Source: Crunchyroll
Overall 9.4/10
Story 9.5/10
In this episode, the writers introduce the audience to Yor’s brother, Yuri. He learns that his sister supposedly has been married for a year and never told him. Yuri invites himself over for dinner. But first, he has to take care of some business at work: his secret police job. He interrogates a man that he thinks has info on Twilight. What Yuri doesn’t know is that Twilight is right under his nose. This makes for a fascinating dinner.
The writers dispense entirely with the recap for this episode. It’s a bold move. Recaps are a staple for this medium. But it works. Those who have been watching all along really don’t need a recap. Perhaps other shows in the medium will follow suit. At any rate, it allows us to jump right into the story. And this viewer will always applaud that. It means we can focus on the other story elements.
Character 9.8/10
Yuri is a lot like Yor. He can change his countenance with ease and go from a nice guy to hell's denizen in the blink of an eye. And like the other three main characters, he has a great deal to hide. At best, he’s overprotective of Yor. At worst, he may have a bit of a sister complex. And if that weren't shocking enough, he's also an officer for the evil empire. He set himself up to be, as he stated, “the natural enemy of Twilight.” But to him, Twilight is the villain that seeks to sew chaos. It’ll be incredible to see the interplay between Yuri and Loid as the story unfolds.
Yor and Loid’s relationship takes ten steps forward in this episode, due to Yuri's forceful hand. We learn a little more about Yor in this episode as well and how truly innocent she is. It’s evident at this point why she is so naive. Yor never grows and matures in some aspects of her life because she never got the chance to do things that normal people do. She’s never had that opportunity because she had to put her life on hold to take care of her little brother. So Yor's relationship with Loid, though fake, is the first real relationship she’s ever had with a man. She can’t fake a kiss or a relationship if she’s never had a real one. For that reason, whatever feelings the audience sees from Yor toward Loid have to be genuine.
Loid is at a decided advantage. As the world’s greatest spy, he is very worldly. The writers let us know from the beginning that he’s had many relationships. In short, Loid holds Yor and her heart in the palm of his hand. And the audience doesn't know what he is going to do with them. Maybe Loid doesn't either.
The audience doesn't see a great deal of Anya in this episode. Yuri has yet to meet her. It will be interesting to see if he will soften his stance once he finally does. That’s certainly something to watch moving forward, as Anya’s second superpower is melting hearts.
Animation 8.9/10
Kudos to the animators and artists for illustrating Yor’s expressiveness, as her emotions ran the gambit in this episode. So did Yuri’s while Loid was as low-key and controlled as ever. Once again the artists and animators adeptly assist with revealing character as well as introduce a power struggle between Yuri and Loid.
Final Thoughts
The world's greatest spy now has an arch-nemesis. It's a great way to raise the stakes. And Yuri matching wits with Loid will make for a great story. Loid will do everything in his power not to lose his family. Can he fend Yori off? And will he try to stop the loss for the sake of the mission or for the sake of his family? Viewers will continue to tune in to see those questions answered. This viewer absolutely will.