WARNING: I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there is a chance there could still be spoilers so I recommend you watch the episode first! ⚠

DISCLAIMER: Remember this is all my opinion so I would appreciate that you respect it even if your opinion is totally different to mine, In fact if it is I would like to hear your opinion because I think that everyone should be able to let their voice be heard! 💬

So let us begin!

BRIEF SUMMARY:

Gang Of Secrets...... What an experience this was, this episode was the first in a long time that I was in awe so much happened in this episode!

So, the episode starts right after an akuma battle Ladybug seems a bit distraught, and Chat being chat tries to cheer her up via his flirtatious methods! These methods finally giving us a Ladynoir movie scene!

After that we see Marinette quite upset, depressed even saying how she is finding difficulty in being Ladybug and the guardian, always having to lie and be untruthful to loved ones and friends.... I am very glad that they've continued with her being upset after Truth, acknowledging that she did not want to hold back the truth from Luka but that she HAD to.

Next we see Mari's friends discussing how they've noticed Marinette's decline in her happiness, so they plan to pay her a visit to cheer her up!

They arrive at Mari's house with Marinette still in a distraught state, and ends up pushing her friends out when they almost figure out her secrets, she then states to the kawmis that she had to do it.... Hawkie Time!!! Also I don't understand why Shadow Moth didn't try to take advantage of Marinette's grief to akumatize her... she was multitudes more akumatizable at the moment in comparison to her friends.... I guess it's because of time restrictions and that her being or almost being akumatized/being akumatized was just not the plot they wanted to focus on, which is fine, just a missed opportunity..

So all of Marinette's friends get akumatized in the park and the battle of secrets begins!

Both LB and CN head out to save the day individually, and Chat then calls Ladybug asking what the situation was... She states that a girl Marinette pushed her friends away resulting in them being akumatized. Chat notices that Ladybug is still acting strange and tries to to talk to her but she brushes her off saying she is fine, then saying she is going to try and isolate one of the 5 villains...

So Chat distracts the villains (like always) while Ladybug takes Lady Wifi (Alya) hostage, she tried to convince her to tell where the akuma is, unfortunately with no success... at first.. She then opens up to Wifi saying how everyone has secrets for one reason or another while also stating that she needs the help of Rena Rouge (Alya) after that she begins to give Ladybug's words some thought, Ladybug continues persuading Alya to break free of Shadow Moth's Control. As Alya was struggling on which side to choose while Shadow Moth began to notice her breaking from his control, while both LB and SM fight for her Ladybug states that she needs Alya and in turn Rena Rouge finally giving her enough persuasion to break free from Shadow Moth! And this sequence while a bit fast (but not rushed) was absolutely incredible and I found myself rejoicing when Alya broke free and by severing their akumatization connecting minorly hurting Shadow Moth!

So the fight continues with the assistance of Rena Rouge and her deceptive power! I really enjoyed the fight scenes within this episode, one of the problems I had with Felix was, that the 3 villains in it didn't seem like they were as threatening as in their debuting episode(s). And while they weren't at the same level of threat as their original episode(s) in Gang Of Secrets they did seem like a lot more of a serious danger to the hero's. So, eventually they defeat the villains just barely saving Ladybug from the different villains and LB, CN and RR share a "pound it" and Ladybug seeming to be a bit happier than earlier in the episode! I really liked that her mood slowly shifted a bit through the episode, yet she still wasn't her usual bubbly self..

Then we come to Marinette's room where her and her friends are finishing a small heart to heart pretty much showing that they would always be there for her.... They then leave...

But... Alya stays, she knew that Marinette didn't say everything on her mind, which she states along with the fact that Mari didn't need to say what it was just that she is there for her.... Then Marinette breaks down.... stating how she lies all the time to everyone and that she can't be in a relationship and that her secret too heavy to carry alone.... Alya then says that if it's too heavy for her then they could carry the secret together and that she is Marinette's best friend.....

(MAJOR SPOILERS UP COMING!!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!)

Marinette....

Reponds....

With....

"And I Am Ladybug..."

At this I was stunned, the episode ended and I was absolutely shook, this brings up so many possible story elements and things for the future! And even over 6 months later I am still in shock this heart warming yet also sad moment is one of my favorite in the show, ever!!!!

I am so glad that there is a reveal that isn't erased.... AT LAST!!! :D

ANIMATION:

The animation in this episode was actually pretty nice, not amazing but it was pretty great! There weren't any noticeable animation errors and the lighting was good as well as the character movement and hair! The detailing was pretty great as well with some very nice details that you really need to look to see I think that this episodes animation is quite nice!

VERDICT:

This episode gave intense emotions, heartbreaking revelations and an unexpected twist, even without the reveal at the end this episode would still have been my favorite out of the 3 episodes I'd seen at the time but the reveal at the end just elevates this episode to a whole other level! Before this episode my favorite episode was S3 EP24: Ladybug, but after I watched this one it became an instant favorite!

I really like that we saw Marinette upset with her new role and I do wish we saw more of this after this episode but unfortunately not :/. I also wish we saw SM try to take advantage of Mari's heartache but it isn't a big deal....

The animation was very nicely detailed, had nice movement, lighting and overall just was a treat to look at! This episode was just amazing l never felt emotions from this show that I felt from this episode before this one, it was an absolute incredible experience, especially for Miraculous!

So I'm going to have to give the animation a....

ANIMATION RATING: 8.5/10

And the episode altogether a....

RATING: 9.6/10

CONCLUSION:

This episode had so much to it and was honestly an episode I never expected, I never would've thought that this show would go down this road and take such a step forward, and this early on in a season too!!! At the time I finished this episode I was quite impressed with the first 3 episodes of the season and was ecstatic to continue watching the season, also I need to see what would happen with this stunning new reveal!!!

So what did you think of the episode? Was it Good, Bad? The Best Episode, The Worst?

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments below! 💬