Very naughty. I'm going to have to take your toys away from you.
"Befana. I am Hawk Moth. I'm restoring your matriarchal power as grandmother. You will use these candies to reward the deserving and punish the ungrateful. As for my reward, you will bring me the Miraculous of those pesky little kids, Ladybug and Cat Noir!"
—Hawk Moth
It's Marinette's birthday, and she's sure her friends are planning a surprise party for her. However, her grandmother Gina drops in unexpectedly, gifts Marinette an ill-fitting sweater, candies she hates and takes her on an outing just before her surprise party. When Marinette leaves her to go to her surprise party, Gina is crushed and akumatised into Befana, and set on punishing Marinette for deceiving her.
Tropes:
- Abnormal Ammo: Befana's gun can shoot two different types of candy; black that petrifies her victims, and white that turns them into angel-like fairies.
- An Aesop: As Marinette puts it: "The most important thing about a present is the person who gives it to you."
- Bad Liar: Tom, when he trying to hide that Alya is preparing a surprise party for Marinette. First, he acts like he doesn't remember her and then claims that he hadn't seen her in years.
- A Birthday, Not a Break: It's Marinette's 14th birthday, and her grandmother gets akumatised and crashes her party.
- Bottomless Magazines: Averted; Befana needs to recharge her gun once she runs out of ammo. Played straight with the tin where she keeps the ammunition, which seems to produce an endless supply.
- Call-Back: Adrien gifts Marinette his own handmade lucky charm, and shows he still has the charm Marinette gave him in "Gamer".
- Cool Bike: Gina's transforms into a flying one when she's akumatized.
- Cool Old Lady: Gina is a grandmother who travels the world on her motorcycle.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Tikki doesn't believe Marinette's bits of evidence that her friends are planning a surprise party for her, which are circumstantial bordering on romantic (well, except the cake her parents try to hide from her). Her suspicions turned out to be right on the money anyway.
- Dramatic Irony: Befana wants to turn Marinette into coal, but offers to turn Ladybug into a fairy.
- Etiquette Nazi: Befana demands Hawk Moth suffix his demand for the Miraculous with a please. He runs with it after an awkward moment.
- Gift for an Outgrown Interest: Marinette's grandmothers drop by for her birthday; her presents are a sweater that only would've fit Marinette seven years ago, and candy which she stopped liking around the same time.
- Good Luck Charm: Adrien gives Marinette one, in exchange for the one she gave him back in "Gamer". Tikki also gifts Marinette a magatama
apparently made from the hairs of previous Ladybugs. - Heroic Bystander: All of Marinette's friends jump to her defense when Befana attacks her.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Befana, as Ladybug notices, isn't immune to her own ammunition, so she and Cat trick her into petrifying herself.
- It Runs in the Family: Marinette's parents fist-bump just like she does with Cat Noir; similarly, when they have to make a quick plan, Sabine is the one who comes up with it and Tom follows up like Ladybug and Cat do when facing an akuma.
- Light Is Not Good: Befana's angelic minions fall into this category.
- Lying to Protect Your Feelings: Marinette pretends to love Gina's gifts because she knows her grandmother means well, and she doesn't want to appear ungrateful or hurt her feelings. It goes as well as you would expect.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: In a very misguided way, Befana only turns those who are naughty in coal, those who become her minions are actually rewarded for good behavior.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Marinette's refusal to tell Gina the truth about how she feels about her gifts in order to keep her happy ultimately gets Gina akumatised when she realizes the truth.
- Running Gag: Tom panicking and throwing the birthday cake into the trash bin every time someone enters the bakery.
- Surprise Party: Marinette's friends and parents try to hold a surprise birthday party for her. Emphasis on "try", as they are so clumsy at keeping the preparations a secret she figures out what's going on pretty easily.
- Unwanted Gift Plot: Gina gifts Marinette a sweater several sizes too small, and feeds her candies Marinette hates. Marinette pretends to love them to spare her grandmother's feelings. This, of course, backfires when Gina discovers the truth.
- Villain Song: Befana gets to sing a short one during her Dynamic Entry and when she's attacking citizens.
- Your Favorite: Subverted. Gina gives Marinette a tin of what she thinks is her granddaughter's favorite candy, but actually Marinette can't stand them.
