Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5 – Quick Summary
In SPY x FAMILY Season 2 episode 5, “Plan to Cross the Border,” Yor’s boss took her to meet his boss – the Shopkeeper. He had long flowing white hair. He tended his planets with precision to keep them beautiful. And he had a very, very interesting way of saying hello. Also, Anya wanted to enter a raffle to win a cruise. What she didn’t know was that the game was rigged – and the man who rigged it couldn’t stop thinking about it! Will Anya take advantage of that mistake?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5
The size of their room did not impress Anya. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I love how despite her ability to read minds, a lot of Anya’s worldview comes from television. She expects everything to be glamorous now. I sometimes wonder if having a spy for a dad and an assassin for a mom makes her identify with shows like Bondman, and therefore expect her reality to be like that.
Whatever the reason, Anya was thrilled to use the scammer’s own method against him to win the prize of a cruise. The ship was beautiful. It was probably everything that Anya expected. Right up until my favorite quote.
When Loid opened the door to their room, my first thought was, “Oh, cool! At least they get a portal!” I figured they’d get something so far down in the ship that they would have little more than a dark closet.
But Anya’s expectations were clearly different. She saw a single port hole, a bunk bed, and a desk. She turned away, and in a tone of disgust, said (12:31), “It appears we’ve accidentally come to the jail. This place is wrong.”
Well, at least she enjoyed the top bunk – though Loid warning her not to fall out worried me! Foreshadowing and all!
Favorite Moment from SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5
Yor isn’t convinced her family is fake. But she’s not sure. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: A Crossover with Lycoris Recoil?
This episode gave me quite a scare. For a second, I thought that Shinji Yoshimatsu had come over from Lycoris Recoil (13:13). But no, it was Furseal Grey (his fake name), who was pretending to be Shaty Grey’s husband (who was actually Olka Gretcher). Of course, it’d be impossible, but it got me wondering how a crossover would work.
Though, thinking more about it, I wonder if it would be exactly the kind of world that would evolve a government program like Lycrois?
Anyway. Spy x Family is light-hearted most of the time, but it’s never shied away from dramatic scenes. The very concept of the foundation, a manufactured family made up of a rogue telepath, an assassin, and a spy, is itself dramatic. The conditions of each, also dramatic. And the conflicts created by that volatile combination of characters has never been far from the surface.
It would be hard to have a quiet, domestic life with scenes like this! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
On top of that, I find Yor to be very, very likable. Somehow, despite being a superhuman assassin, she’s maintained a core essential goodness. She dearly loves her brother Yuri and feels bummed out that he (seems) to be on the road to independence. She cherishes Anya and didn’t hesitate to unleash her own brand of violence to protect her.
But she’s so uncertain. She isn’t sure of her place within the Forger family – or even if that family really exists. Seeing someone of her strength still at a loss is such a compelling image. I really want to see her get to a place where she could enjoy the family she so clearly wants, but doesn’t know how to build, given who she is and her circumstances.
Delivery: Yor’s Longing
Meeting Olka Gretcher/Shaty put Yor’s situation into sharp relief. Gretcher is a mob wife. Machinations like what have ensnared Yor are second nature to her. She’s sick of them; she wants rid of them. But she’s a veteran.
Yor expressed concern that, if she had to switch to combat mode to protect Gretcher and her family saw her, it would raise inconvenient questions. Her gaze level, clearly not seeing the problem, Gretcher said (18:41), “That family’s just for camouflage, right?”
These are eyes that have seen way too much. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Yor recoiled. It looked like the question took her breath away. Reflexively, she agreed. But then she said (18:49), “Is… that true?”
Yor didn’t want it to be true. She loves Anya. She doesn’t know how she feels about Loid yet. That makes sense though, doesn’t it? Anya ignited Yor’s motherly instincts, just as Yuri had. That was a simple transition for her. But Loid is another matter. Even then, it’s clear she wants to explore that relationship. She wants to know what it’s like to be a wife and partner. She just has no idea how to go about it. Her assignment with Gretcher reminded her of all those complications.
It’s a sign of the writer’s skill that I care enough about Yor to really, really want to know how she resolves this issue – if she can resolve it at all. Yor lives in a terribly dangerous world. The kind of world I had hoped we had left behind, here in the real world, but a kind of world that seems just inches away – held at bay by the thinnest of dedications to the rule of law. I want to see if she can find joy in a family relationship, even in a world like this one. I guess that makes me a bit of a romantic, doesn’t it?
What did you think of Loid’s struggle to embrace the concept of “vacation?” What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Spy x Family Season 2 – Episode 5 discussion
- I Drink and Watch Anime: Spy x Family episode 30 – Family Vacation
- RABUJOI: Spy x Family – 30 – Cruise Control
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 1: FOLLOW MAMA AND PAPA
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 2: BOND’S STRATEGY TO STAY ALIVE / DAMIAN’S FIELD RESEARCH TRIP
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 3: MISSION AND FAMILY / THE ELEGANT BONDMAN / THE HEART OF A CHILD / WAKING UP
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 4: The Pastry of Knowledge / The Informant’s Great Romance Plan II
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 5: Plan to Cross the Border
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 6: The Fearsome Luxury Cruise Ship
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 7: Who Is This Mission For?
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8: The Symphony Upon the Ship
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 9: The Hand That Connects to the Future
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 10: Enjoy the Resort to the Fullest / Bragging About Vacation
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 11: Berlint in Love / Nightfall’s Daily Life
- SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 12: Part of the Family
I also feel like Yor can be incredibly susceptible to what people say. She’s gradually getting used to the fact that she could ditch the assassin side of her job one day, since she only took it on to support herself and her brother.
But when Olka asks whether Yor’s family is just camo, it bruises her still-germinating dream of escaping the violent side of her double life. I felt really bad for her in that moment. She needs to keep believing she can walk away from being the Thorn Princess!
That’s a really clear insight! On matter of her craft, she’s confident. But outside that? Like in the case of her faux-family? You’re right!
I hope the series ends with Yor wherever she wants to be. I don’t know, though. This show has a brutal streak, and I’m not sure how deep it goes!
This was a really good episode! I love learning more about Yor’s assassin life! I’ve always liked how Yor was a very physically strong character, but that didn’t mean that she was confident. She doesn’t have the best social skills and she’s painfully aware of that, but that doesn’t change the fact that she wants to be more social. She wants to have friends at work. She wants to have a loving family and a partner in life. Though her experience has been in killing people rather than making friends, it really is endearing to watch Yor build up that part of her life little by little.
I think my favorite part was when Anya heard the raffle scammer thinking in detail about his plot to steal the grand prize, and Anya didn’t hesitate to use his own trick! I also really liked how Loid was ordered to take a vacation, but it’s clear that he doesn’t really know how to do that. Well at least he’s trying.
That’s a beautiful description you gave of where Yor’s coming from! I like it!
Anya can be ruthless, can’t she? That moment was hilarious. And poor Loid… seeing him struggle with the concept of having fun made me laugh.