REVIEW: ‘Spy x Family,’ Episode 23 — “The Unwavering Path”

With only one opponent left to overcome in the Campbelldon Tennis Tournament, Loid and Fiona are looking good. But the Campbell Twins have some pretty nasty tricks up their sleeves that will make the final tennis match in Spy x Family Episode 23 the fiercest they’ve faced. The bulk of this week’s story sees the tennis-playing spies overcoming the nefarious tactics of their rivals. Building upon the tricks the Campbells implemented in the last episode, we see the situation escalate to alarming heights. This escalation feels right at home with the over-the-top energy that this series has always embraced. Just as the threats rise, both Loid and Fiona rise to meet them in what can only be described as some truly unique tennis performances.

Perhaps the biggest chuckle I got from this sequence is the realization of how much harder all these tricks and traps had to be to set up than, ya know, getting great at tennis. Not to make it sound like becoming a world-class tennis player is easy, becoming world-class at anything is exhaustingly difficult, but given the level of skill the siblings already possess, it would have to have been easier to up their games a bit than go through all this.

The final wrap-up of the duo’s current mission to retrieve the painting, ‘Lady in the Sun’, acts as a perfect balancing element for the previous match’s antics. Once off the court, Spy x Family Episode 23 sees the protagonists slip into their natural spy modes and pull off a slick, sleight-of-hand trick to acquire their target. What ultimately becomes of the information Handler was so eager to gain feels like something that would happen with such clandestine operations.

As the episode draws to a close, we get one last moment of tennis play as Fiona challenges Yor to a match. Determined to prove herself Yor’s better, Fiona is confident she will assert her dominance over Loid’s wife. And given the feats of athleticism she just displayed, Spy x Family Episode 23 has given her good reason to be confident. But this is Yor, she can throw a dodgeball hard enough to part water. What follows is a highlight for the series’ comedic side as it uses the women’s showdown to play out a classic anime-style moment.

While the animation throughout this series has always perfectly accompanied the story’s lighthearted moments, Spy x Family Episode 23 elevates it to a new level for the show. Between the antics during the tennis match in the episode’s opening and Fiona’s struggles to show up Yor, this story brings the best visual comedy it has crafted that doesn’t involve Anya’s brilliant facial expressions.

Spy x Family Episode 23 delivers a satisfying conclusion to the latest mission set before Loid. It brings plenty of fun, a bit of sneaky spycraft, and a healthy dose of Yor being the sweet-hearted badass we all have come to love.

Spy x Family Episode 23 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.