Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on Spy x Family, and see what improbable shenanigans our Forgers have been enduring lately. When last we left off, Becky was still caught in the throes of a Berlint in Love-fueled hysteria, but was ultimately forced to concede Yor was a worthy opponent. That leaves the canvas open for any manner of drama, though given the season’s imminent conclusion, I imagine we’re in for some sort of dramatic coda; likely a low-stakes and somewhat reflective episode, tying a bow on the family’s recent growth.
It’s certainly been a productive season for the Forgers! Loid’s development has been apparent in how often his first thoughts are of Anya, rather than the maintenance of his cover, as well as how frequently he has renegotiated his work-life balance. Meanwhile, Yor has finally received some much-needed nuance and texture, with her cruise ship adventure serving as an affirmation of her new values and commitment to the family. Spy x Family will always be most fundamentally a comedy, but these steady flourishes of characterization and sequences of pure familial harmony do an excellent job of weighting its gags with emotional substance, insisting that supporting the people we love is the only way to truly find satisfaction in this world, and that an aspirational mask worn long enough can actually become our personal truth. Let’s see how our weirdos prove their love as we return to Spy x Family!
Episode 37
A recap of our original premise serves as a natural reminder of how far these characters have come. Yor is already more attached to the Forger family than her Thorn Princess persona, Anya has completely accepted Yor and Loid as her parents, and Loid is at this point regularly complicating or even jeopardizing his actual mission in order to make Anya happy
Really the only element of their fabricated family that seems insincere at this point is Loid and Yor being in love. Romance just isn’t an element of Spy x Family; their bond is always framed in terms of being co-parents to Anya, not partners in their own right. And romance frankly doesn’t seem like something Tatsuya Endo is particularly interested in; main players aside, every romantic overture is here played as farce, whether presented through Franky, Becky, or Nightfall. I do think the story would be better for demonstrating what precisely Loid and Yor find compelling about each other (to say nothing of how such demonstrations would provide the second-order effect of enriching Yor’s personality), but I can accept that that’s simply not a topic of interest for Endo, or that he thinks such a thread would be out of place in the context of Spy x Family’s overall tone
We open the episode proper with a distinct establishing shot, this time capturing the apartment in a perpendicular shot from the right, rather than the usual forty-five degree angle shot from the left. It seems purposeful; seeing familiar scenery from a new perspective naturally echoes the goals of a season conclusion like this, as we take stock of what’s happened and try to see things with fresh eyes
The following cuts reassert normalcy, capturing peaceful fragments of their home life. These establishing cuts are important; the essence of their life is not the wacky shenanigans, but these cozy, quiet sequences in between, the comfortable cohabitation that is the essence of a family at rest
Loid gives Bond a fond look as they prepare for a walk. He has come to enjoy the small pleasures of their mutual trust; this dog is not just a part of his disguise, he is a part of their family
Anya declines to join them, as she has set herself to mastering origami
As such, Loid dedicates their “walk” to combat training, using Franky as a dummy for Bond to tackle and disable. It’s a thankless life for Franky
Excellent gag of Loid explaining the reasoning for his attack style in minute detail, in spite of the fact that his audience is a dog
“Things are getting really fishy right now, so I need to prepare for the worst.” The lightest possible indication that this cold war might be heating up. I imagine there might be some changes to the show’s overall tone eventually, but Spy x Family is basically a sitcom, and those tend to thrive on consistency. It’s also tricky to close that box again once you’ve opened it, meaning significant changes in tone would likely mean we’re approaching the endgame
“He probably had to go through a lot of training and doesn’t want to do it anymore.” Franky ties Bond’s mentality to the rest of the family, essentially framing him as an old soldier who’s now happy to retire to family life
“At least try to act like you’re having fun. You’re always lacking in that department.” It’s true; Loid’s smiles still seem insincere, even when he actually is having fun. But as Spy x Family consistently demonstrates, a practice embraced for long enough can actually become the truth
It’s a refreshing perspective on personal growth. We rarely experience the big, worldview-reorienting dramatic moments that fiction so celebrates; changing ourselves is more often a process of picking something we want to change and then following through, day by day, decision by decision, until eventually the new behavior comes naturally
Bond sees a terrible vision of the future: a boy drops his ice cream, ensuring that he earns a terrible nickname and his entire childhood is ruined
But disaster! Bond’s attempts to save the ice cream only bring his vision to fruition! I love his nervous posture as he surveys his terrible work
Bond’s next attempted rescue is also tragically misinterpreted. But Loid’s perspective on others has softened – rather than simply assuming Bond is intentionally behaving badly, he reflects that “just like with Anya, I guess I still have a lot to learn about him”
It’s a natural arc for growth, given where he started and where he’s going. As a spy, he was used to quickly assessing targets for weaknesses; as a husband and father, he’s coming to appreciate how our quirks actually make us more lovable
Bond decides not to incriminate himself with any more misunderstood heroism, but then receives a vision of a building on fire, and a woman calling for “Daisy,” presumably her pet still inside
This fire also provides another slight hint of rising discord, as the onlookers remark that such fires have been more frequent lately, and are suspected to be the work of active arsonists
Daisy is indeed an adorable pug puppy. Despite Bond’s behavior, Loid doesn’t hesitate for a moment in pursuing him, and soon realizes his noble dog’s intent
“Your nose works even at times like this? Amazing.” Yes Loid, Bond’s nose can indeed smell the future
My own admittedly specific fleeing-a-burning-building experience has me tut-tutting Loid’s clearly insufficient smoke inhalation countermeasures. It is a uniquely horrifying experience to draw a breath of air and inhale only heat and smoke
The pair escape, but Bond catches just slightly on fire, facilitating the preposterous sight of a drenched Bond lacking the bulk of his signature fluffiness
He looks like a cross between an afghan hound and a camel. Poor Bond
Bond then discovers our arsonist, who is actually wearing a baseball cap labeled “FIRE” to further emphasize his enthusiasm for arson
“Let’s go. It wouldn’t be good if either of us ended up in the paper.” I continue to be delighted by Loid addressing Bond like a coworker
“Don’t push yourself too hard. There’s someone waiting back home who’d be sad if you died.” Loid offers some advice that he’s clearly been mulling for his own sake. He can’t thoughtlessly sacrifice himself for the cause anymore, he has people who need him
“Putting you to work can take a backseat. First and foremost, you need to fully realize that you are one of the Forgers.” Perhaps the first time he’s referred to the Forgers as a genuine, meaningful unit
“Someone accidentally sprayed water on him on the way home.” Loid’s explanation for Bond’s state embodies a key tenet of falsehoods: don’t overcomplicate lies, the simplest explanation is usually the best
Anya presents them both with Stellas for their hard work, before we end on a languorous goodbye to all our compatriots, and a promise to meet again next season
And Done
It’s always a good day to visit the Forgers. Our season conclusion offered just the sort of charming, laid-back adventure I was hoping for, with Bond’s efforts to communicate with Loid ultimately serving as an affirmation of how much Loid has grown over these episodes. The man of a thousand faces known only as Twilight would not have trusted so fully in his canine companion, nor would he have ultimately assured Bond that what is most important is ensuring you can return home to share dinner together. But family life has softened Loid, given him something tangible to fight for, and reacquainted him with the simple, fundamental pleasure of trusting in another and being trusted in turn. We are all stronger for having a home to return to.
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