Intermission
- Tales of Marinette the Bee
Marinette's holding a study sleepover for all the girls in their class. At Caline's insistence, she had invited Chloé as well, which Rose praises her for; Marinette remarks that it was nicer of Chloé to rip up the invitation rather than actually accepting it and forcing them all to endure her company. Alya then complains about her inviting Lila, too, prompting Marinette to defend the other girl: she's five times cooler than Chloé, and it's not right for her to exclude anyone. Lila agrees, sidling up behind Marinette and hugging her arm while smirking at the fuming Alya.
Since the girls are all getting together, Kim suggests that the guys should hang out as well. As they bounce ideas around, Adrien notes that he's never been to an arcade before, so they decided to head there—and win all the Marigold merch they can for him, causing Adrien to blush and protest.
Sadly, Ondine and Kagami weren't able to attend Marinette's sleepover due to scheduling conflicts; Kagami remarks that this is likely just as well, since she doesn't want her Control Freak mother learning that she has friends other than Adrien. While passing by the arcade, Ondine recognizes Kim, Max, and Nino over by one of the claw machines and decides this is a prime opportunity to introduce Kagami to everyone. Upon learning that they're from the same fencing club, Kim slyly asks Adrien, "So do you know each other, or do you know each other?" Adrien assures him that they're just friends, spurring Kagami to protest that she thought they were good friends. Adrien sincerely apologizes for the misunderstanding, gazing deeply into her eyes while Nino notes that they're giving off the wrong impression.
Nino proudly presents Adrien with a couple of Marigold plushies. Kagami stealthily claims one for herself while Adrien insists that his best friend doesn't have to do this since he doesn't have a crush on Marigold. Nino wonders just whom he wrote the poem for, then; Ivan, Ondine, and Kagami all agree that it must have been Marinette... much to Kim's dismay, given how he, Nathaniel, and Max have been hard at work gathering up all the Marigold merch they could get their hands on. Does that mean Adrien doesn't even want it...?
Reluctant to let all their efforts go to waste, Adrien accepts the prizes, meaning both of his arms are full as his bodyguard arrives to pick him up. Nino apologizes for not realizing whom he was actually crushing on, promising to step up his game. After getting into the limo, Adrien offers his bodyguard one of his prizes: a figurine of Marigold proudly brandishing her trompo. The Gorilla accepts it with a smile.
Back at the manor, Nathalie informs Gabriel that his son is on his way home, helping herself to one of Nooroo's grapes. Nooroo remarks that it was kind for his master to let Adrien go out, but Gabriel scoffs—he only allowed it since Adrien might have retaliated otherwise, perhaps even by wearing crocs. Nathalie notes that Adrien has grown more rebellious since he started attending public school; Gabriel agrees but points out that it gets him out of the house, lowering the risk of him wandering around the manor and stumbling across evidence of their plans.
Then Adrien arrives, showing off the massive amount of Marigold merch his friends got for him and asking if they want anything. After he heads back to his room, Gabriel sighs at the prospect of his son fanboying over one of his enemies. Nathalie notes that it could be worse; at least he admires the clever Marigold rather than their incompetent "leader," Scarlet Lady. Gabriel pounds the table while insisting that the Ladybug heroine is not incompetent and is in fact the wiliest and slipperist of the lot. Nathalie agrees to placate her boss but silently notes that he has to believe that—after all, the alternative is admitting that he's been losing to an idiot.
Back at the Dupain-Chengs, Marinette declares that they're done studying, excusing herself to go charge her phone while her guests change into their PJs. She also takes the opportunity to check on Pollen, making sure that she's got everything she needs; after all, she's got to stay hidden from their guests. Pollen thanks her queen for her hospitality before settling into a doll bed to watch videos on Marinette's cell phone while it charges. Marinette tells her that she'll see her for patrol later as Pollen wonders if all this pampering means that she's the queen.
Meanwhile, Alya asks Alix why she spends so much time hanging out with Lila and Sabrina, given how girly they are. Alix retorts that while they enjoy shopping and dressing up, they're also fun to hang out with. Besides, the three of them have more in common than Alya knows; she then shows Alya a picture from a trip to the roller rink, showing Sabrina is working through some rage during a roller derby game while Lila cheers her on from the sidelines.
As Juleka works on Mylène's makeup, the latter notes that she never got to hear how Juleka and Rose got together. Rose laughs that it took a while for them to get on the same page; Juleka constantly second-guessed their relationship, thinking that Rose was asking her on dates "as a friend"—including when Rose declared, "I love you Juleka," and kissed her.
Juleka then asks if there's anyone Marinette likes; she admits that there is, but she doesn't think that she should go for it. After all, he's a busy guy with an erratic schedule, and she's been getting busier herself. It simply wouldn't be fair to try getting together under those circumstances. Juleka reminds her that she's got other options right before Luka arrives to deliver their pizza.
As Juleka casually introduces her brother to the others, Lila asks whether he's older or younger than Juleka. Luka replies that he's older but refuses to clarify how much older. Marinette pays him, and he pays her a compliment in return before getting brained by a pillow as Juleka declares that it's "time for dumb boys to get out!"
Sabrina finds Marinette's stash of handmade plushies and toys based off of the various heroes and akumas. Marinette explains that she made them for when she babysits—while merchandise is easier to find now, Scarlet Lady only works with the most expensive brands. Alya defends this: surely Scarlet Lady deserves royalties for all her hard work, right? But Lila scoffs in return, "Royalties for what, sitting on her butt while being a glory hound?"
Alya staunchly insists that Scarlet Lady's obviously the best of the heroes while Juleka and Sabrina take a more neutral stance, with the latter pointing out that all the heroes work hard to keep them safe. But Marinette agrees with Lila and Alix that Scarlet Lady is the worst, much to Alya's dismay.
Sabrina notes that she never understood why Chloé took such a shine to Scarlet Lady. While Sabrina's never seen them together, Chloé staunchly insists that she and the Ladybug heroine are best friends, leaving Sabrina to wonder if that played a role in Chloé ditching her so often. Lila muses that there might actually be some truth to her claims, given how Scarlet Lady's never gone out of her way to humiliate Chloé like she did Lila when the latter claimed they were friends. The girls consider this for a moment before laughing it off—it's more likely that Chloé just assumes they're BFFs, right?
After everyone else has fallen asleep, Marinette tiptoes past her guests and heads back upstairs to retrieve Pollen. It's time for Marigold to head out on patrol. Chat Noir thanks her for her willingness to join him; Scarlet Lady refused to even consider such things, and with Marigold's help, he feels like he's finally been able to relax a little more.
He also gives her the springy antennae Kim won for him, noting that her popularity's on the rise. She laughs, wondering if she should look for a pair of matching ears, and the two chat merrily for a while before the subject switches to the matter of Scarlet Lady. Given how Master Fu says she wasn't meant to have the earrings, Marigold wonders whether they should do anything about that. Chat Noir notes that while Scarlet Lady puts in the bare minimum effort required to pass herself off as Paris's savior, he doesn't know how she'd handle it if they ever get close to defeating Hawk Moth. She's in it for the glory above all else, and he doubts that she'll give up her Miraculous willingly.
So what about Tikki? Chat Noir points out that if it were as simple as grabbing their Miraculous and leaving, Nooroo would've likely escaped from Hawk Moth himself ages ago. On top of that, Plagg's told him that Tikki is the sort who prioritizes her duty over all else. As long as Nooroo's in danger, she'll put up with anything for the sake of saving him. Marigold can only lament the unfairness of it all while Chat Noir falls silent, lost in his own thoughts.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: While mostly a relaxing episode, it ends on a downbeat note as Marigold and Chat Noir quietly reflect upon the cruelty of Tikki's circumstances.
- Breather Episode: There's no akuma involved in this intermission; the focus is entirely on friends and coworkers hanging out and chatting about various subjects.
- Commonality Connection:
- It's implied that part of the reason Nathalie prefers Marigold is because she recognizes her as a fellow Hypercompetent Sidekick.
- Alix defends her friendships with Lila and Sabrina by revealing that they're both sportier than they look, showing Alya a picture of the two from a roller derby game.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Gabriel complains about the irony of his son admiring one of his adversaries, getting into a minor argument with Nathalie over her comparison of Marigold and Scarlet Lady. Both ignore his other opponent, Chat Noir... aka, his son's heroic alter ego.
- Marigold and Chat Noir discuss the inherent unfairness of how Scarlet Lady treats Tikki, both blissfully unaware that Marinette was meant to have the Ladybug earrings before they were stolen from her.
- Everyone Can See It: Downplayed; while Ivan, Ondine, and Kagami effortlessly surmise that Adrien's poem was meant for Marinette, Nino and Kim are completely caught off-guard.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Juleka pointedly reminds Marinette that she's got "other options" for potential romantic prospects right before Luka arrives to deliver their pizza.
- Friend of Masked Self: Sabrina brings up how Chloé claims to be close to Scarlet Lady despite how nobody has seen them directly interacting.
- Funny Background Event:
- When Nino presents Adrien with the Marigold plushies he managed to snag, Kagami is shown Crush Blushing over the cute dolls and taking one for herself.
- After Adrien returns and asks Gabriel and Nathalie if they want any of the Marigold swag his friends scored for him, Nathalie can subsequently be seen playing with a trompo.
- The strip after Marinette declares Scarlet Lady is the worst, Alya can be seen pulling on Marinette's cheeks.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Alix reveals that this applies to both Sabrina and Lila.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Sabrina wonders if Chloé's supposed "friendship" with Scarlet Lady has anything to do with their estrangement. She's correct that Scarlet Lady is responsible, but doesn't know that it's because Chloé is Scarlet Lady.
- Rule of Symbolism: While discussing Scarlet Lady, the girls play with the various dolls Marinette made of the heroes and akumas with several meaningful selections:
- Team Scarlet Lady is made up of Alya, Rose, and Mylène, who hold the plushies of Lady Wifi, Reflekta, and Stoneheart—Alya's own akuma and those of Rose and Mylène's respective partners. All three akumatizations were triggered by Chloé, the very same person that they're unknowingly defending.
- Team Heroes consists of Juleka and Sabrina. Juleka plays with Maotif, the hero who saved her from her akumatization into Reflekta, while Sabrina holds Rogercop and Vanisher. Again, all three akumas were directly caused by Chloé, with other heroes being responsible for their defeat—in fact, both Juleka and Sabrina were saved from their respective akumatizations by Marinette wielding a Miraculous.
- While pointing out how Scarlet Lady has never targeted Chloé for claiming that they're best friends, Lila picks up Volpina, the result of her Humiliation Conga.
- Villain Respect: Played With; Nathalie admires Marigold for being clever and inventive, praising her for being smarter than Scarlet Lady. Gabriel stubbornly defends Scarlet Lady's intelligence, with Nathalie silently noting that he has to give her credit that is possibly undue unless he wants to admit that he's being outplayed by an idiot.
