Sandboy

"" is an episode of Season 2 of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Its world premiere was on September 24, 2018, in Canada for English viewers on Family Channel.

Synopsis
While having to go without Tikki, Marinette must stop a mysterious supervillain from bringing the Parisians' bad dreams to life. Will she manage to transform in time to put an end to this nightmare?

Plot
While watching Cat Noir memes, Marinette notices that Tikki seems upset about something. Tikki explains that it's Nooroo's 3500th birthday and he's spending it all alone. Marinette promises to free him from Hawk Moth one day, but Tikki claims that there may be a faster solution. She explains how whenever a kwami has a birthday, or cycle, the other kwamis are able to communicate to them by gathering inside the Miracle Box. Marinette finds this to be a great idea since they can find out where Hawk Moth is and asks when the kwamis must gather. Tikki explains that it's tonight, which shocks Marinette, as Tikki had not told her this sooner. Tikki explains that it's because Master Fu doesn't want the kwamis to leave their holders' side in case someone is akumatized. Marinette suggests that it's okay as long as the other kwamis are there, but Tikki explains that the communication might not work if she doesn't go, as the more kwamis are present, the better chance of success. She then explains a plan that Plagg came up with where she and him would go inside the Miracle Box with the other kwamis while Wayzz would stand guard and alert the two if anyone is akumatized. Marinette finds this to be a good idea and allows Tikki to go. Tikki grabs a yellow marker from Marinette's room and takes off.

At the Agreste mansion, Nathalie wishes Gabriel a good night. After she's left, Nooroo attempts to leave Gabriel's side but is stopped by his master, who reminds him that he is not allowed more than a few feet away from him or to communicate with anyone else. Nooroo reminds his master that it's his birthday, but Gabriel stands his ground. He proclaims that since Nooroo doesn't seem to understand his rules, he cannot communicate at all. Nooroo attempts to speak, but his mouth is magically sealed. Gabriel soon lifts this rule, claiming that it was "just a joke". Suddenly the Butterfly Miraculous glows, alerting Gabriel that someone in Paris has negative emotions. He goes into his lair, transforms into Hawk Moth, and sends an akuma out. Meanwhile in Adrien's room, Plagg tells Adrien that he's going to sleep but sneaks out, leaving a sock puppet of himself behind.

Plagg meets up with Tikki and asks her what lie she told her holder to sneak out, but Tikki explains that she just told Marinette the truth. Plagg wonders if he should try that and gobbles up a slice of Camembert. Tikki tells Plagg that he should've saved some for the others, but Plagg claims that Tikki's kindness made him hungry. The two kwamis go to Master Fu's massage shop and meet up with Wayzz, who warns them not to wake up a sleeping Master Fu. After Wayzz tells them to wish Nooroo a happy 3500th birthday for him, Tikki and Plagg go inside the Miracle Box. There they meet the other kwamis, who ask the two what they brought for them. Plagg explains that he had brought some cheese but then gave it to "a poor, starving kitten" while Tikki shows them the yellow marker. All the kwamis then start to dance as a way to celebrate Nooroo's birthday. Sass comments on how wise it was of Tikki's and Plagg's owners to allow them to come to the Miracle Box. Plagg nervously agrees, while Tikki attempts to say Marinette's name as she replies. However, she cannot do so due to a spell that prevents kwamis from saying their holders' names in front of others.

Marinette is sleeping in her room but is soon awoken by a zombie-like Adrien who keeps ranting about how much he loves Chloé. Marinette runs up to her balcony and sees Sandboy, a villain who can make people's worst nightmares come true. She attempts to transform into Ladybug but cannot because Tikki is not around. So Marinette sneaks out to Master Fu's place while her father is attacked by a dough that has come to life. Meanwhile, the doors and windows of Adrien's bedroom are turned into cages. Adrien attempts to wake up Plagg but is horrified to find a sock puppet of him instead.

The kwamis all gather in a circle and sing in an attempt to contact Nooroo but have no luck. Plagg suggests that they bring in Wayzz, to which Sass agrees to. Plagg goes out of the Miracle Box and asks Wayzz. At first he refuses since he has to stand guard, but when Plagg points out that it's their only chance of finding Nooroo and Hawk Moth, Wayzz goes along with Plagg. With Wayzz joining them, the kwamis begin to make contact.

Marinette arrives at Master Fu's workshop and sneaks past a sleeping Master Fu. She tries to open the Miracle Box in an attempt to contact Tikki but doesn't know the code. Seeing no other options, she wakes Master Fu up, who becomes haunted by the ghosts of the Order of the Guardians who blame him for their downfall and the loss of two Miraculouses. The nightmare Adrien also breaks in through the door. Master Fu urges Marinette to transform, but she cannot because Tikki is inside the Miracle Box and there is no way to contact the kwamis when they're in there. Meanwhile, Adrien becomes trapped by more and more cage bars. Unable to transform without Plagg, Adrien screams for his father.

Hawk Moth notes that Sandboy is turning Paris into a huge nightmare and yet is puzzled by the absence of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Suddenly, he receives the kwamis' communication. The kwamis are shocked to find that they have contacted Hawk Moth instead of Nooroo. Realizing what they are up to, Hawk Moth declares that he is going to find the kwamis and make them his slaves before attempting to locate them. However, the kwamis cut off the signal before Hawk Moth can pinpoint their exact location. Wayzz realizes that they cannot contact Nooroo because he's powering Hawk Moth, meaning that someone has been akumatized. Tikki, Plagg, and Wayzz quickly rush out of the Miracle Box and to their owners. They find Marinette, Master Fu, and the nightmare Adrien. Aware that the latter is not the real one, Plagg takes off to the Agreste mansion while Tikki and Wayzz go to their owners. Wayzz apologizes to Master Fu about not telling him what they were doing and Tikki helps Marinette transform into Ladybug.

Hawk Moth tells Sandboy that he felt the kwamis' presence somewhere in the right bank of the Seine and orders him to find and capture them. Soon afterwards, Sandboy spots Plagg and attempts to capture him but loses the kwami at the subway station. Plagg meets up with Adrien, who is relieved that he's not a sock and transforms into Cat Noir before using his Cataclysm to free himself from the bars.

Cat Noir sees all the mayhem caused by Sandboy and is soon joined by Ladybug. Cat Noir tells her that tonight was a total nightmare until she showed up, but Ladybug reminds him to stay focused. The duo then spot Sandboy and Ladybug deduces that the akuma is inside his pillow-shaped cloud. They fight Sandboy but have trouble dodging his attacks. So Ladybug calls on her Lucky Charm, but before she receives something, she is hit by Sandboy and loses her powers. Hawk Moth commends Sandboy for a job well done and tells him to take her Miraculous, stating that her nightmare is his dream come true. Before Sandboy can take her Miraculous, Ladybug is saved by Cat Noir, who is then hit by Sandboy, too. Yet despite that, Ladybug notes that he still has his powers. Cat Noir claims that losing them is not his greatest nightmare and soon spots another Ladybug who keeps ranting about how much she hates him. The nightmare Ladybug calls on her Lucky Charm and receives a sword, to which she starts attacking Cat Noir with. Despite this, the duo manage to dodge both Sandboy and the nightmare Ladybug.

The real Ladybug comes up with a plan. She and Cat Noir trick the nightmare Ladybug into hitting her sword against a building rail edge and then use a piece of the sword that chips off to cut open Sandboy's pillow, freeing the akuma. Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix all the damage and then purifies the akuma. Once everything is returned to normal, Ladybug walks over to the boy who was akumatized and asks what happened. He explains how he had watched a scary movie on TV, had a nightmare, and then woke up to find a black butterfly in his room and a man speaking right to his face. Ladybug realizes that Hawk Moth fed off of the negative emotions of a nightmare. Cat Noir also expresses his belief that kids shouldn't be allowed to watch whatever they want on TV. Before he takes off, Ladybug asks him if he really thinks that she is as awful as his nightmare. Cat Noir assures her that that's not the case and takes off.

Some time later, Master Fu appears furious about the incident. Wayzz, Marinette, and Tikki all attempt to take the blame while Plagg agrees that the incident was their faults. Tikki expresses remorse that she let Marinette down, but Marinette assures her that she's not disappointed, earning her a hug from her kwami. Master Fu tells them that next time, they should talk to him instead of sneaking behind his back. After noticing how well Marinette and Tikki get along, Plagg goes back to Adrien and hugs him, thanking the boy for letting him do whatever he wants most of the time. Adrien, understanding what it's like to have restricted freedom, tells Plagg that he doesn't need to sneak away from him. Plagg hugs Adrien again, calling him the best Cat Noir he's ever had before reminding himself not to get too cheesy about the situation.

Meanwhile in his lair, Gabriel tells Nooroo that he hopes he liked his friends' birthday gift, as now he knows that the kwamis are close and numerous. He declares that if he finds them, he'll take their Miraculouses and have unlimited powers in his possession, not caring if he has to fight an army of superheroes to get them. He laughs maliciously before the end card appears.

Major characters

 * Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug
 * Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir
 * Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth
 * Tikki
 * Plagg
 * Nooroo
 * Akuma
 * Boy/Sandboy
 * Wayzz

Minor characters

 * Wang Fu
 * Fluff
 * Xuppu
 * Daizzi
 * Longg
 * Ziggy
 * Trixx (background)
 * Pollen
 * Roarr
 * Mullo
 * Stompp
 * Kaalki
 * Sass
 * Orikko
 * Barkk
 * Nathalie Sancoeur
 * Tom Dupain
 * Roger Raincomprix
 * Emilie Agreste (pictured)
 * Chloé Bourgeois (mentioned)
 * Duusu (mentioned)
 * Order of the Guardians (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Some of the English cast read through a part of this episode at a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018.
 * The script for this episode was later changed when the episode officially premiered in Canada.
 * The French title of this episode is "Le Marchand de Sable".
 * "Le Marchand de Sable" is French for "The Sandman".
 * This episode focuses on the kwamis, and reveals some new information:
 * This episode features Nooroo's birthday in which he turns 3500 cycles.
 * It's one of the few episodes to involve a birthday, following "The Bubbler", "Timebreaker", "The Evillustrator", "Befana", and "Zombizou".
 * Kwamis are revealed to be able to communicate once in every “cycle” with their kind, if they gather in the Miracle Box at a specific time.
 * This "cycle" refers to a kwami's birthday.
 * According to Tikki, a kwami's cycle occurs once every "several hundred of human years".
 * If a kwami is currently powering up its holder's Miraculous, the other kwamis will end up contacting the Miraculous holder instead of said kwami.
 * Kwamis are bound to their Miraculous holder's every command.
 * When a kwami tries to say its holder's name in front of another individual, they will be blocked by a magical spell that prevents them from speaking the name and instead makes bubbles appear from their mouths.
 * Kwamis collect items from the outside world for the Miracle Box.
 * The Snake Kwami is revealed to be named Sass; he is also revealed to be the de-facto leader of the kwamis.
 * The episode reveals some of the characters' nightmares.
 * Marinette's nightmare is Adrien being in love with Chloé.
 * Tom's nightmare is his dough coming to life to eat him.
 * Adrien's nightmare is being trapped and alone.
 * Roger's nightmare is being pursued by the law.
 * Ladybug's nightmare is her losing her superpowers, and rendering her as a useless superhero who can't save the day.
 * Cat Noir's nightmare is Ladybug not reciprocating his feelings for her and her outright announcing her deep hatred for him.
 * Master Fu's nightmare is being reminded of the pressure for losing both the Butterfly Miraculous and the Peacock Miraculous and also causing the Order of the Guardians' destruction.
 * It is revealed that Plagg calls Tikki "Sugar Cube" while Tikki calls Plagg "Stinky Sock".
 * It is revealed that Wang Fu's home is located at the right bank of the Seine.
 * This is the first time an akumatized object's regular form was never shown.
 * This is also the third time where we do not see Hawk Moth directly akumatizing someone, following "Princess Fragrance" and "Antibug". Unlike the first two times, however, there is only one villain in the episode.
 * There is a reference to "The Shining" when nightmare Adrien breaks a hole in the door to Master Fu's room and sticks his head through.
 * This is the first time Lucky Charm fails, and the second time it was interrupted in general, following "Robostus".
 * This is the first time the Miraculous Ladybug is used without Ladybug's Lucky Charm.
 * The Lucky Charm object summoned by the nightmare Ladybug is a more elaborate version of the sword summoned by Antibug's Anti-Charm summon in "Antibug". This version has more spikes near the handle and only has red with black dots. Antibug's sword lacked the spikes and the end of the sword is black.
 * This is the second episode to feature two Ladybugs, the first being "Timebreaker".
 * This is the second time Tikki and Plagg interact with each other onscreen, following "The Dark Owl".
 * This episode has the largest number of kwamis seen and interacting onscreen, breaking the record set by "Syren".
 * Duusu is the only kwami who does not appear in the episode. However, she is indirectly mentioned by Sass.
 * It is revealed that, after receiving the kwamis' signal, Hawk Moth wants to enslave all of the kwamis and not just Plagg and Tikki.
 * All of the kwamis are now aware of the fact that Nooroo's powers are being used for evil.
 * It's revealed that whenever the Butterfly Miraculous senses a negative emotion, it blinks, alerting the holder.
 * Marinette's sleep-talking was a past reference to her exaggerated plans from "Stormy Weather."
 * The way they rolled to evade Sandboy's attack with Cat Noir landing on top of Ladybug is also a past reference to "Stormy Weather", but without the surprised reaction.
 * This is the third episode in which Alya Césaire doesn't make an appearance following "Riposte" and "Reverser".
 * The alternative version of Ladybug's transformation sequence where Marinette wears her pajamas rather than her everyday attire is used again, following its debut in "Sapotis" and "Gorizilla".
 * This is also the third episode where Marinette is wearing her pajamas for the whole episode.
 * This is the fourth time Ladybug was affected by an akumatized villain following "Pixelator", "Frightningale" and "Reverser".
 * This is the third time both Ladybug and Cat Noir were affected by an akumatized villain following "Frightningale" and "Reverser".
 * This is one of the few times the Miraculous Ladybug (superpower) is used before the akuma is purified.
 * The kwamis' dance party is a homage to the 1981's French pop band, Indochine.

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