REVIEW: ‘Spy x Family’ Season 2 Episode 5 — “The Plan to Cross the Border”

After previous episodes this season that were made up of short anthology stories, Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 5, “The Plan to Cross the Border,” introduces a larger narrative as Yor (Saori Hayami) must take a job to protect a woman and child who are being targeted by assassins. Unfortunately for her, Anya (Atsumi Tanezaki) won a raffle that scored her and Loid (Takuya Eguchi, Ranking of Kings) passage on the cruise ship her client is using to flee the country.

This week’s episode opens with Yor, in her capacity as Thorn Princess, arriving at what appears to be a lush greenhouse to meet her boss, an enigmatic man known as Shopkeeper (Junichi Suwabe, Frieren: Beyond Jounrey’s End). He has a job for Yor, but rather than her usual assassination-style missions, this one is to protect the only remaining member of a mafia family that was recently wiped out. Now Olka Gretcher (Aya Endô, Violet Evergarden: The Movie) and her infant son Gram must flee the country before they are hunted down by killers hired by their former organization’s new leader.

To smuggle them out of the country, Yor and some of her co-workers will accompany them on a cruise under the guise of working for the city to try to seal a deal on an urban renewal project. While Yor has concerns about leaving her family for an extended period of time, she is assured that this mission will help keep the world beautiful, so she accepts.

While there is plenty of narrative importance to this scene, it also introduces an internal struggle that will persist for Yor throughout the episode and beyond. She begins questioning whether or not she should still be doing this work. While Anya and Loid were originally just cover for her job, they have become so much more for her. As the story throughout Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 5 unfolds, circumstances will bring her back to this question again and again.

From here, Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 5 cuts to Loid and Anya as they are out doing some shopping. Anya sees a man calling out about a raffle whose grand prize is a luxury yacht cruise. Eager to go on an adventure, Anya asks Loid for their ticket so she can try.

While waiting in line, Anya learns that the game has been rigged by the worker running it so a friend of his in line behind Anya can win the prize. Knowing the setup, Anya is of course able to snag the winner instead, much to the bewilderment of the man running the game.

This scene delivers the full range of hilarious Anya expressions, from her trademark look of shocked horror as she learns the game is rigged to the utter cockiness of her most mischievous smile as she shows off the winning ticket.

Once back at home, Yor learns about the prize Anya won and discovers it’s on the same boat as hers. This worries Yor, as it presents the possibility of her family learning about her double life. As she struggles with what to do about the situation, Anya overhears her thoughts and enters a crisis of consciousness over whether or not to press the issue, thus causing a problem for Yor.

This moment is the highlight of Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 5. Taking the form of a little Anya angel and demon over her shoulders, we see the debate play out over what to do. To say that Angel Anya folds shockingly fast is an understatement. This delightful moment of caving in is another example of the series’ writing, remembering that Anya is a six-year-old whose desire to go on a grand adventure would always win out over an abstract problem for her mom that she wouldn’t be able to fully grasp. The dejected look of Angel Anya as she swiftly wilts under Devil Anya’s powerful arguments cements the moment perfectly.

Once the trio arrives at the ship, Yor takes her leave to join her coworkers as Anya and Loid begin to explore the vessel. Yor meets her new charge, and the pair end up spending some time alone together. Olka, getting restless after being in confinement for so long, asks if she may wander the ship for a bit. While concerned about the risk of being seen, either by hired mercenaries or her family, Yor’s empathy for the woman eventually wins out, and the pair find a secluded section of deck where mother and child can enjoy the fresh sea air.

During their time together, Olka ends up confiding in Yor about her life and her recent struggles as she tries to ensure her son has a future. This sequence builds a bit of empathy for Olka despite the fact that she is in this situation due to her connection to a mafia.

Unfortunately for the pair, it turns out the ship has been bugged, and those seeking to find her overhear Olka tell Yor her son’s real name, keying the hunters into her whereabouts. As the episode ends, the call goes out about which room Olka is staying in, setting up for next week’s episode.

All in all, Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 5 delivers a solid entry. With a little heart and a couple of heartfelt moments, the episode is an enjoyable watch, while not hitting as strong as some entries in the series due to much of its time being spent on setting up Yor’s mission.

Spy x Family Season 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.