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SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8 – Quick Summary
In SPY x FAMILY Season 2 episode 8, “The Symphony Upon the Ship,” Yor had her work cut out for her. She had to get Olka Gretcher, her baby, and her fake husband Zeb from the stern to the bow. The goal was to get them to some of the rubber lifeboats so they could transfer to the freedom ship. But there were many, many – many – assassins between Yor and her goal. Can even the superhuman Yor get her charges through that inhuman gauntlet?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8
I can’t imagine the effort it would take to clean up after Yor’s killing spree. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
This show knows how to use humor. In this episode, the humor served to set up two things: an emphasis of the action, by giving us a slight break between major battles, and a space for the emotional beats to sink in.
My favorite quote is an example of the former; my favorite moment, the latter.
Yor had been warming up. By that, I mean she’d been dispatching assassins who seemed quite confident in their skills. To be more precise, she’d been dispatching them right, left, and center. She hadn’t been gentle about it, either. Though it was clear she hadn’t reached her maximum output yet, and subsequent actions proved that; it was also clear that even at that level, she was head and shoulders above her foes.
Matthew McMahon was no slouch, either. Not only did he give her top cover by taking out the sniper and claiming the sniper’s weapon – he also had to clean up after Yor.
“Could you try to finish them off without making such a mess?” he asked in a peeved tone (08:09). “It’s becoming a pain to clean up after you.”
In his defense, he only had a broom and a mop. And Yor left quite the mess!
Favorite Moment from SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8
Her back literally against the wall, Yor understand what she had to do – and why. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: What Must Be Done Must Be Done
The fireworks and symphonic music made an emotionally effective backdrop for Yor’s ballet of death. Or maybe it was more of a rave? Whatever the style of dance, seeing Yor in action was a treat.
That’s a problem for me, and I know it. I watched Yor kill with brutal efficiency. I watched her take the lives of assassins, and I thought it was beautiful. Yeah, it’s a work of fiction. But there’s part of me who never admired Yor more than when she said (11:40), “Those who point their blade at another cannot complain when they have one pointed at them. That includes myself.”
She asked for no quarter. She gave no quarter. Her job said to protect Olka and her baby, and that’s just what Yor was going to do. If that meant killing assassins, then, well, it was a rougher day at the office than usual.
Yor jammed her finger, an experience I could relate to. Which is about all I could relate to, comparing her job to mine. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I’ve never served in the armed forces, but I’ve spoken to soldiers. I’ve worked for many – some special forces, some regular Army, some US Air Force. They had great senses of humor. They were empathetic human beings. But when they realized I would not look askance at them, they would often speak of moments that reminded me of Yor’s attitude.
None of them enjoyed killing. But killing was sometimes part of the job. That’s just the way it is. So when I see Yor in action, I see it in the context of That Which Needs to be Done. Because let’s face it: if Yor fails, Olga and her baby die. In the context of Yor’s world, as if often the case in our world, the choice can be that stark.
So I won’t judge myself for praising Yor for her skills. It’s just part of her necessary job.
Delivery: But Even Necessity Has its Standards
Even with that kind of understanding, I wouldn’t give Yor a blank check. Even in the context of a job that requires killing, there is still morality. Ethics are still a thing. If you’re killing for fun, then even if it’s necessary, it’s still a problem. Killing for fun means I can’t trust your judgment.
But in my favorite moment, bleak humor set up the emotional punch. The swordsman, of whom Yor said (13:30) “He’s on a different level than the others, had pummeled her. Exhausted from taking out so many no-name assassins, the real brains behind the effort had held back the most dangerous killers. It was an effective tactic.
The swordsman hit Yor so hard that it stunned her. “Oh, dear,” she thought (15:40). “He might actually kill me. What should I do? Now I won’t be able to get Loid’s shirts from the cleaners.”
A brief moment of dark levity, recalling a slice-of-life moment from a life she was about to lose. But it helped her remember the answer to the question she asked herself in the previous episode: why was she doing this?
Yor remembered a time when her brother was small, and she just wanted to protect him. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
She remembered her brother, Yuri. “I just… I just wanted to protect his simple life,” she thought (17:16). Remembering that gave her renewed strength – enough to grab the swordsman’s weapon in her gloved hand and snap off the tip. What’s more, she thought (17:43), “I don’t need peace. I don’t care if there is blood on these hands. Even if I live a life in which I’m bound to be killed sooner or later…”
That’s the solider’s life. That’s the life Yor willingly accepted for herself. And finally, in a flash of insight, the truth of which she doesn’t fully understand, she thought, “I’m sure Loid will acknowledge me. He’ll forgive me.”
Of all the people in her life, I think Loid really is positioned to understand her. I’m dying to see the episode where he does accept her – and if he doesn’t, I will be quite cross with this show. Which is to say, I’ll be seriously pissed. Because everything until now if perfectly setting up that moment. Including my favorite moment from this episode.
What did you think of Loid’s reaction to Anya being super excited for every firework? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
SPY x FAMILY Season 2 Episode 8: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Spy x Family Season 2 – Episode 8 discussion
- I Drink and Watch Anime: Spy x Family episode 33 – Yor’s Family
- RABUJOI: Spy x Family – 33 – To the Cleaners
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 never want to write for the show I’m watching, but if Loid 1.) never learns Yor is an assassin and 2.) doesn’t accept her as a kindred spirit and his perfect companion in life, come what may, I will be thoroughly disappointed in this entire Spy x Family business. I wish I could say otherwise, but I’m afraid I’m gonna need the Happy Ending!
I’m right there with you. They’ve fought too hard (even if they don’t know the details). I really want to see them as a family at the end.