Episode 32
- Sapotis - Tales of the Césaire Twins
It's all hands on deck at the Césaires; Alya, Nino, Marinette, and Adrien are all hanging out, babysitting Ella and Etta along with Nino's little brother Chris. As Marinette reassures Mme. Césaire that the twins are almost in bed, Alya declares that they've had enough mischief for today and need their rest if they're going to enjoy the amusement park tomorrow. The twins protest, wondering why Chris gets to stay up; upon hearing that he gets an extra hour due to being a year older than them, they swear, "The Sapotis are gonna get you, Chris!"
While she's busy putting the girls to bed, Nino thanks their friends for their help, admitting that Alya really needed the distraction. When Adrien asks what's wrong, Nino reminds him of how Scarlet Lady acted when Despair Bear attacked Chloé's party. Though Nino already knew that the Nominal Heroine was a bossy show-off, Alya was caught off guard by seeing her selfishness in action. Marinette and Adrien both wonder why they didn't pick up on that themselves, not realizing they're both used to dealing with Scarlet Lady at her worst.
When Alya returns, Marinette asks her what the twins were talking about. Alya explains that the Sapotis are legendary Creole monsters that specialize in playing pranks and getting into mischief. She then swiftly changes the subject, pointing out that the Ladybug earrings have existed since ancient Egypt. Since there's no way Scarlet Lady is that old, that must mean the Miraculous have changed hands plenty of times, so maybe the Scarlet Lady at the party wasn't—
Marinette cuts her off, able to see where this is going. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, and it's not going to help her bestie cope with what she's learned.
Also not helping: Ella and Etta keep sneaking out of bed, repeatedly insisting that it's the Sapotis who are doing everything. Alya warns that if they keep it up, they won't get to go to the amusement park. Yet the twins push their luck, getting their hands on the TV remote and playing with it, still claiming the Sapotis are to blame. Alya follows through with her threat, declaring that only the boys will get to go out tomorrow while the twins will be stuck at home with her.
Hawk Moth expresses his "sympathy" for the twins, declaring that young children should be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want. This triggers a violent sneeze from Adrien, the son who's been kept on a tight leash all his life, courtesy of Gabriel.
Chris apologizes; he didn't want to get the girls in trouble. Alya and Nino reassure him that they'll get to go some other time when they're not being punished for acting out. However, they are interrupted by a loud crash from the twins' bedroom. Alya barges in, warning them not to try telling her that it's the Sapotis again... only to find her little sisters have been akumatized! Taking their chance to escape, the Sapotis gobble up Adrien's cookies, allowing themselves to multiply, then accuse him of being a tattletale and make off with him. Nino and Alya pursue them while Adrien and Marinette duck into different alleyways to transform.
The Sapotis wreak havoc across the city, unintentionally getting Chloé involved when they crash her "me time" at the hotel spa. Tracking down her "lackies," Scarlet demands to know why they haven't cleaned up the mess yet. Both explain that the akuma is in the original Sapotis' hat. While she wonders how the pair know this, she swiftly drops the subject, summoning her Lucky Charm and creating a spotted teapot. Chat Noir and Marigold recognize what this means, with Marigold knowingly telling Chat Noir that he needs to go work on his kung-fu. Cluelessly, Scarlet Lady asks if they're flirting with each other, which they deny.
When he explains what happened to the Guardian, Master Fu suggests that the Lucky Charm was implying they'll need to bring another Miraculous into play for this fight. He warns Adrien that he must entrust this power to somebody who will return the Miraculous afterwards; when Adrien declares he knows just the person, Fu asks if he means Marinette, which Adrien denies.
Nino's arguing with several Sapotis, demanding to know where they took Chris. Chat Noir arrives and sends the akumas flying; Nino pleads with the hero to save his little brother but is taken aback when Chat Noir addresses him by his full name, asking if he'd like to save Chris himself. Trixx appears, and Nino questions if the little fox is some kind of genie; Chat Noir laughs, declaring that's what he said his first time, too. Trixx insists that he's way better than any genie, as he can make Nino a hero so long as he says "Trixx, let's pounce!"
Marigold and Scarlet Lady are on the verge of being overwhelmed by a swarm of Sapotis when Chat Noir arrives alongside backup—which Scarlet Lady immediately mistakes for another Volpina, forcing Marigold to hold her back and remind her that they're already dealing with an akuma. The Ladybug heroine then dismissively tells Fox Trot, "Don't forget who's in charge here, got it?" only to fume when he retorts that he'll take his cues from the established heroes of Paris: Chat Noir and Marigold.
There's hundreds of Sapotis swarming around by now. Not seeing any other options, Scarlet Lady summons another Lucky Charm; this one creates a unicycle, and Marigold immediately shows the others a list she made of other things she'll need to make her plan work. As they gather the materials, Fox Trot wonders if saving Paris is always this complicated while Chat Noir and Marigold playfully banter with each other.
Once they're ready, Marigold announces the opening of Sapotiland, an amusement park where all pranks are allowed. Fox Trot creates a massive Mirage to lure all the little akumas in; once he spots his little brother being carried along by the swarm, he leaps down to save him. Chris is immediately starstruck by the new hero.
Inside the Mirage, all of the Sapotis pass through a narrow hallway with the Lucky Charm-created contraption spinning overhead, snatching all their hats right off their heads. These hats are all collected into a trash can that Chat Noir Cataclysms, inviting Chris to help him break it.
Upon being cured, the twins wonder where they are and what happened to them. Alya comes charging towards them, and both fear her wrath... only for her to scoop them up in her arms, grateful to have finally found them (and swearing to kill Hawk Moth). Marigold and Scarlet Lady arrive, and Alya asks them if they've seen Chris; Marigold reassures them that Chris has been found and is already on his way home, offering the twins a superhero escort. Scarlet Lady declares she has to leave, as she'll be very missed otherwise, only to be left yelling after them when Marigold dismissively states she didn't expect anything from her anyway.
As they're putting the twins to bed, Alya hears a noise in the living room and assumes it's Chat Noir with Chris. To her surprise, she finds herself gaping at a new hero instead. Fox Trot hastily shushes her, not wanting to wake the boy dozing in his arms, so Alya hastily covers her mouth, even as she bursts with questions.
She then whips out her camera, taking pictures of Fox Trot as he puts Chris to bed. However, her initial joy tapers away as she notes, "...Even a temporary hero does more than Scarlet Lady on his first day... What else have I been ignoring?"
Seeing her dissolving into tears, Fox Trot tries reassuring her by revealing that he's also struggled with picking up hints and missing critical details. But now that she knows, she can work on fixing things, right? Alya muses that she could start by talking to past akuma victims or focusing more upon the real heroes... before being interrupted by Fox Trot's Miraculous beeping. Frantically, she helps him hide in her room so he can detransform without revealing his identity; we then see Chat Noir helping Nino and Trixx sneak out while Marigold distracts Alya by asking who she was talking to.
Once they've gotten to safety, Nino hands over the Fox Pendant, thanking Chat Noir for trusting him. Trixx praises Nino's ability to set a scene, getting him to admit that he wants to be a movie director... causing him to have a huge epiphany about how useful Trixx's illusion can be for making films and ask if he can keep the Fox Miraculous for that. Chat Noir vetoes this. Soon afterwards, Marinette rings Alya's doorbell, happily tackling her friend. Nino comes in right behind her, and Adrien's quick to follow, sending them all tumbling to the floor.
The next morning, Marlena asks the kids how their night was. As Alya launches into her recap, Nino asks Adrien what he wants on his pancakes. Adrien thinks to himself that although his friend claims to be unobservant, he doesn't actually tell Nino anything, and resolves to start changing that, starting with the simple fact that he likes blueberries.
Ella and Etta trudge to the table, apologizing to Chris for what happened and telling him to have fun at the amusement park. Chris declares that he's got other plans for the day—he's helping Alya with the Ladyblog by telling her all about Fox Trot, though he reassures his brother that he's still the coolest. While Nino covers his face and blushes, Chris informs Marinette that he wants a set of Fox Trot-themed PJs, to which she replies, "If you say please."
This episode contains examples of:
- Asshole Victim: The Sapotis ruin Chloé's relaxing soak in the hotel spa with their vandalism and even throw mud in her face.
- Big Brother Instinct/Big Sister Instinct: Both Alya and Nino have this Berserk Button pushed when Hawk Moth akumatizes Ella and Etta, who subsequently kidnap Chris.
- Broken Pedestal: Alya continues to grapple with how Scarlet Lady damaged her own pedestal at the party, briefly falling into denial. After meeting Fox Trot, she forces herself to face the idea that he contributed more to fighting the Sapotis than her former idol.
- Broken Tears: Alya breaks down crying as she finally acknowledges that Scarlet Lady is not worth the praise she's been heaping on the heroine for months.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Lampshaded; after Nino explains to them that Alya's dealing with the disappointment of learning that Scarlet Lady, the alleged heroine of Paris, is really just a bossy show-off, Marinette and Adrien wonder why they didn't notice while a narration box points out both have grown numb to Scarlet Lady's antics.
- Dramatic Irony: Chris quickly becomes a huge Fox Trot fan while reassuring his older brother Nino that the latter is still the coolest. Unbeknownst to him, Nino is Fox Trot.
- Driven by Envy: Part of the reason why the twins act up so much is because they're envious of how Chris, who's only a year older than them, gets to stay up for an extra hour. This only gets worse when they ignore Alya's threats and are told that they won't get to go to the amusement park anymore, unlike Chris, who will still get to go with the other boys.
- Hypocritical Humor: As Hawk Moth pretends to sympathize with the twins' plight, claiming that children should be allowed to do whatever they want, whenever they want, Adrien is shown sneezing.Caption: "Someone must be talking a lot of bullshit somewhere."
Tagline: Really wish Nathalie was recording all of Hawkmoth's little speeches to play back at him so he can hear what a hypocrite he is - I Reject Your Reality: Alya briefly falls into this at the beginning, grasping at straws to avoid admitting that she completely misjudged Scarlet Lady. By the end of the episode, she breaks out of this and admits she was mistaken.
- Implausible Deniability: Even when Ella and Etta are caught red-handed playing with the TV remote, they still insist it was the Sapotis and not themselves who are responsible.
- It's All My Fault: After the twins get punished, Chris blames himself, tearfully telling Nino that he never meant to get them in trouble. Nino and Alya reassure him that he isn't responsible for Ella and Etta acting up and that they'll get to go some other time.
- Legacy Character: Discussed when Alya, who's still in denial about Scarlet Lady's true nature, notes that the Ladybug has existed since ancient Egypt, so the Ladybug heroine at the party might've been someone else.
- Manipulative Bastard: It's highlighted how Hawk Moth tells his victims whatever they want to hear in order to get what he wants from them.
- Me's a Crowd: Eating anything enables the Sapotis to split into more and more copies of themselves. By the climax, there's hundreds of the little gremlins running around.
- Misplaced Retribution: Ella and Etta blame Chris for getting them in trouble by "tattling" when all he did was point out a couple signs of Ella and Etta's pranks, with the twins subsequently outing themselves by saying it was the Sapotis and getting punished by Alya for it, which Chris never even intended. This leads to the two kidnapping him after they're akumatized.
- Mundane Utility: Nino realizes that the Fox's illusionary powers would be incredibly useful for making movies and asks if he can keep the pendant for that purpose. Chat Noir vetoes that idea.
- Mythology Gag: During a discussion about what they'd call themselves if they became a Ladybug hero, Alya rattles off several of the names she came up with during her canon stint as Scarabella while Nino asks, "Can I be a beetle instead?" referencing Adrien calling himself "Mr. Beetle" when he uses the earrings in the show.
- Never My Fault: The twins repeatedly blame the Sapotis for their own antics, to the point that it's practically their Catchphrase. They also get mad at Chris for allegedly tattling on them, even though he didn't really do much beyond pointing out a couple rather obvious signs of their mischief (which they made pretty much no effort in hiding and likely wanted others to notice), with the teens figuring out on their own that it was the twins who were responsible.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Both Nino and Trixx use these on Chat Noir while asking for permission to stick together and make movies.
- Saying Too Much: When Scarlet Lady arrives and complains why her "sidekicks" haven't taken care of the Sapotis already, Chat Noir and Marigold snark that the akuma is in the hat of the original, but not the ones belonging to the clones. The Ladybug heroine briefly wonders how they both know that, though she quickly dismisses it and just summons her Lucky Charm.
- Sneeze Cut: When Hawk Moth senses Ella and Etta's unhappiness, he remarks that children should be free to do whatever they like, whenever they like. Cut to Adrien sneezing.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Chris's presence unintentionally causes friction between Alya and the twins, who think it's unfair that he gets to stay up longer than them. Later, him pointing out that something seems to be wrong with the TV leads to Ella and Etta getting caught playing with the remote and told that they won't be going to the amusement park tomorrow as punishment, which causes the twins' akumatization. Chris never intended any of that and even apologetically sobs about getting them into trouble when he never meant to.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Fox Trot cheers Alya up by encouraging her to think of ways she can use her newfound knowledge to help fix thiings rather than dwelling on how she fell for Scarlet Lady's act.
