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Yeah, I think the creators don't really understand who's deserving of sympathy.
I mean, Gabriel is so obsessed with his goal that he's willing to put Adrien in danger. That's not a father deserving of sympathy.
He's so controlling that he's going to pick his son's girlfriend for him. He doesn't deserve sympathy for that.
And they forget that Emilie having been missing for only a year means she couldn't have possibly been the saint mom she was supposed to be.
Adrien never had a party before? Gabriel's a dick, sure, but Emilie was also around most of the time, and she wasn't throwing him a party either.
Adrien's never been to public school or had friends? That sucks! Why didn't Emilie let him do that?
The writers tell us Emilie was a saint, but based on what's actually in the show, she was far from it.
I wonder what change would've you make Gabriel if he was an actual effective sympathetic villain the show seem to think instead of the pathetic display of canon. On the other note, what would've you make to actually have Emilie be this saint like character the show keep saying she is
To start, there'd have to be lines that Gabriel just *wouldn't* cross. No akumas that target his son, for starters, no "Chat Blanc" scenario where he finds out Chat's identity and then beats the shit out of him, and no making ridiculous decisions for Adrien like deciding his girlfriend.
Season 5 Gabriel cannot exist, it was actually inSANE of the writer's to put the worst version of him on display...and then play him off as the hero. Like, wut? WHAT?!
I fully admit that in the earlier seasons, I didn't consider Gabriel an abuser. I considered him a dick, but abuser felt too...top shelf of a word to use, though I also contend that his behavior felt like the starting signs. Mostly I just considered him pathetic and like Kids Tv Exaggerated Version of a Strict Parent.
But Season 5??? Uh, yeah, no discussion, this guy is an abusive dickbag and can burn in hell.
Just make it so the reason Hawkmoth fails as often as he does is because sometimes he holds back. Sometimes he gets close to the line and remembers his wife and just can't make himself do something SO heinous that his wife would be disappointed.
As for ACTUALLY selling the Emilie is a Saint Mom, it's super easy. Just have flashbacks. Where she's interacting with her husband and child and sorta not girlfriend? Like, they revealed these video recordings of Emilie in SEASON 5! It took FIVE SEASONS for us to hear Emilie's voice from Emilie herself! (Amelie doesn't count)
And, uh, maybe as a writer think about what you're implying with the things you include in your story. Like, maybe EITHER have Adrien not ever have a birthday party OR have his mom missing for only a year, so it doesn't seem like Emilie *also* didn't care about his birthday. Just, you know. Little things like that that don't accidentally inform us of her character.