Resistance.
* This is also the ninth time Cat Noir misses his intended target with his powers.
* This is the third time an akuma is split across a group of objects, after "Simon Says" and "Crocoduel".
	+ This is the first time the parts of the akuma are captured and deakumatized separately.
	+ Unlike the first time an akumatized item starts as a group of objects then shared among many.
	+ In "Crocoduel", when the already broken akumatized object was split apart even more the akuma didn't come out nor it's essence it could be that only a Megakuma can do that but it's also unknown what's going to happen when a Megakuma's essence is left behind.
* Manipula's powers are similar to The Puppeteer's in "The Puppeteer 2", except Manipula can make the statues talk.
* This is the fifth time a villainous copy of Ladybug creates a giant cutlass sword, after "Antibug", "Sandboy", "Miraculer" and "Christmaster".
* This is the third appearance of the rain music, after "Stoneheart" and "Jubilation".
* This is the seventh time the aqua power was used, following "Syren", "Mayura", "Miracle Queen", "Gang of Secrets", "Ephemeral" and "Illusion".
* This is the twelveth time Plagg doesn't make an appearance, following "Prime Queen", "Despair Bear", "Malediktator", " Animaestro", "Christmaster", "Truth", "Furious Fu", "Guiltrip", "Crocoduel", "Qilin" and "Destruction".
* This is the twelveth time Alya doesn't make a physical appearance in civilian form.
* This is one of the several times one of the heroes transform off-screen while the other transforms onscreen.
* This is the first time we see Luka and Kagami interact with each other onscreen.
* This is the fifth time Cat Noir's belt-like tail gets pulled, following "Ladybug and Cat Noir", "Stormy Weather", "Animan" and "Party Crasher".
	+ But unlike the other four times, his tail isn't pulled to stop him from being reckless but to talk to him.
* This is the fourth episode we see a white background and not the actual destination for a portal made by Voyage, after "Destruction", "Jubilation", and "Illusion".
* Kagami and Luka trapping Adrien and Marinette in the Wax Museum is similar to situations in "Puppeteer 2", "Hack-San" and "Destruction".
* This is the third episode of Seasons 4 and 5 not to have a dotted pattern on its end card, following "Rocketear" and "Penalteam".
* This is the twenty-third time where Ladybug's Lucky Charm is an object that appeared in a previous episode. This time, it's the ball that previously appeared in "The Evilustrator", "Miraculous Shanghai" and "Simpleman".
	+ This is the first time where a lucky charm is an object that appears from a game in the series starting from the bowling ball that appeared from "Rise of the Sphinx" and both have a third debut difference between them.
* In the English dub, when Marinette answers Adrien's phone call, she says "Hi, how are you, friend?" in Spanish.
	+ This means she knows at least four languages: English (as revealed in the French dub of "Gamer 2.0"), French, Spanish, and Chinese.
* In the English dub, Marinette's dialogue in "The Puppeteer 2" flashback is a new recording for unknown reasons.
* This is the first episode in Season 5 and the eighth time in the overall series where a character is fully akumatized for the first time, following "Psycomedian", "Furious Fu", "Sole Crusher", "Wishmaker", "Qilin", "Ephemeral", and "Risk".
* This is the fourth time a bubble love-struck scene is done with the heroes, following "Copycat", "Prime Queen" and "Glaciator".
	+ This one is a combination of "Kuro Neko" and "Strikeback", where Cat Noir has his hand outstretched to Ladybug.
* This episode marks the last time Adrien calls out (or otherwise refers to) Marinette with the infamous phrase "She's just a friend".

### Errors

* When Monarch gets Stompp's power to give it to Manipula, he touches the Ox Miraculous icon with his middle finger, despite that the Alliance ring of the ox miraculous is on his thumb.
	+ However it might not be an error. Maybe he needs to touch the icon with any part of his hand.
* When Manipula makes Polymouse's statue come to life, the Mouse Miraculous of the statue is in its activated mode, instead of charged mode.
* Bunnyx was never defeated on-screen.
	+ It could have been defeated in the Borrow if the real Bunnyx was in it however.
* Marinette tells Luka that she lost some very valuable things "a few days ago", even though it would've been weeks since the events of "Strikeback" at this point in the timeline.
	+ However, it is possible she lied to throw him off her trail.
* After Ladybug defeats Manipula and destroys the cards she is holding, she is able to release the purified akuma, despite the fact the wax Minotaurox statue still had its.
* When the young Bunnyx statue illusion disappears in the beginning it shows her Miraculous was in the pocket and when the illusion disappeared her Miraculous floated out of the pocket next to her right.
* When Monarch touches Kaalki's cage to take her power, Kaalki turns into a blue light beam instead of a brown one.
* Viperion isn't featured in the pamphlet for The Hall Of Heroes, despite him having a wax statue.
* When Marinette runs into a room to transform, the Adrien statue is holding his hand and leg up. In the next shot as Ladybug leaves, the Adrien statue is doing a completely different pose with his hand on his hip and his feet flat on the floor.
* Throughout the episode, the kwamis' cages are empty.
* For a brief moment after transferring the power of determination, Monarch's eyes are not glowing.

## Gallery

Click here to view the image gallery for Determination.
*Click here to view the gallery.*

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/ladyofacat/status/1505600314103279621

Template:Episodes
de:Entschlossenheit
es:Determinación
fr:Détermination
it:Determinazione
pl:Determinacja
pt-br:Determinação
ru:Решимость