Episode 23 of Spy X Family picks up right off the heels of the previous episode, as agents Twilight and Nightfall continue their final tennis match against the Campbell twins in an effort to win the tournament and secure the painting that contains a clue to the long-lost Zacharis dossier. With the mission hanging on the line (and possibly world peace), defeat is not an option - even more so for Nightfall now that she’s resolved herself to stand by Twilight’s side.
Of course, the Campbell twins have no intention of surrendering their status as the tournament’s consistent champions and are forced to ramp up their dirty tricks tenfold. But WISE agents are nothing if not skilled, and Twilight and Nightfall are two of the best. However, additional complications arise and securing the painting might prove to be more troublesome than initially expected.
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A Stunning Display of Skill
Immediately, we’re greeted with the sight of Twilight predicting and staying ahead of the shifting floor tiles the Campbell twins used to distract Nightfall in the last episode. Despite the tiles being almost imperceptible, Twilight has absolutely no trouble dodging them all and continuing the offense. Even when Carrol Campbell manages to use one of the floor tiles to his shot’s advantage, Nightfall is there to immediately counteract with a devastating return swing.
Realizing the floor tiles aren’t enough, the twins signal for additional cheating methods to be deployed. Raising the net’s height at the last moment, deploying wind currents, and even coating the ball with noxious smelling spray aren’t enough to deter the trained spies. If anything else, the spies are actually able to use their opponents’ tricks against them to score even more points. Desperate and on the brink of defeat, the twins use their trump card: deploying a sniper to take out the agents.
While this sounds extreme (and it is), the snipers are using low-velocity rubber bullets that blend in with the tennis court. Against ordinary opponents, these shots would be more than enough to incapacitate (or even kill if they hit certain points on the body) and could easily be covered up by the tournament’s shady organizers. However, the two WISE agents are practically super humans compared to ordinary folks. Twilight is able to pick up on the presence of the sniper and tackle Nightfall out of the way of the shot. While he sustains a hit, he was luckily prepared for such an occasion by wearing a bullet-proof vest underneath his clothes (as befitting WISE’s top spy).
To the twins’ absolute dismay and horror, the two agents simply observe the twins’ signals and dodge every incoming shot with unpredictable movements. Simply justifying their odd motions as the result of a hangover, Twilight and Nightfall proceed to dance, duck, and leap over every incoming shot - all while the previous cheating methods are employed in tandem. Even the tennis courts’ ball boys are in on the cheating, attempting to shoot the agents with wrist-mounted launchers, but their movements are even easier to predict for the two WISE agents. Ultimately, the twins are taken out by their own tricks when Twilight deflects a rubber bullet straight into Carrol’s sides and proceeds to overwhelm them with sheer skill.
State Intervention
Unfortunately for the two spies, their celebration is cut short upon noticing some hushed whispering in senior Campbell’s ears. By reading their lips, Twilight realizes that Ostania’s secret police have also picked up on the painting’s possible connection to the Zacharis dossier. Their fears are soon confirmed when upon requesting the specific painting they’re after as their chosen prize, Campbell himself arrives and apologizes that it won’t be possible. The two winners are allowed to take any other item from Campbell’s collection with an additional choice as means of compensation, but this is obviously not their intended goal.
Thinking fast, the spies request to personally view Campbell’s collection to select replacement awards. However, only Nightfall enters and takes a look around, excusing Twilight’s presence as him needing to rest and recover from his “hangover”. Quickly confirming that the specific painting they’re after is still in the room, Nightfall requests Campbell’s recommendation on what she should choose as an attendant prepares the painting for retrieval by the secret police. Nightfall leaves, seemingly having chosen some gaudy statue and some rings as a substitute reward, and meets up with Twilight in their car. However, it’s quickly revealed that the two agents did in fact manage to retrieve the painting.
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As it turns out, the attendant that was preparing the painting for retrieval was actually Twilight in disguise. Showcasing the sheer level of preparedness of the two agents, Nightfall actually had a duplicate counterfeit of the painting on standby. Smuggling the counterfeit inside her tennis racket bag and leaving the bag on the table allowed Twilight to quickly swap the two and give the secret police the counterfeit. While the secret police will be searching for a non-existent clue, the two WISE agents are able to confirm the existence of special ink on the back of the painting and the validity of the lead on the dossier.
At this point, the two agents’ mission is complete. Twilight asks that Nightfall drop him off at the nearby park, as to avoid any rumors of a married man being seen alone with an attractive lady. However, given this is Twilight, nothing is ever easy for him, as his family is also at the park playing tennis.
The Fall of Fiona
Unable to resist her inner desire to replace Yor, Nightfall decides to approach the Forger family to Loid’s shock. The two agents quickly switch to their civilian identities as Loid and Fiona and have a brief chat about the tennis tournament they were at. However, an innocent comment by Loid, attributing his success to Yor and Anya practicing with him, sparks an explosion of jealousy and bitterness inside Fiona’s heart. She coldly asks if Yor also plays tennis and if she would entertain a match.
However, Fiona merely wishes to crush Yor in a tennis match, and prove to Loid that she is the superior candidate to be his wife. Loid steps in and tells Yor that she can decline the match, but Yor refuses to back down as she, on a subconscious level, recognizes what Fiona is trying to do. Anya can only look on in shock (and a bit of excitement at such an exciting confrontation between love rivals), as she cheers for her mama.
Fiona decides to let Yor have the first serve, and Yor decides that she’ll have to confront Fiona head on with all her might… but this is Yor. Her first swing seemingly misses the ball, and Fiona can’t help but scoff at such an amateur mistake… only for the ball to fall apart as though it were a diced tomato moments later. For the first time ever in the show, Fiona’s emotionless expression gives way to a completely dumbfounded one. Realizing that she needs to hold back a little bit to avoid destroying the ball, Yor manages to properly serve her next shot.
At this point, Spy X Family becomes something more akin to Naruto. Yor’s shot is flawless, a perfect one that defies all known laws of physics. The ball’s trajectory and path is unwavering, flying straight ahead and leaving only devastation in its wake. It will certainly go out of bounds, but that’s not a concern at the moment. Fiona has to swing her racket, or she will die… and swing she does. With no regard for controlling her emotions anymore, Fiona roars and puts everything she has into her swing. All of her love for Twilight, the years of yearning, her unending dream of being his wife - it cannot withstand Yor’s shot, and Fiona’s racket shatters. Just like her hopes and dreams.
In The End… It’s All About Family
With Fiona running off in tears after her defeat at Yor’s hands and the mission completed, only one question remains - what was in the Zacharis dossier? The clue hidden on the painting was a legitimate one and led to a depository hidden by ex-colonel Eric Zacharis. However, what was hidden inside would not lead to an international conflict but instead an internal family one. There was no secret state secrets or ground-shattering revelations. Only a diary written by the man himself and his collection of photographs of young actresses laid hidden away.
Zacharis was a… patron of the arts, specifically that of comedic musicals staring young upcoming actresses. He wished to show his patronage by buying and collecting their photos. Unsurprisingly, his wife couldn’t see the appeal and was outraged by how much time and money he spent on his collection. To placate his wife and maintain the peace in his family, Zacharis hid away his collection and kept his subsequent theater visits a secret.
So how did the rumors of the Zacharis dossier containing war-sparking secrets come to be? Well, Zacharis entertained a group of diplomats near the war’s end by taking them to the theater. However, since he didn’t want his wife to know that he continued to patron his preferred “genre”, he asked the diplomats to keep it hush-hush. From there, rumors do what they tend to do and escalate out of control. Of course, this all led to Twilight risking life and limb in an incredibly exhausting tennis tournament for what turned out to be nothing serious.
In Twilight’s sheer desperation to find something that would justify the ridiculous hell he went through, he discovered a picture tucked away in Zacharis’ diary. A simple photo of the man smiling and hugging his wife and daughter, fittingly reminiscient of the one Twilight has with Yor and Anya. In the end, everything Zacharis did was for his family and to have a happy peaceful future with them. This is a goal that Twilight is starting to know all too well himself.
Next Time: “The Role of a Mother and Wife” & “Shopping with Friends”
Readers of the Spy X Family manga know the sheer feeling of disappointment when the show skipped over a certain chapter. However, the teaser for the upcoming episode has reignited the flames of hope that we’ll be getting an animated adaptation of that chapter. It’s not the first time the show has somewhat rearranged events from the manga to make the show’s pacing flow better.
With Yor having shown jealousy and concern over her role as Loid’s wife, the stage is set to further explore the relationship between the two. The teaser also gave us a glimpse at Anya and Becky going on a play date. Given how wealthy Becky’s family is, we can only imagine how over the top it will be and can’t wait to see what shenanigans the two get up to.
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