REVIEW: ‘Spy x Family’ Season 3 Episode 6 — “White Jealousy/The Eden College Bus Jacking Incident”

Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6, “White Jealousy/The Eden College Bus Jacking Incident,” sees Loid (Takuya Eguchi, Baki Hanma vs Kengan Ashura) deal with a troublesome coworker at the hospital. But even as a minor problem is addressed, a much deadlier one begins to play out as the students of Eden Hall see their field trip take an unexpected detour. 

The majority of this week’s entry focuses on Loid’s psychiatric work at the Berlint General Hospital. We quickly learn that Loid is beloved by patients and coworkers alike, and he pours on the charm, using his sharp mind to help those who come to visit him. Unfortunately, his popularity is so great that it draws the ire of the hospital director, who seeks to knock Loid down a peg. 

Just as the previous episode passively highlighted important elements of life through its fun narrative, so too does Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6. As the director tries to sabotage Loid’s work, he quickly becomes frustrated by how willingly everyone forgives him for his apparent blunders. He quickly grows frustrated with everyone, as his own, similar errors lead to harsh rebukes. 

Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 showcases Loid’s likability and his haters.

This scenario paints an obvious picture that the director is too close-minded to notice. Because of how great Loid is at what he does and how he treats others, people are willing to forgive simple missteps. One incident even sees some of the hospital staff recommend that Loid take a vacation, as his error must clearly be caused by overwork. But rather than see these moments for what they are, Loid’s antagonist uses them as fuel for his resentment, until it drives him to set Loid up to take the fall as a spy for the West. 

How the plot to have Loid arrested for what he actually is plays out is absurd, but thoroughly funny. The ridiculous lengths Loid, Frost (Ayane Sakura, Oshi No Ko), and Franky (Hiroyuki Yoshino,  New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt) go to trick the hospital director produce lots of chuckles. Little elements, such as Loid hamming it up in his acting on purpose, create a surreal moment that anyone should be able to see through. Only how laughably unrealistic the setup is allows it to be seen as believable, despite being a hoax. 

The only disappointing aspect of the entire scenario is that Franky and Frost are in the same place, yet they don’t have any meaningful interactions with each other. After their successful interplay in the season opener, I hoped that Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 might give the pair another chance to interact. Sadly, that’ll have to wait for another episode. 

The lack of interaction between Franky and Frost feels like a missed opportunity.

From here, Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 segues into its next segment. The action transitions to follow Anya (Atsumi Tanezaki, Arknights: Rise From Embers) and the rest of Eden Hall’s students as they go on a field trip to a museum. We see Anya continue to try to force her way into Damian’s life, through some predictably inelegant means. 

One of the best things about Anya’s character has always been how well the show distorts her perception of things to maintain her status as a child. She learns about the tactics Loid uses as a spy, and attempts to implement them in woefully inadequate ways. But despite her bizarre approaches, they always work because they feel like how a child would perceive the situation. Perfectly flawed for what the actions are meant to be. 

Anay’s clumsy attempts at manipulation are cut short, however, when the bus they are riding on is taken over by terrorists. As the leader of the group explains the situation to his hostages, Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 ends, leaving off on a surprising cliffhanger.

The arrival of terrorists presents a new danger to be faced.

The result of this setup in Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 isn’t what one may expect. Despite the obvious threat to children no less, as the credits began to roll, I found myself simply smiling. Rather than any notion of harm befalling any of the kids, all I could think about was what Yor will do to those terrorists if she gets to them first. The overall tone of the series makes it impossible to believe anything bad will happen to the little ones, leaving the potential for gorgeously animated action to be the likely outcome of the developing story. 

While it would be easy to see this undercutting of the moment’s danger as a setback, it just speaks to how well the series has established itself up until now. Even with the earlier episodes’ exploration of Loid’s traumatic past, it seems impossible that anything terrible could play out in the present day. That can always change, but it just doesn’t feel right for it to. 

Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 delivers a fun primary story while setting up a big narrative beat to come. How it will impact the larger plot is the big question, as it seems likely that the eventual thwarting of the terrorists will play into getting Anya and Loid closer to advancing Operation Stryx. 

Spy x Family Season 3 Episode 6 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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