Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to check back in on the Forger family, and see what new threats are lurking in the shadows. Although to be honest, it feels like the Forgers could still use a break from all the scheming and skullduggery; given their recent vacation involved murdering a small army of assassins while also defusing half a dozen bombs, they’ve clearly earned a vacation from their vacation, perhaps centered on a school festival or other similarly low-stakes excursion.

Regardless, I’m sure Tatsuya Endo and our reliable dual production studios have us in good hands. Spy x Family is basically the definition of comfort food, a show combining an inherently robust comedic premise with enough earnest, charming sentimentality to ensure every episode feels like a cozy afternoon nap. It is a perennial joy to return to, and I’m quite grateful I get to explore it with you all. Let’s see what’s next on the Forger itinerary!

Episode 36

We open on Becky watching a dramatic episode of Berlint in Love, which certainly spells trouble

Excellent character acting as she swoons and faints in response to the drama on-screen. Young children act pretty much exactly however they want, as Anya does, but Becky has already moved on to that stage of self-consciousness where you’re deeply aware of how you’re perceived by those around you. Of course, with no hard-forged sense of self to guide you, you are forced to model your behavior on those you admire, which means a lot of Becky’s body language and thought processes are simply cribbed from Berlint in Love. Here we can see her embracing that dubious tutor in real time, reacting much as the characters on the shows would react, with melodramatic gestures of longing and despair

As the composition pulls back, we see that Becky is alone in a vast and lonely dining room. Considering we’ve never met her parents, it seems like she’s the sort of kid who’s largely raised by servants, with little personal connection with her parents. No wonder then that she’s taken to modeling her ideals of love off of television – she has no actual, personal examples to rely on, no clear impression of her parents’ marriage

Interesting that she actually has a photo of the whole Forger family on the adjacent dresser. I assume she got that photo from Anya and put it there herself, which also feels inherently kinda sad – her “family photos” are of a different family altogether

“Today’s the day I finally meet my precious Loid, and propose that we begin courtship!” God damnit Becky

Nice use of variations in line width to convey her shock as Loid arrives

Loid instantly deduces that Becky’s attendant is a former soldier. Hadn’t considered that, but it makes perfect sense for the handlers of Berlint’s more distinguished families to be culled from the elite armed services

Becky swiftly sets to work ragging on the Forgers’ frankly generous accommodations, stating that Anya’s bedroom is smaller than Wiesel’s doghouse. Becky, you gotta learn some tact if you’re gonna be ascending to high society

I can’t say I approve of Becky’s fantasies, but I do like how her image of grasping arms with Loid involves her floating a good foot off the ground, just so he can reach her without fully stooping over

Also some nice background texture for these further fantasies of uh, being Anya’s mom. Watercolors over felt paper is a good look

“She brings up good points!” Goddamnit Anya do not encourage this

And of course, Loid sees this as an opportunity to gather information from an unguarded yet high-ranking member of the aristocracy

As someone who’s way too young for any actual romantic experience, Becky of course is merely in love with the idea of being in love. Berlint in Love tells her it is the most dazzling of all experiences, but actually trying to talk with Loid just flusters her terribly

Loid is of course a perfectly attentive gentleman, eager to learn what he can about Blackbell Heavy Industries. Anya’s the breakout star, but Loid is the backbone of this production, perpetually able to facilitate humorous misunderstandings through his alternate interpretations and ulterior motives in every social interaction. There are few situations Loid can’t improve through applying his unflappable spy perspective to mundane conversations

“Use what you’ve learned from your dramas!” Yeah, that’s the problem here, Becky

“That’s not enough to win my precious Loid’s heart!” Becky is self-conscious, but not yet aware of the diversity of others’ perspectives, instead clinging to a script of how people behave that’s been provided by a TV melodrama. It’s a distinct interpretation of a very common situation; many people flatter themselves and make sense of the world by assuming there is one “correct perspective” (generally their own), that others either adopt because they are intelligent or disregard because they are foolish. Becky is not alone in this flattering interpretation of consciousness; this is actually one of the bedrock beliefs of conservative philosophy, maintained through a circular feedback loop of disdaining intellectual curiosity. This is why academia is so hated by conservatives

Becky tries to return the conversation to her family, which Loid of course interprets as her getting wise to his games. A mirror of Becky’s misconceptions: he sees everyone else as playing the same game he is, fishing for information and eager to pin down a spy

This segment hasn’t been great, but I do appreciate this moment of Yor straight-up flinging Becky into the stratosphere

Also some excellent superdeformed Beckies as she attempts to parse Yor’s understanding of romance

Yor’s explanation that Loid “prefers strong women” doesn’t really compute for Becky, as Berlint in Love is presumably all about reifying a traditional, dependent view of women in love, “dainty flowers” that must be protected by strong men. Culture is self-fulfilling, as Becky demonstrates

Of course, Becky is young and quick to adjust, so she swiftly suggests proving her strength through a hammer-slamming circus game. This is not going to play out the way you’re hoping, Becky

“I really don’t understand the children of rich people.” Bless you, Loid

Yep, Becky can barely lift the hammer, and Yor steps in to “help,” casually breaking the device with a one-handed swing

“Just look at his beautiful round eyes!” It is indeed an excellent Loid expression

Bested by Yor in both greatness of heart and vastness of muscles, Becky pledges to become her apprentice

We then check in on Nightfall, who’s busy being her cool and collected self

“I don’t believe anyone other than me can complete these tasks.” Nightfall continues to embody Loid’s former perspective, living for nothing other than the mission, seeing no reason to rest or compromise because there is nothing else of value in her life

The current distance between them is conveyed through a series of match cuts, contrasting Nightfall’s perpetual missions against Loid’s experiences of familial happiness

Her plan for “claiming” Loid relies on his adherence to a value system he no longer embodies

It is difficult to imagine precisely what spy mission necessitated Nightfall wrestling a bear or riding an alligator, but she nonetheless aced the assignment

And Done

My god Loid, you are just a relentless heartbreaker, huh? Well, I can’t say I was hoping for a full episode of Loid evading the entreaties of Becky and Nightfall, but this was still a charming enough episode on the whole. Becky’s “love” is actually a pretty standard childhood infatuation, mostly just demonstrating the clear and convincingly articulated limits of her experience, and bouncing with unexpected grace off Loid’s perpetually stoic machinations. Meanwhile, Nightfall mostly serves as a demonstration of how much Loid has grown, venerating just one aspect of the multifaceted person he has become. In the end, I’m actually most interested to see more of Becky and Yor hanging out – Becky clearly needs better role models than Berlint in Love!

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