Source: Crunchyroll
Overall 9.4/10
Story 9.1/10
Yor and Loid nearly blow their cover. Yor is too embarrassed to meet her brother’s challenge to prove they’re in love and sends him on a short trip. Loid’s trust in Yor is shaken by Yuri’s visit. Loid decides to put her to the test.
Not a lot happens this episode in regards to plot. It's more about two of the main characters and the general trajectories of their arcs.
Character 10/10
We learn some things about Yor during her brother’s visit. She’s never had a real relationship before. So Loid wants her to fake a kiss to save their cover. In essence, he wants her to fake something she’s never experienced. This relationship, for the most part, is fake for Loid. He has had real relationships. And he has faked many more. But for Yor, this fake relationship is the only relationship she’s ever had with a man. So it’s real for her.
Yor has never had real friends. She treats the fake ones she has as though they’re her real friends. These are the same people who treated her horribly several episodes ago because they thought she was single. But she’s never had friends. If she did, she would know that the ones she has now aren’t real friends. But she doesn’t have anything to gauge them by, so she treats them as though they’re real. She asks her fake friends for advice about her fake marriage. They give her horrible advice because they’re jealous of what they think she has.
The only reason she seeks advice from them is because she senses something is off with Loid. She thinks it's because Loid is sick of her. That’s a sign that she’s viewing her relationship with him as a courtship of sorts. And she feels like he’s growing bored with her because of her inexperience.
But Yor is off the mark. It’s not that Loid is sick of her. What she doesn’t know is that Loid’s trust in her is shaken. Loid is a spy. Spies don’t trust easily. Their job is to fool others, so they can get what they need.
Although Loid’s first concern is for the mission, and he can’t have a member of his team that he can’t trust, there are some parallels between his fake relationship with Yor and a real one.
The foundation of any relationship is trust. And given that Loid knows that Yor has a family member in the secret police, he wonders just how loyal she really is. In the type of profession that he’s in no one is beyond reproach. But it makes this viewer think of how loyalties are tested in real relationships when we look at fidelity.
And much like real relationships, when Yor passes the test, Loid realizes their relationship is built on a solid foundation. He feels terrible that he ever doubted her. His stance softens toward Yor again. It’s possible that these are the first seeds of Loid’s feelings toward Yor.
We didn’t see very much of Anya in this episode. But generally, Anya is in the know. And her brief appearance has punch. She pressures both Yor and Loid to get whatever is wrong with their relationship right.
Animation 9.0/10
Animation can be used to exaggerate things for comedic effect or even just to prove a point. For instance, Yor’s brother is precious to her. But when he mentions the kiss between Yor and Loid that nearly happens, Yor slaps him so hard that she sends him flying.
For viewers that pay close attention, they can see that Yor’s palm is badly bruised from the slap. And blood spurts from Yori’s head. This scene has a dual effect. Firstly, it’s instant comedy. But it also reveals a lot about Yor’s character as well. She’s so embarrassed at the thought of kissing Loid that she can’t even bear its mention out loud. It's a brilliant way to use the animation to add layers to Yor’s character and shed light on not just Loid and Yor’s relationship but also on Yor and Yuri’s. It’s another job well done for the artists and animators.
Final Thoughts
Each episode gets better and better as the writers reveal more about the characters. The relationships between the main characters are beginning to evolve as they behave more and more like a real family. Yuri's introduction into the mix as a threat to Loid's family may prove to be the litmus test for Loid's true feelings toward Yor and Anya. We shall see.
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