Welcome everyone, to another week of SpyXFamily! This week is the true conclusion and epilogue to the 3-part opening terrorist arc, and you know what? They did a pretty damn good job wrapping everything up. From the scary terrorists to Anya wanting a dog, there’s even a neat little bow on top. So without further ado, lets dive in and talk about it!
Starting off, this episode was a bit weaker on the production side than the previous one. Part of that has to do with how little action there was, which to be clear is totally fine. This wasn’t an episode that needed action, instead leaning heavily on it’s character interaction and, day I say it, narrative to carry it through. However the action that was there, such as Yor kicking a car as well as Loid’s shootout with the dog, just didn’t live up to last episodes hype. Ultimately this isn’t a huge deal, SpyXFamily nailed all of the important bits. But it would be remiss of me to not mention dip in what is most likely going to be one of the best overall produced shows of the season. Enough with the nitpicking production details however, how was the rest of the episode?
After last episodes big climax there really wasn’t much left but to wrap up the arc’s smaller threads. Catching the leader, Anya getting her dog, everyone reuniting, plus a small epilogue. Of those, I think I enjoyed the reunion the most though, primarily due to the Handler, Sylvia, of all people. The way she handled the dog, Anya abusing her knowledge of their mission and blackmailing them, and especially her own memory of having “had” a child Anya’s age. And it’s really these small hints that sell these scenes for me. Behind every moment of lighthearted happiness, SpyXFamily adds a bit of bitter reality. There’s only so bright and happy you can go before the audience starts to get diabetes, so by adding these smaller, darker throwaway lines, SpyXFamily makes the bright feel brighter in comparison, and the darks darker despite how small they are. Personally, I think it’s great.
This isn’t the only time we see it either! In the second half, as they are taking Anya and Bond, the dog, to the dog park, we also get a peek into Loid’s head. His words about taking care of Bond, how its a lifelong commitment, triggering his own moment of personal crisis. Reminding him that this family, this “lifeline commitment”, is anything but lifelong. It’s a fake. One he created for a mission, and one he will inevitably have to end, hurting both Yor and Anya when he does. Rather than reminding us that this will end however, what it does is shed a light on Loid’s growing love and care for his family. How it’s quickly becoming more than a mission, and instead the very thing he’s always wanted but never thought he would have. Suffice to say, I absolutely love these poignant moments of Loid’s. So engaging.
Meanwhile in 2nd place for “Things I like”, we have Anya, who is just… cute. That’s it. She’s cute. But it’s a kind of cuteness that only works because SpyXFamily is dedicated to portraying her as a young child. A teenager pulling these exaggerated reactions or being an airheaded dunce, like in most anime, is usually just insufferable. But something about Anya being a child makes it much more understandable and entertaining. Like you can actually buy that she would see failing to become Damian’s friend as the end of the world, or that she wouldn’t understand how to properly care for a dog, or even that she would willingly eat dog food. Because of her age, her exaggerated reactions become funny rather than just off putting. So it’s always a treat when she appears to do something fun.
Finally we need to talk about the dog, Bond. Bond is really sort of a package deal with Anya. He can’t interact meaningfully with any of the adult characters, because to them he is nothing more than, well… a dog. With Anya however, she views him like any other “person”, or “character”. Part of this is due to her ability to read minds and meaningfully communicate with him like no one else can, but she’s also 6, or 4 depending on which age you go by it really doesn’t matter, so she has that childlike wonder. What I’m saying is, I wouldn’t expect Bond to ever get his own solo-story like Loid or, dear god I pray, Yor. Maybe a one-off episode, a “day in the life”, sort of thing. But nothing on the level of Loid’s terrorists or Anya’s star.
So yeah, all in all I think this was another good episode of SpyXFamily. It’s balancing the levity and fun comedy with just enough of the serious war/spy drama to keep it from being bland. Because on their own, neither side is engaging enough to really be worth your time. The comedy is a lot of the same jokes, while the spy drama will suffer from never truly being allowed to change the status quo. Together though, they can hop between each other whenever one starts to get a bit dull, thus renewing audience engagement. The point is: SpyXFamily did a good job this week. Hopefully it’s able to keep this up going forward as we continue on to the 2nd cour proper!
