History Recap / ScarletLadyS5E4Sandboy

!!Episode 44 - Sandboy - Tales of ___ the Sleepwaker

* HypocriticalHumor: Back in "Reflekta," Tikki was horrified that Marinette may be becoming a criminal without her influence. Three seasons later, she has no problem with outright stealing Chloé's stuff.

'''Tikki:''' ''[[DeathGlare [=[looming dangerously]=]]]'' '''''Chloé. Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great evil for the sake of your ego?'''''\\

* BrickJoke: Plagg leaves a [[SleepingDummy sock puppet]] in his place to trick Adrien. Upon the Kwami's return, Adrien cries, "Oh thank God you're not a sock anymore, Plagg!"; he thought Plagg had been transformed as part of the nightmare.

** Chloé doesn't even consider the possibility that an akuma's responsible for her being attacked by her belongings. Instead, she's convinced that [[ItsAllAboutMe her stuff got jealous of her]] and came to life to overthrow her.

** When her clothes and makeup start attacking her, Chloé is convinced it's because they're jealous of her and doesn't realize it's due to an akuma until Tikki points it out.

* NotSoInnocentWhistle: Plagg appears to be doing this as he and Tikki awkwardly fly back to their holders after watching Fu deal with his nightmare, admitting to a bunch of {{Bedsheet Ghost}}s that [[NoodleIncident he caused an unspecified accident because he was hungry]].

'''Tikki:''' ''[looming dangerously]'' '''''Chloé. Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great evil for the sake of your ego?'''''\\

* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: Rose has multiple stuffed animals, and her nightmare (in both her civilian and hero identities) is them coming to life and hating her.

-->'''Pollen:''' ''[muttering with BlankWhiteEyes]'' Scold... my Queen? ''[drifting off]]'' Me scold... my Queen. Scold--\\

** During the denouncement, Marinette admits that she didn't consider this point as well when Pollen told her about their intentions, trying to take some of the heat away from the Kwamis. This confuses Pollen, who grapples with the idea that her Queen might have misjudged the situation.

* InternalReveal: Prior to this point, Chloé kept her concerns about what might happen after Hawk Moth's defeat to herself. But when Tikki reveals she was searching for the supervillain, she snaps at her Kwami that she doesn't ''want'' to find him, because dealing with Hawk Moth would mean she wouldn't get to be Scarlet Lady anymore. Tikki is decidedly unimpressed.

Then an apparation in black and red appears. Little Devil taunts Chat Noir, declaring he let his little princess get akumatized before swinging a MASSIVE winged blade down towards Marigold. Chat Noir tackles his partner out of the way, and Marigold hastily reassures him that such a thing will never happen--she'd never allow it!

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The Kwamis hoped their combined powers would help them contact Nooroo and potentially locate Hawk Moth. They didn't consider that if Hawk Moth was transformed, they might accidentally contact ''him'' instead.

* InternalReveal: After previously keeping to herself her concerns about what happens after Hawk Moth is defeated, Chloé tells Tikki outright that she doesn't want to find and stop the supervillain because that would mean she wouldn't get to be Scarlet Lady anymore. Tikki is decidedly unimpressed.

* ToWinWithoutFighting: This is the first akuma who is defeated without anyone having to fight them; instead, Pigella is able to convince Sandboy to destroy his own akumatized object by reminding him of happier memories.

Chloé snaps at Tikki that she doesn't ''want'' her to find Hawk Moth. If that happens, she won't get to be a hero anymore! However, this backfires when a calm but ''absolutely furious'' Tikki glares her down as she asks, "''Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great evil for the sake of your ego?''" Faced with the Kwami's fury, Chloé can only stammer and sweat.

** Rose doesn't hesitate to leap to Marinette's defense against the latter's nightmare version of Chat Noir and has him on the ropes by the time Marigold returns.

** Let’s say Chlo&eacute starts learning that Tikki is more than just a source of power to be misused.

Chloé snaps at Tikki that she doesn't ''want'' her to find Hawk Moth. If that happens, she won't get to be a hero anymore! Tikki glares her down as she asks, "''Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great ego for the sake of your ego?''" Faced with the Kwami's fury, Chloé can only stammer and sweat.

A little boy has just gotten out of the hospital, and a party's being held to mark the occasion. Among the celebrants is Rose, who gives him a special gift: a scented pillow that's meant to help him sleep. (She made sure to get the doctor's approval first.) The boy thanks her, promising to take good care of it.

Meanwhile, Plagg tells Adrien that he's going to bed... while tucking a decoy doll in. Adrien, still at his desk, tells him goodnight, unaware that the cat kwami has other plans. Chloé is already fast asleep; Tikki sneaks past her and out the window, carrying one of Chloé's jewel-studded scrunchies. After escaping, she muses to herself that she hopes Pollen came up with a good cover story. After all, the little bee kwami isn't a very good liar.

...So Pollen didn't even bother. She bids farewell to Marinette, thanking her for giving permission for her to head out that evening. Marinette reminds her to make sure she takes her gift.

Nooroo ''also'' tries to sneak out, but Gabriel isn't having any of it. Though he protests that it's his birthday, Gabriel orders him to stay silent. He senses another powerful emotion, and laughs evilly as he declares that they'll strike yet again tonight.

Plagg greets Tikki, who complains about him calling her "Sugarcube" yet again. She asks where ''his'' gift is, and he spins a sob story about feeding the cheese he brought to a poor, starving kitten. Pollen pops up next, carrying an impressively sized parcel stuffed full of gifts for all the kwami. Such as a tiny pair of headphones for Wayzz, who tells them that he'll be waiting right there in case any akumas show up, and requesting that they wish Nooroo a happy 3500 cycles for him.

The rest of the kwami gather together, eager to combine their powers and contact Nooroo. Pollen reveals that her Queen Marinette made gifts for everyone, and starts handing them out while Sass remarks to Plagg and Tikki that it was good that all their holders allowed them to come. He also asks Tikki if Scarlet Lady will miss her offering; Tikki smirks and mutters that she sure hopes so.

Unbeknownst to all, Sandboy is already hard at work; Marinette, Adrien and Chloé all start having nightmares come to life. Chat Noir visits Marinette, loudly declaring that he's fallen for Scarlet Lady, while Adrien finds himself trapped in a cage... and Chloé is being bombarded by all her shoes and makeup, crying out that she's always been good to them.

Fleeing out onto the streets, Marinette spots Sandboy flying overhead, singing "The Sandboy just checked in~ Now nightmares can begin~" Before she can do anything, however, she hears Rose crying out "''Please come back!''" Unlike everybody else Marinette's seen, she's not running ''away'' from something, but pursuing all of her stuffed animals, who came to life and started fleeing from her.

The fake Chat Noir interrupts, creepily droning "You broke your promise and now I'm in love with Scarleeeeet~" Rose promptly kicks him in the face, ordering him to stay away from Marinette. As she drags him into a BigBallOfViolence, Marinette salutes her violent angel.

Plagg visits Wayzz and pleads with him to join the others -- this could be their only chance of locating Nooroo ''and'' Hawk Moth. As he agrees, Marinette sneaks in and tries to open the Miracle Box, only to realize that she doesn't know the code. So she wakes up Master Fu, causing his nightmare to manifest into reality: a trio of {{Bedsheet Ghost}}s who represent the Order of the Guardians, accusing him of causing their downfall and losing two of the Miraculouses. Fu pleads that it wasn't his fault, to no avail... while Marinette squints at the trio and wonders why he's afraid of "talking handkerchiefs."

Meanwhile, Hawk Moth is getting frustrated. Why haven't the heroes shown up yet?! Suddenly, he gets an unexpected call -- the Kwamis' attempts to contact Nooroo have broken through to ''him'' instead. As he angrily demands to know "''How'd you get on this line?!''", Plagg shouts for everyone to "hang up!"

Wayzz immediately realizes that this means there must be an akuma; Kaalki shouts that he, Tikki, Plagg and Pollen need to get going. The four swiftly arrive back at Master Fu's parlor and see him running away from the bedsheet ghosts, crying that he was just hungry. Marinette asks what that means, and he snaps back that it wasn't intentional while Tikki and Plagg awkwardly fly away.

After transforming, Marigold remarks that this akuma feels like a "special case" that requires a "special case" Miraculous -- but Master Fu pleads with her to use her Bee Balm and get rid of his nightmares first.

Plagg makes it back to the manor; Adrien's relieved to see that he's "not a sock anymore" and transforms. Chloé cries out to her own kwami, insisting that her possessions all got jealous of her and are trying to overthrow her. Tikki replies that it could be an akuma, prompting her holder to tearfully transform.

Rose is still keeping Nightmare Noir at bay; in fact, Marigold arrives and finds her straddling the apparition, painfully bending his legs backwards. At this point, dispatching it with Bee Balm is practically a MercyKill. Marigold then tells Rose that they're going to need some help with this one, asking if she's up to it. Rose... isn't so sure about this, asking if she really wants her to hurt a ''child'', with Marigold hastily reassuring her otherwise.

She then presents her with the Pig Miraculous, and both she and Daizzi gush over how cute the other is before the Kwami teaches her how to transform. They arrive to find Sandboy fuming over how the heroes have gotten rid of his nightmares, insisting that he can just make new ones; he doesn't take Pigella's introduction well, yelling at the heroes to "''STOP IGNORING ME!''"

This plunges all four back into fresh nightmares. Scarlet Lady spots a crowd of angry civilians who boo and insult her, declaring that the other heroes are much cooler. She screams for Marigold to get rid of them, only for the Bee heroine to find that she's powerless--her trompo doesn't seem to be working anymore!

Then an apparation in black and red appears. Little Devil taunts Chat Noir, declaring he let his little princess get akumatized, swinging a MASSIVE winged blade down towards Marigold. Chat Noir tackles her out of the way, and Marigold hastily reassures him that such a thing will never happen--she'd never allow it!

Meanwhile, Pigella nobly defends Scarlet Lady from her own worst nightmare: having her beloved stuffed animals turn against her. Scarlet Lady is unimpressed, as is Sandboy, who shouts about how ''unfair'' it is that she's got such a lame fear. Flying down to confront her, he demands "Don't you have any ''real'' problems?!"

Pigella counters that she ''does'', actually--but if she only ever focused on what could possibly go wrong, she'd never be able to move forward. She'd rather think about all the good things that she's got going on, and insists that there's good thing in ''Sandboy's'' life as well. He just needs a reminder--one she provides by giving him a Gift. Mesmerized by his own memories, Sandboy recalls how happy he was when he got to go home, and how Rose gave him a special present to celebrate his discharge. With tears in his eyes, he rips it apart, releasing the black butterfly as he cries "''I don't want to be scared anymore!''"

Chat Noir marvels at this, while Scarlet Lady scoffs, claiming ''she'' could get victims to reject their akumas as well. Marigold notes that "Not every battle is won by fighting." Pigella asks the boy what happened, and he explains that he had a nightmare after watching a scary movie, before a black butterfly arrived and a weird man started talking to him. Pigella notes that they'll have to make sure the ''weird man'' never bothers him again, while Marigold silently observes that Hawk Moth is ''screwed'' should Pigella ever track him down.

Returning to the parlor with most of the kwami, Marinette joins them in apologizing for the whole fiasco. This confuses Pollen, who remarks that "My Queen said it was okay, and she's never wrong." Marinette gently corrects her, admitting that she hadn't considered the risks of her going off alone, and that it's okay for her to point out when she makes mistakes. Pollen struggles with the concept, with Plagg pointing out that Marinette might have just accidentally blown her mind.

Plagg then makes his way back to Adrien, thanking him for his willingness to let him do things. Adrien replies that the last thing he wants is to restrict his Kwami's freedom, prompting Plagg to declare that he's the best Black Cat he's ever had--something Adrien finds slightly alarming.

Chloé is still up when Tikki returns and archly asks "And where ''were'' you?" Tikki bluntly replies "''Out''." She cuts off Chloé's outraged outburst, declaring that she ''refuses'' to apologize--not only was it none of Chloé's business, they could have potentially determined where Hawk Moth was if not for the akuma.

Chloé snaps at her that she doesn't ''want'' them to find Hawk Moth. If they do that, she won't get to be a hero anymore! Tikki glares her down as she asks "''Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great ego for the sake of your ego?''" Faced with the Kwami's fury, Chloé can only stammer and sweat.

Meanwhile, Gabriel gloats to Nooroo that he hopes the Kwami enjoyed his "birthday present." Thanks to the others attempting to contact him, he now knows how many other Miraculouses are in Paris, and brags about his intention to capture them all and gain unlimited power. As he laughs evilly, Nooroo looks on unimpressed; given his master's failure to obtain any of the Miraculouses he's the most invested in so far, it's clear that he's ''vastly'' overestimating his abilities.

* AdaptationalHairstyleChange: The comic's version of Pigella sports a single curly ponytail with an AnimalEaredHeadband, rather than the tiny twintails the canonical version sports.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The final exchange between Chloé and Tikki has the Kwami manage to make Chloé ''stammer'':
-->'''Chloé:''' ''No!'' I don't ''want you'' to find Hawk Moth! If you do that, ''I'' won't get to be a hero anymo--\\
'''Tikki:''' ''(looming dangerously)'' '''''Chloé. Are you refusing this god's right to stop a great evil for the sake of your ego?'''''\\
'''Chloé:''' ''(shrinking back)'' Um...

-->'''Sandboy:''' How come your nightmare's so weak?! That's cheating! Don't you have any ''real'' problems?!\\
'''Pigella:''' I have '''plenty''' of problems! But if I only focused on what could go wrong, I'd never move forward! I want to think of the good things in my life! Just like I know there are good things in yours! You just need a reminder! '''Gift!'''

-->'''Marinette:''' Your nightmare is talking handkerchiefs?
* BewareTheNiceOnes:
** Rose doesn't hesitate to leap to Marinette's defense against the nightmare version of Chat Noir, and has him on the ropes by the time Marigold returns.

--->'''Marigold:''' ''(thinking)'' Better hope Pigella never finds you, Hawk Moth.
* BigBallOfViolence: Rose drags the nightmarish version of Chat Noir into one in order to defend Marinette.

* BrickJoke: Plagg leaves a sock puppet in his place to trick Adrien. Upon his return, Adrien cries "Oh thank God you're not a sock anymore, Plagg!", revealing that he thought he'd been transformed as part of the nightmare.
* CurbStompBattle: Rose beats the absolute ''crap'' out of Nightmare Noir.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The Kwami hoped their combined powers would help them contact Nooroo and potentially locate Hawk Moth. They didn't consider that if Hawk Moth was transformed, their efforts might accidentally contact ''him'' instead.
* EvilGloating: Gabriel does this twice--first when forcing Nooroo to transform him so that he can akumatize somebody, then later while mocking the Kwamis' attempt to contact their friend.
* FirstPersonSmartass: Nooroo calls Gabriel a flop for thinking he'll be able to steal all the Miraculouses when his record with the two he most wants has been so far a fiasco.

*** Tikki knows that Chloé would never permit her anything, so she sneaks out, stealing one of her diamond ponytail holders as a birthday gift. She is completely unapologetic when caught, making clear that while Chloé may hold power over her, she is still dealing with a tiny '''God''' who is growing tired of dealing with her bullshit.
*** Plagg also sneaks out, leaving behind a sock dummy in his place to trick Adrien. While he doesn't ''directly'' apologize for the deception, he later thanks Adrien for being the best and most permissive Black Cat he's ever had, implying that he's used to more controlling and abusive wielders like Chloé and Gabriel.
*** Pollen tells Marinette outright about their plans for the evening, and Marinette happily permits her to go, even making gifts for all the other Kwami. Her absolute trust in her Queen makes her struggle with the very ''concept'' of questioning or second-guessing her, to the point that she has a HeroicBSOD when Marinette tells her outright that she should.
*** Gabriel is straight-up a smug, abusive ControlFreak who openly delights in the power he holds over Nooroo. Nooroo is forced to keep his [[DeadpanSnarker snarky thoughts]] to himself, but is clearly as unimpressed with his holder as Tikki is with Chloé.
** On another note, Rose and Chloé have very similar fears: having their possessions come to life and attack them. However, Rose's fear stems from her high empathy and sincere love for her plush toys; she fears that her affection might not be returned. Chloé is more concerned with the things she ''owns'' turning against her out of jealousy.
* HeroicBSOD: PlayedForLaughs when Marinette tells Pollen that it's okay for her to speak her mind or criticize her if she thinks her holder is doing something wrong. Pollen struggles to process the concept of speaking out against her ''Queen'', causing her to mentally shut down.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Scarlet Lady insults Pigella for being afraid of her beloved stuffed animals turning upon her, calling it a pathetic fear... while ignoring the fact that her worst nightmare as ''Chloé'' was having her own possessions turn against her.
* HypocriticalHumor: Back in "Reflekta", Tikki was horrified that Marinette may be becoming a criminal without her influence. Three seasons later, she has no problem with outright stealing Chloé's stuff.
* InternalReveal: After previously keeping her concerns about what happens after Hawk Moth private, Chloé tells Tikki outright that she doesn't want to find and stop the supervillain because that would mean she wouldn't get to be Scarlet Lady anymore. Tikki is decidedly unimpressed.
* ItsAllAboutMe: So far as Chloé is concerned, tracking down Hawk Moth would be bad news for ''her'' since that would potentially put an end to her career as Scarlet Lady.
* MathematiciansAnswer: At the end of the episode, when Chloé demands to know where Tikki was, she replies "Out".

* ToWinWithoutFighting: This is the first Akuma that is defeated without having to fight, as Pigella is able to convince Sandboy to destroy his own akumatized object by reminding him of happier memories.

** Chloé fears having her makeup, shoes, jewelry and other possessions turn against her, something she attributes to [[DrivenByEnvy jealousy]]. As Scarlet Lady, meanwhile, she's afraid of public opinion turning against her and being seen as less impressive than the other heroes.
** Adrien fears being locked up and trapped with no chance of escaping, while Chat Noir fears Marinette getting akumatized.
** Marinette is afraid of Chat Noir learning that she broke her promise to stay out of Akuma fights and deciding that he loves Scarlet Lady instead. Marigold, meanwhile, encapsulates her fears of being powerless and unable to protect anyone despite being a superhero, reflecting how traumatized she was by the Zombizou incident.
** Rose is afraid of her beloved collection of plushies and stuffed animals coming to life and deciding they ''hate her''. As Pigella, this fear remains the same, with the only difference being that they start actively attacking her rather than running away.

* WouldntHurtAChild: Rose balks at the prospect of potentially having to hurt an akumatized ''child'', before Marigold reassures her that's not their intention.

Pigella counters that she ''does'', actually--but if she only ever focused on what could possibly go wrong, she'd never be able to move forward. She'd rather think about all the good things that she's got going on, and insists that there's good thing in ''Sandboy's'' life as well. He just needs a reminder--one she provides by giving him a gift. Memerized by his own memories, Sandboy recalls how happy he was when he got to go home, and how Rose gave him a special present to celebrate his discharge. With tears in his eyes, he rips it apart, releasing the black butterfly as he cries "''I don't want to be scared anymore!''"

* {{Foil}}: The Kwamis' subplot is used to highlight the way each of the four primary Miraculous holders treats their respective Kwami, as well as their relationships with each other:
** Tikki knows that Chloé would never permit her anything, so she sneaks out, stealing one of her diamond ponytail holders as a birthday gift. She is completely unapologetic when caught, making clear that while Chloé may hold power over her, she is still dealing with a tiny ''God'' who is growing tired of dealing with her bullshit.
** Plagg also sneaks out, leaving behind a sock dummy in his place to trick Adrien. While he doesn't ''directly'' apologize for the deception, he later thanks Adrien for being the best and most permissive Black Cat he's ever had, implying that he's used to more controlling and abusive wielders like Chloé and Gabriel.
** Pollen tells Marinette outright about their plans for the evening, and Marinette happily permits her to go, even making gifts for all the other Kwami. Her absolute trust in her Queen makes her struggle with the very ''concept'' of questioning or second-guessing her, to the point that she has a HeroicBSOD when Marinette tells her outright that she should.
** Gabriel is straight-up a smug, abusive ControlFreak who openly delights in the power he holds over Nooroo. Nooroo is forced to keep his [[DeadpanSnarker snarky thoughts]] to himself, but is clearly as unimpressed with his holder as Tikki is with Chloé.

** Marinette is afraid of Chat Noir learning that she broke her promise to stay out of akuma fights and deciding that he loves Scarlet Lady instead. Marigold, meanwhile, encapsulates her fears of being powerless and unable to protect anyone despite being a superhero, reflecting how traumatized she was by the Zombizou incident.

** Master Fu fears being confronted by the ghosts of the Order, who accuses him of being responsible for their downfall.

** Tikki knows that Chloé would never permit her anything, so she sneaks out, stealing one of her diamond ponytail holders as a birthday gift. She is completely unapologetic when caught, making clear that while Chloé may hold power over her, she is still dealing with a tiny ''God'' who is growing tired of dealing with her bullshit. This most directly parallels Gabriel's abusive relationship with Nooroo, as he openly exults in the control he wields over the Butterfly Kwami while Nooroo keeps his snarky thoughts to himself... much like Tikki ''used to''.
** Pollen tells Marinette outright about their plans for the evening, and Marinette happily permits her to go, even making gifts for all the other Kwami. This is contrasted to how Plagg and Tikki sneak out; by the end of the episode, Plagg ''indirectly'' apologizes to Adrien and declares that he's the nicest holder he's ever had.

* AdaptationalHairstyleChange: The comic's version of Pigella sports a single curly ponytail with an AnimalEarHeadband, rather than the tiny twintails the canonical version sports.

* {{Foil}}: Rose and Chloé have very similar fears: having their possessions come to life and attack them. However, Rose's fear stems from her high empathy and sincere love for her plush toys; she fears that her affection might not be returned. Chloé is more concerned with the things she ''owns'' turning against her out of jealousy.