Spy×Family Season 3

Episode 47

Did everyone enjoy Crunchyroll's glitch with episode forty-seven of SPY x FAMILY? I sure didn't! Although given that Nightfall/Fiona Frost is my least favorite character, I do appreciate that it seemed to be her appearance that triggered the problem. But the Curse of Nightfall has been lifted, so now we can enjoy an episode that reminds us all that it's hard to transition between story arcs sometimes.

The theme for this episode seems to be “relationships are hard.” And that's fair – they are hard sometimes, whether it's maintaining a friendship, compromising in a marriage, or explaining to the dog that he can't take his half of the bed out of the middle. While all three segments of the episode take a light-hearted approach to the subject, the first one actually does cover some serious ground played for laughs in a way that isn't always comfortable. It's also the only one that carries over from the busjacking incident: the teacher who was on Anya's bus is showing signs of post-traumatic stress, and a very understanding Henderson elegantly suggests that he might benefit from seeing an excellent psychiatrist he just so happens to know, one Dr. Loid Forger.

We don't often get to see how Loid does at his cover job, so it's fun to get that chance. As it turns out, he's a mix of excellent and terrible – he does identify that the busjacking isn't actually the root of the issue, although he doesn't suss it out during sessions, but rather through having Fiona do some spying into the teacher's life. (Hey, if you've got the resources, use 'em, even if it is professionally suspect.) This leads to the discovery that the busjacking is merely the socially acceptable reason for him to be unbalanced; the truth is that the real trauma is in his marriage. The poor man is absolutely terrified of his wife, with what looks like good reason, although Loid notes that this is likely because he's not pulling his weight around the house, sticking the entire burden on his wife.

I don't love that the episode is playing emotional domestic violence for laughs, nor that the punchline relies on the husband being afraid of his wife. It's too fraught a subject to be easily used for outdated humor, although in the setting of the story, the 1960s (as the moon landing bit at the end nicely reminds us), it does fit and wouldn't be outdated at all. But the point of both this section and the one where Yor goes out to dinner with her coworkers is to showcase how bizarre the Forgers' marriage is. Loid and Yor don't fight because both of them are fully aware that they're playing house, albeit for two different reasons. When Loid dispenses marital advice, he's basing it on the techniques he uses to keep Yor happy so that she won't leave and jeopardize his mission. When Yor frets about not fighting enough with Loid, her sodden mind is trying its best to recognize that there's something a little too good in the way he treats her, triggering the fear that she's not pulling her weight, which would make her suspicious to the SSS. It may be a game, but it's one that both of their lives and livelihoods depend on.

Yor, of course, takes this way too far, mostly because, even sober, she's unable to make the distinction between a turn of phrase and a literal statement of murderous intent. But then her husband's listening to the amount of weight she puts into each step to gauge her mood, something that she'd absolutely do in a heartbeat if she knew about it. They're actually perfect for each other, and I hope they figure that out someday – Yor's coworkers already have, much to their disgust and chagrin.

This may not have been the best episode of the season, but it's important for the series to indulge in the domestic aspects sometimes. Loid and Yor both are who they are because they care about people, and Anya gives them both a clear image of who it is they're fighting to protect, one mission or one murder at a time.

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Spy×Family Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.