Confrontation should've been about Mr Damcoles getting akumatized for a GOOD REASON.
I wanted to share an opinion about how Confrontation one of the episodes in season 5, was handled. Apart from trying to fix Lila's lies in a much better way AND having teachers and students actually posses braincells (in order to make Lila's lies and plans more believable), I would've liked to see Mr Damoclés akumatized instead of Reflekta... again... and for just what? 2 minutes?
So, we know that Marinette's class is tasked with submitting forms for the vocational high school they want to attend. Marinette collects the forms for Lila and Chloé, who plot to falsify them to frame Marinette, and even though Sabrina doesn't want to, she helps them imitate their classmates' handwriting.
Already from here, AT LEAST the professors, should've understood something was wrong, right? They could've at least tried to alter lesser the forms, to make them more adjustable to the students (with still the idea of "ruining them, in order to ruin Marinette"), but hey, this is what we got...
When they return the forms, Juleka is more shocked than anyone to see that her form, which states she wants to repeat the school year, is falsified. Already from here, Juleka SHOULD'VE STANDED ON HER OWN, because who tf admits he would LIKE TO REPEAT THE SCHOOL YEAR? That should've been another ringing bell for the principal and all the teaching staff.
Anyway, this causes her to akumatize into Reflekta with the power of the Tiger Miraculous and armed with a fan that allows her to create clones of herself with the same powers as hers, whose actions and movements perfectly mirror hers. This battle, was useless and badly executen, right because of how broken her powers were supposed to be and still, somehow, they managed to find the real Reflekta in a city that was entirely invaded. Once defeated, Ladybug gives her a new Magical Charm. Back in the classroom, Lila accuses Marinette of falsifying the forms, but Marinette claims that the only one capable of copying other people's handwriting was Sabrina. which admits this, but only because Chloé and Lila forced her to, and claims to have proof of what she says. Faced with this, Lila, Chloé, and Sabrina lock themselves in a temporary bathroom and threaten Sabrina with ruining her life if she turns over this so-called evidence, claiming that Lila's lies framed Marinette and allowed her to skip school. In reality, Sabrina's outburst was a set-up, and we all konow how this ended. We get to the princiapl's office: Damoclès intends to expel the two girls, but Chloé uses her father's influence to prevent it, (this man still having a job at that point is utterly ridiculous) and his wife, too, pressures him into doing so.
Mr. Damoclès, ashamed of never having reacted to Chloé's meanness in the past, is almost akumatized, but with the help of his students and colleagues, his Magical Charm reacts to positive emotions, becoming a shield of light that protects him and purifies the Megakuma. THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.
I would've written it in a way where Juleka was the one resisting the mega akuma, and creating that shiled. This would've been a better base when the girl exposes her point and stands on her own, forcing Monarch to wait for someone else. Damoclès instead, should've been akumatized and why? because that was the PERFECT SETUP.
Hear me out, Damocles was akumatized only for his failed superhero passion, which nevertheless stemmed from a genuine need to "do good." In this situation, the principal is heartbroken, because in his WORKSPACE, he ruined the students' entire future, because he NEVER asserted himself and NEVER demonstrated dignity. His akumatization would have played a central role in the story, where he, once again in his Dark Owl guise, would have attempted to right his wrongs, forcing the mayor (with Lila and Chloé hostage) to change things. This alone should have been the seed that would allow André's future rebellion against his wife and spoiled daughter to SURFACE, because the Dark Owl WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT here. Damocles couldn't have the strength to resist to the mega akuma in that situation, and that scene where Cat Noir, risking his very identity to cheer on the students (a Power of Friendship thing, which was completely out of place), makes no sense whatsoever!
Once de-akumed, Lila would have disappeared from the scene anyway, and the episode could have ended there, for better or worse. Obviously, for running time reasons, they should have cut some things, but for me, it was a WASTE of choice, not giving the principal proper character development. He's now left with only the reputation of a weak principal, whose only akumatizations were for genuinely good but purely childish (and mostly contradictory) needs. Tell me, if you want, what do you think, if you've made it this far!
Posted Aug 4, 2025, 11:19 AM UTC