4x16 "Hack-san"

[alexseanchai]

Those of you who are waiting to watch anything chronologically after 4x04 until you can first watch intervening episodes such as 4x05? This is an excellent life choice. 4x17 makes much more sense right after 4x16.

Assume the comments have spoilers for all episodes that have aired in any language.

If you want to discuss anything that hasn't aired yet, please visit the fan_flashworks guidelines to borrow their HTML for screenreader-skippable highlight-to-read sections to hide the unaired spoilers; search the page for "spoilery". In both places that the example code has skip.titleofstory please substitute your username and a number you haven't used yet; like, my first spoiler bar will have skip.alexseanchai01 and my second will have skip.alexseanchai02. (We don't want anybody's browser or screenreader software to lose their place or spoil them more than they want.)

Comments

[alexseanchai]

I'm still annoyed with Nino over the whole "Alya is cheating on me with Chat Noir" jump to conclusions, but if I reluctantly accept that Nino is in fact that sort of ass, then my complaints about him being OOC in "Rocketear" have all just evaporated

so the impending Ladynoir implosion is not because he finds out she told someone else her identity; this is both reassuring and terrifying

and Marinette and Adrien each have a maternal aunt who lives in London and who they only see for family obligation reasons

I notice "laugh at his jokes" is six hundred some-odd micromanagement texts before "make sure to throw the Lucky Charm"

Alya still hasn't entirely processed that Ladybug isn't superhuman, just a terrified teenage girl with cool toys and a mask

she did tell Marinette to talk to Chat Noir, and the very next episode, Ladybug notices Chat Noir is upset and asks him about it, for possibly the first time this season

[soc_puppet]

Interesting to see Prince Ali in Paris again. From a Doylist perspective, I'm sure he was just there to pad out the crowd more visually, but Watsonianly, I'm inclined to headcanon that he's got a polyam date with Rose.

[alexseanchai]

I'm not entirely sure he's ever left Paris, at this point. "Truth" and "Lies" made a point of his celebrating his birthday in Paris, and we saw at some point that he and Rose have definitely done more volunteer work for the children's hospital together, I want to say that was "Guiltrip" but I might be mistaken.

but if he's left then he has certainly come back at least once

[soc_puppet]

Oh, yeah! Forgot about that.

I swear, when this season is over, we need to have an "In Proper Order" watch party or something.

[chanter1944]

I was beginning to think I was being ridiculous for holding off until we're able to watch eps in order and not be spoiled terrifically, but evidently not?

[alexseanchai]

one ML Discord I'm in has said anything in season 4 episodes 10 and further or in unaired episodes is spoilers for purposes of which channel it goes in, but anything in episodes 1 through 4 or 6 through 8 is fair game in the whole server, because the mod team has concluded based on spoilers for unaired episodes and on watching all aired episodes that unaired episode 5 is filler and unaired episode 9 is important. this analysis seems accurate enough to me that I think you could watch 6, 7, and 8 without major issues.

…but yeah, airing "Rocketear" before "Hack-san", when "Rocketear" is chronologically immediately after "Hack-san", did nobody any favors

[chanter1944]

In that case, 6, 7, and 8 are fair game. :D Thanks for the tip!

[alexseanchai]

you still won't be able to read "Administrivia" because season 4 spoilers, mind, but episode 9 is supposedly almost ready. in theory. and 12 airs in English dub tomorrow, so once 9 drops in English you'll be able to watch 9 through 14, and then you can read "Administrivia".

[chanter1944]

I've been holding off reading Administrivia but wishing I didn't have to, because eeeee! I'm eagerly awaiting being able to clickity click the link and finally read it. :D

Come on, ep 9!

[alexseanchai]

be advised that there is a detail I altered for canon compliance with 16, but if 9 airs in English before 15 and 16 do, I can fix it back to how I originally posted it long enough for you to read the story, it's not a load-bearing spoiler

[chanter1944]

Now you've got me wondering!

I've now seen episodes 1-4 and 6-8. Hi Zoé! Oooooh, if I say being confronted with and by the new bee-wielder reeeeeally had to *sting* for Chloé... That feels like too low-hanging of fruit, even as bad puns go, considering the painful context. I rather want to give Pollen, Zoé, and Sabrina a hug each.

Also, <3 <3 <3 Alya|Rena. That is all. <3 <3 <3

And hey, we have confirmation that the A. Bourgeois listed as director in in-canon movie credits was in fact Chloé's father. Is it just me, or is that man showing a few well-hidden or perhaps better termed subjugated depths this season? I find myself actually kinda liking the guy when he's not groveling before Audrey and Chloé.

[alexseanchai]

I think it's sad that he's being a better father to his stepdaughter than his daughter

especially the stepdaughter he probably only just met, and whose mere existence has undoubtedly been a source of strain in his family for years; not that it's Zoe's fault, of course, but I expect Audrey has been framing it as she herself did nothing wrong ever

and of course his being as bad a father to Zoe as to Chloe would be worse

but it's sad

and I wonder who he'd be if he were who he wanted to be

[alexseanchai]

current state of the air schedule is, once episode 9 airs in English on November 20, the English dub will be out for eighteen of the first nineteen episodes. so you will get to have a lovely little marathon and then you will get to read "Administrivia".

and possibly 22 will be out in English by the time you finish that marathon, that's November 27 and we already have episode 21, but probably 20 won't be, we have no air date for it in any language. or for 5 or for 23 through 26. we do finally know what happened to episodes 5 and 9, at least. covid happened to the studio in India that was animating them. 😿