It was certainly predictable that this would be the most satisfying episode of the season for Spy x Family.  It directly addressed the shortcomings of the first four – it was set almost entirely at Eden Academy, and Damian and Becky had prominent roles.  There’s a certain frustration level in that this series tends to only hint at depths it doesn’t seem to quite have the will to truly explore, but those hints at least are better than nothing.  Not that the first four eps were nothing, but they weren’t all that much if we’re totally honest.

Yes, Anya in school mode is definitely much more tolerable than vamping with her family.  She’s dedicated to her mission (as she sees it), give her that.  And her latest stratagem is a new family photo with Bond included, which she’s convinced will entrance Damian utterly.  This is despite the fact that Damian has really showed no interest whatsoever in the dog, but Anya’s ability to constantly get the wrong end of the stick is a decent source of humor in these school interludes.  Ironically it’s Becky who’s won over by the photo – but not by Bond.  It’s Loid she focuses on, being one of those little girls who’s preternaturally obsessed with all things romantic.

With Bond failed, the next opportunity comes with the arts & crafts project the kids are assigned.  Henderson-sensei – who seems to be the only one we ever see actually teaching a class – splits the tykes into groups with a limited supply of, well- supplies, as a means of testing their cooperation and frugality (everything at Eden is a test, even not tests).  Becky chooses to make a Loid (complete with her family’s military tech as an add-on) and justifies this by reminding Henderson that humans are in fact animals.  He’s stymied by this, but in the end Becky can’t bear the thought of calling Loid an animal and switches to crocodiles.

As for the main pair (and that’s what they are) Damian resolves to make a Griffin, the Desmond family crest.  And Anya to help, which she’s predictably worse than useless at.  What’s notable here is that while Anya certainly wants to succeed in her mission, her esper powers have also shown her a window into how sad and lonely Damian’s lot in life is, and she genuinely wants to help.  There’s a happy overlap here, in that helping Damian get the approval of his father is also helping herself succeed in the mission.  But sadly, the pursuit of that goal seems Quixotic at best.

While everyone else in the cast tends towards the two-dimensional, Damian always seem to have the most grounded and impactful personal story.  He’s a good kid who’s on an island, with only his butler (Jeeves, natch) and kindly Henderson-sensei offering him any adult attention.  No matter how cruelly neglected it’s basically impossible for a boy Damian’s age not to crave the love of his father, and from the sound of things his relationship with his brother (the family golden boy) seems equally distant.  There’s no indication that Damian has done anything to disappoint his father – he’s just completely irrelevant to him, and if anything that’s even worse.  Fortunately his superficially hierarchical relationship with his two friends actually seems based on mutual affection.

For dessert, there’s a quick vignette with Sylvia, the “Fullmetal Lady” of WISE.  She leads her Eastern Block pursuers around on a string, buying herself unharried spy time by pretending to go swimming at the public pool.  The updates from twilight don’t exactly offer a whole lot of insight, apart from the fact that he may be showing signs of distraction from his actual mission.  And yes, Yor’s cooking (and savage strength) are the reason Yuri grew up into the freak he is.