The following contains spoilers for Episode 24 of Spy X Family, "The Role of a Mother and Wife / Shopping with Friends," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
With the mission to secure the Zacharis dossier completed, Twilight can finally take a break and rest easy for a bit... annnnd break's over. Episode 24 of Spy X Family opens up with Yor still in a funk over the relationship between Loid and Fiona. Despite not only arising to Fiona's challenge and defending her place as the Forger family's true matriarch, Yor continues to lament over her misconception that Loid wants to replace her. Making matters worse is that the neighbors might begin spreading rumors that Loid is being unfaithful, based off the few mumblings Yor uttered in her daze. While the chance of being reported to the secret police is somewhat slim, if Yor's brother (who is a part of the secret police and borderline siscon) found out... well Loid would be dragged off and executed by the entire department.
With yet another self-inflicted threat to the family, Loid decides that a date is in order to clear up any misunderstandings between himself and Yor. But when you put an overly paranoid master spy and socially inept assassin together in a romantic situation, you get chaos. On a lighter note, Anya is taken on a fun outing by her best friend Becky. It's what you would expect of a play-date between two young girls - if one of them happened to be a part of one of the wealthiest families in the country and had servants at her beck and call. Heart-warming hijinks ensue.
The Perfect Date
Under the pretext of a normal date between an ordinary married couple, Loid arranges to meet with Yor after work for a drink and to dismiss her fears about Fiona. Such a topic is best broached without a child around, so Franky continues to be the best side-kick and character in the show by agreeing to happily babysit Anya and Bond - after being handed a fat stack of cash. Without Anya and her telepathy around to do damage control, we get to see just how quickly assumptions can spiral out of control.
Yor is able to sense that Loid wants to have a serious conversation, and using her very logical and sound mind, is able to deduce that Loid is about to bring Fiona in and announce her as Yor's replacement. Tehe. Poor Loid, oblivious as always to Yor's true thoughts, tries to calmly broach the subject of Fiona, only to send Yor into a tizzy. At this point, we see a glimpse of the true depths of just how much Yor loves her new-found family. She's prepared to step out of the picture to grant Loid happiness, but Yor can't muster the strength to get the words out. Thank goodness for MIGHTY ALCOHOL!
Slamming down her drink, and subsequently Loid's entire bottle of scotch, Yor is able to find the drunken power within to voice her deepest thoughts... "WHO IS THAT WOMAN ANWAY!?" Having successfully assassinated her reservations, Yor unleashes all of her concerns and doubts onto Loid (and the rest of the bar). Is Loid in love with Fiona, is Yor not good enough as a woman, did Loid lie when he called Yor beautiful? This is no longer just a date between a pretend couple. These are Yor's most heartfelt feelings.
Mama and Papa Are Flirting
At this point, Loid is bewildered for a brief moment. He thought that Yor was worried that she wasn't performing well enough as the wife and mother of the family. But is Yor actually in love with him and is just jealous? But thankfully, he is Twilight - master spy who has been with countless women in the past for the sake of his missions. He can handle this and prepares to elevate the relationship between him and Yor to an actual romantic one.
Without hesitation, Loid puts to work his honey-trap and begins "confessing" his own feelings to Yor. However, Yor can barely handle romantic feelings when she's sober... and she just slammed down an entire bottle of scotch. Just as Loid is about to ask her to be a real couple, Yor's passion gauge reaches its breaking point. There's only one way to express her feelings to Loid - a full force axe kick to the chin.
The poor man is sent flying, straight into the arms of God - if he weren't WISE's top spy. Gracefully sticking the landing, Loid seems alright on the outside. On the inside however... the man is left reeling. Was he wrong? Did he misread the atmosphere? Did Yor just reverse honey-trap him? All these thoughts race through Loid's mind, as the damage from Yor's kick catches up to him and carries him off to the sweet bliss of unconsciousness. Regardless of how well-trained of a spy he is and how many women he's been with, Yor is the only one who can truly throw him off his game.
While knocked out, a memory from a long time ago drifts through Loid's mind. A memory of his mother gently singing a lullaby. He can't even remember what her face looked like anymore, but he remembers the feeling of comfort and safety he had being by her side. When Loid comes to, he finds himself in Yor's lap as she gently sings the same lullaby. Embarrassed and shocked at being knocked out for the first time since his training days, Loid takes a moment to compose himself as Yor apologizes for her drunken actions.
Though Loid is normally reserved and carefully calculating everything he says, he's able to drop his guard during this moment with Yor. He reveals to her his childhood memory of how his mother always made him feel safe and strong. To him, the reason that Anya is never afraid is because Yor will always be there to save her. Loid can rest easy because of the peace that Yor's presence brings to the family.
Given that Loid himself stated that he completely abandoned his past when he became a spy, to be reminded of such a warm childhood memory is no small feat. This is perhaps the most relaxed and genuine Loid has been in years since he entered the field of espionage. Though Loid and Yor may still be unaware of it, the fact that they can let down their guard around each other so much is one of the strongest signs that their fake marriage might become a real one someday.
Operation Friendship
The next half of the episode pivots focus back to Anya and her efforts to help her papa's mission. Having accepted the fact that her academic and athletic ability is abysmal, Anya has double downed on befriending sy-on boy (Damian) to get Loid a meeting with his target, Donovan Desmond. However, her best friend Becky has interpreted Anya's efforts to befriend Damian as a crush on Anya's part. Unable to stand seeing her friend flounder in matters of love, Becky decides to take Anya on a fashion trip to dress up Anya and make Damian notice her.
The outing starts off strong, as Becky arrives in her family's limousine to pick up Anya (and hopefully see Loid). However, the young girl's hopes are dashed when it turns out that Loid is out on an emergency work call. As the two chat and plot (well at least in Becky's case) during the drive, it's revealed that Loid was generous enough to give Anya a huge stack of cash for the fashion trip. While the purpose was largely to maintain good relations with the Blackwell family, it's still a sweet gesture (and proof that WISE pays Loid very well for his work).
Upon arriving at the mall, Anya is floored to see that Becky has rented out the entire place for just the two of them, complete with attendants waiting on their every demand. Upon her friend's insisting, Anya is put through a grueling trial of trying on a huge variety of outfits to see what works. Besides showcasing the various designs created by the animation team and author, it's an adorable moment. Of course, Becky gets side tracked from her original goal of getting Damian to notice Anya and ends up searching for personal outfits that would impress Loid instead.
Despite forgetting their original mission, the two girls have an incredible amount of fun but exhaust Anya in the process. In a moment of self-doubt, Becky asks if Anya is actually having fun with her. To Becky's complete surprise, Anya responds immediately with a cheerful expression and describes the trip as the most fun she's had because she's with her friend. Martha, Becky's bodyguard and butler, can only look on wistfully with a smile as she recalls how Becky always struggled to make friends and didn't want to go to Eden's Academy. But thanks to Anya, all of that has changed.
The two girls end their shopping trip by purchasing matching keychains of the mall's mascot, a little dressed-up sheep. While Becky is hesitant at first, concerned that it would hurt her family's image, she is quickly surprised by Anya who used her own money to obtain the keychains. Justifying to herself for accepting the keychain as a gift, Becky bashfully accepts it. The two are seen the next day at school with their matching keychains and cheerful smiles. Damian happens to witness the exchange and for a moment finds himself blushing at the sight of Anya. Though Becky may not have realized it, she did get her friend the best outfit to attract Damian - an expression of true happiness.
Next Time: "First Contact"
We've finally arrived at the final episode of season 1 of Spy X Family. After this rather heart-warming and light-hearted episode, the stage is set for a serious finale. It appears that Loid will be meeting his target, Donovan Desmond, in person for the first time. This is the moment that Operation Strix has been waiting for, a chance to gleam what's truly going on in the mind of the leader of Ostania's National Unity Party. Is Donovan planning on plunging the world back into war, or does he have something else in mind? Whatever they may be, the mission is riding on this chance encounter.