It's not us! It's the Sapotis!
"Sapotis. I am Hawk Moth. Your big sister's telling you what to do? Well, I'll let you be as mischievous as you want! [...] From now on, no-one will ever be able to punish you... because it will always be another Sapoti's fault! All you have to do is to take Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, and give them to your good friend Hawk Moth."
— Hawk Moth
When Hawk Moth's latest multiplying villain proves too much for Ladybug and Cat Noir, Ladybug decides to enlist some help.
Tropes:
- Continuity Nod:
- Alya mentions Ladybug's identity being 5000 years-old.
- Théo is once again seen driving a rickshaw.
- Upon transforming into Rena Rouge, Alya immediately asks why she looks like Lila when she was akumatized.
- Deadline News: Downplayed, but Sapotis clones attack Nadja Chamack while she's reporting. It's unlikely that she was hurt considering they're not particularly strong.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: There are four Miraculous pieces underneath the four drawers facing cardinal, meaning that there are twelve Miraculous pieces introduced in this episode rather than eight.
- Hypocrite: Hawk Moth's "akuma victim detected" speech of the episode has him mocking typical things that strict parents say, and claiming that kids should be allowed to do whatever they want. Meanwhile, he himself is an extremely strict father, micromanages every facet of his own son's life, and doesn't even allow him to leave the house except for school and photo shoots (and school was only added to that list very recently).
- I Gave My Word: Alya promises to return the Fox Miraculous to Ladybug once the threat is resolved and although she initially begs Ladybug to let her keep it—with Trixx even encouraging her to hold onto it—she ultimately relinquishes the necklace, honoring her word.
- Internal Reveal:
- Hawk Moth finds out that there are more Miraculouses in Paris, and begins to suspect that a guardian is hiding in the city.
- Alya learns about the kwami and deduces that Ladybug and Cat Noir must be similarly empowered.
- Jumped at the Call: Alya is more than eager to become a superhero when Ladybug gives her the chance.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: In Alya and Marinette's talk, the former says that if she knew Ladybug's civilian identity, she would be more than happy to help her come with an alibi for when she transforms. Marinette quietly agrees, saying that friends shouldn't lie to each other...
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted, as for once, Marinette and Alya aren't wearing their usual outfits.
- Mythology Gag: One of the movies that Alya and Marinette consider watching appears to be a Ladybug anime, with Ladybug resembling the PV version.
- Needle in a Stack of Needles: The heroes spend most of the episode trying to find the real Sapotis' akuma—located in their hat—amongst the innumerable mass of duplicates. The solution to the problem is similar to how they dealt with it in "Simon Says": they gather the hats up into a trash bin and destroy them all at once with Cataclysm.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Alya is reluctant to return her Miraculous after getting to be a superhero, and Ladybug's timer is running out so she can't keep pressing the issue, merely trusting Alya to honor her word. When Trixx mentions trustworthiness as one of Alya's qualities, Alya returns the Miraculous without trying to discover Ladybug's identity.
- Pajama-Clad Hero: Since the episode starts with Marinette and Alya having a sleepover, the two spend most of the episode in their pajamas.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Marinette, naturally, has to pretend that she doesn't know that Alya is Rena in order to preserve her own secret identity.
- Shout-Out:
- The Sapotis duplicate whenever they eat and they're extremely mischievous.
- Since it's impossible to tell which hat contains the akuma, Cat Noir asks if that means they Gotta Catch Them All.
- Sibling Team: Sapotis, the first case of akumatizing two characters with one akuma.
- Superpowers For A Day: Ladybug offers the Fox Miraculous to Alya, but on the condition, she returns it after the battle is over. Master Fu is hesitant to have the Miraculous in use at all, and fears what might happen if he allows too many to be active at once.
- Wham Episode:
- This is the first time where Ladybug is allowed to lend a Miraculous to another person to help save the day.
- Master Fu reveals that there's more than seven Miraculous in his Miracle Box.
- Alya becomes Rena Rouge for the very first time.
- What You Are in the Dark: Alya contemplates keeping the Fox Miraculous for herself, but in the end, she honors her word and gives it back.
