Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25 – Quick Summary
In SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25, “FIRST CONTACT,” Loid had to face up to a frustrating fact: plans A and B for Operating STRIX were not coming to fruition. Dreading every delay, too aware that any attempt to rush the plan could end in complete disaster, Loid tried to come up with an alternative. He realized that Damian might unwittingly give him an option! If Anya could avoid ruining it, that is! What is this option? What might Anya do to ruin it? And how far is Becky willing to go to support her friend?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25
I love Becky’s nonchalant expression! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
There are times when a quote and visual come together to elevate both. This is one of those times!
Anya had wanted to wait with Damian to meet Donovan Desmond, Damian’s dad. Partly to support Second Son and partly to take on the “evil boss,” she tried to wait – but she’s a kid. She’d had a big day, and she was tired. She fell asleep.
And not just a little. She was out cold.
So Becky, being the good friend she is, asked Martha to carry Anya to the car. My favorite quote is what happened when Martha and Becky “delivered” Anya home.
Yor answered the door. Gesturing to Martha, a very serious expression on her face, Becky said (22:14), “Delivery for you.”
It’s nice to know that Becky took her responsibility so seriously!
Favorite Moment from SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25
Loid pushed as hard as he could – but not too hard. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: The Challenge of Writing a Thriller
As someone who tries to write science fiction techno-thrillers, I’m sensitive to how any work of fiction portrays elements in those genres. For example, I cannot watch a James Bond movie at all because they are so unrealistic that I can’t even enjoy them as a comedy.
Shows like Darker than Black and Princess Principal had their charm, but I had to turn off the part of my brain that expects realism. I think that’s our lizard brain. If it detects something unusual, like badly implemented world rules in fiction, it complains. Just like it would if you saw a snake slithering near your left hand. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but I think you get the idea.
SPY x FAMILY has usually done a fine job of appeasing my lizard brain. Characters like Daybreak sometimes stretched my suspension of disbelief, but I could label them as comedic relief and ignore the implications. In this episode, Loid did something that not only strengthened my suspension of disbelief – it enhanced my faith in this show’s ability to deliver on an in depth, realistic world.
We knew Loid could project conversational branches. We saw him apply that skill in this episode. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Loid conceived of a plan to use Anya punching Damian as a springboard: he would apologize to Damian, then ask his father if he could present a formal apology at their house. Loid’s goal was to establish a long-term social relationship with the elder Desmond. Plans for Anya to become an Imperial Scholar tanked. So did the hope of Anya becoming friends with Second Son. This was basically Loid’s Plan C.
Delivery: The Impact of Realism
Most fiction stumbles on two aspects of this kind of relationship. First, they take an enormous amount of time. Most fiction I’ve consumed tries to rush this relationship. Second, a single act, word, or expression could completely derail all progress to that point. Some sows portray a main character who does something stupid that the target completely ignores. In both cases, my suspension of disbelief takes a beating.
Not here. Not in SPY x FAMILY. Loid’s plan went well. He presented an informal apology to Mr. Desmond, but the latter rejected any need for a formal apology. Loid didn’t push the matter. Out loud, he said (15:20), “You are truly too kind, sir.”
But to himself, he thought, “Being too persistent will backfire. If he finds me at all suspicious, the operation will be ruined.”
Loid’s tactics even set the stage for an emotional moment between Damian and his father. Much to Damian’s surprise! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
That was cool enough. What was even more exciting was how Loid observed the interaction between Damian and his father when Damian asked why his father wouldn’t get angry on his behalf. That little exchange gave Loid a lot of insight into the family’s dynamics. Which is exactly the kind of little detail on which huge events in a spy-thriller (or techno-thriller!) can turn.
We’ve come to the end of the first season’s second cour. Seeing them return to Operation STRIX, and seeing the slow progress they’ve made, makes me think even more highly of the show. I admire writers who give their plots time to grow and mature in a natural way. That makes the experience more immersive!
What did you think of Damian finally getting a little acknowledgement from his father? What were your favorite moments in this episode? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: SPY x FAMILY Part 2 – Episode 25 discussion
- I Drink and Watch Anime: Spy x Family episode 25 – Dad
- Lost in Anime: Spy x Family – 25 (Season Finale)
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 13: PROJECT APPLE
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 14: DISARM THE BOMB
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 15: A NEW FAMILY MEMBER
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 16: YOR’S KITCHEN / THE INFORMANT’S GREAT ROMANCE PLAN
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 17: CARRY OUT THE GRIFFIN PLAN / FULLMETAL LADY / OMELET RICE♥
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 18: UNCLE THE PRIVATE TUTOR / DAYBREAK
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 19: A REVENGE PLOT AGAINST DESMOND / MAMA BECOMES THE WIND
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 20: INVESTIGATE THE GENERAL HOSPITAL / DECIPHER THE PERPLEXING CODE
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 21: NIGHTFALL / FIRST FIT OF JEALOUSY
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 22: THE UNDERGROUND TENNIS TOURNAMENT: THE CAMPBELLDON
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 23: THE UNWAVERING PATH
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 24: THE ROLE OF A MOTHER AND WIFE / SHOPPING WITH FRIENDS
- SPY x FAMILY Cour 2 Episode 25: FIRST CONTACT
This was a really good episode! I love that Damien finally got to make a little connection with his dad, and that Loid was astute enough to realized that the relationship between Damien and his dad needs to be healthy for the operation to be a success. I also liked how this episode showed that Loid was not just a great spy but also a great dad!
Loid being a great dad might be my favorite part of this series. There are too few examples of good dads! It’ strange that a man who has created a fake family is one of the best dads!
i haven’t watched this but i do remember reading it! i think that i started to feel more for damian since he started to become more than just a kid at school who fought with anya (and was loid’s ticket to his dad). im curious to see more in terms of his development and this father-son relationship (maybe? idk, clearly dad is not a great guy)
I like what the show’s doing with Damian’s character, too! I’m rooting for him — but you’re right, his dad isn’t exactly the poster child for benevolent leadership! Or good fatherhood, either!