Spy X Family Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: Will Anya Finally Work Hard?

The last two episodes of the ongoing season of Spy X Family were exceptional, to say the least, which explored Loid’s traumatic past as a victim of war and allowed the series to address some relevant questions involving the impact of armed conflict in an era where xenophobic, hyper-nationalist sentiments are at an all-time high. A similar grittiness of Loid’s past exploration can be noticed in the first segment of the latest episode, which focuses on intricacies of spycraft with Sylvia Sherwood in the lead. On the other hand, to balance the grim, dark tone of the previous chapters, the latest episode adopts the series’ familiar lighthearted approach in exploring Anya’s segment.

Spoilers Ahead

The intimidating, sharp, and pragmatic commanding officer of Operation Strix and Loid’s handler, Sylvia Sherwood, aka Fullmetal Lady, is at the forefront of the first half of the episode, where her worldview as a veteran spy comes into focus. A renowned Ostanian opera singer, Jonas Wellman, is going to perform in Westalis, and the event is going to be of significant importance as it will strengthen the cultural and diplomatic ties between the neighboring nations. However, days before Wellman’s performance, nasty rumors start spreading about the singer, which range from Wellman cheating on his wife, leaking intel to his secret lover in Westalis, having mafia ties, and denouncing his country to settle for a better life in the West. While Wellman denies these rumors, public uproar can’t be contained. Even a novice member of WISE voices his disdain for the artist, as he thinks his actions have jeopardized the event for which diplomats in both nations worked so hard. Sylvia isn’t bothered about ongoing rumors; she sternly reminds the rookie that their job is to ensure the event goes as planned, and they need to pull strings to stop the rumors from reaching West. The rookie agent remains skeptical whether the situation can be salvaged, as he believes public sentiment is totally against Wellman right now.

Sylvia notes that the media houses controlled by right-wing political parties of Ostania are the ones to spread the rumors and questions the validity of the rumors even though she isn’t completely sure whether they are fake or not. As a veteran intelligence officer, she can’t make the mistake of letting assumptions and prejudices guide her mind and jumping to conclusions and advises the rookie agent to adopt a more objective worldview. Needless to say, viewers will be reminded of the previous chapters where Loid’s past also highlighted how wartime propaganda pitted people of two nations against each other. Sylvia mentions that even the smallest bit of misinformation can put lives in danger, and it is hinted that she possibly had a personal experience that taught her the lesson in a harsh way. Sylvia remembers how she taught their best operative, Agent Twilight, to let go of his prejudices as well, in a very similar manner. 

Soon enough, a death threat is issued for Wellman, and it’s up to Sylvia and WISE agents to prepare for the worst-case scenario. While the novice agent holds the opinion that the threat is inconsequential and sent by an over-the-edge bloke, Sylvia is not willing to leave things to chance. The next day, the narrative completely shifts in Wellman’s favor as it is revealed that those rumors were baseless. Other agents seem relieved, considering the death threat might not be considered a serious problem any longer. However, Sylvia still remains vigilant about the death threat, and in the crowd of protestors gathering for Wellman, she spots a guard whose demeanor seems quite sketchy. Sylvia calls one of her undercover agents located nearby, working as a kebab shop owner, and he is able to confirm her suspicion as he sees the guard has left his post and is brandishing a silencer gun with nefarious intentions. While the undercover agent distracts Wellman’s security personnel, Sylvia reaches the location just in time to incapacitate the deranged guard by using just a belt. The guard, Pance Kormer, an Ostanian army veteran who struggled to make ends meet after quitting the force, turns out to be the one who sent the death threat to Wellman. Sylvia, who has past experiences of dealing with brainwashed soldiers, can understand how Kormer might have justified his actions. 

The novice agent acknowledges his mistake that he rushed to conclusions and blamed Wellman, an innocent person, for nearly jeopardizing the possibility of improving relations between two nations. However, funnily enough, it turns out some of the rumors were indeed true, as Wellman is planning to settle in Westalis for good to evade the mafia boss, whose wife was having an affair with the opera singer. The novice agent is extremely confused by all this, and Sylvia advises him to use his capacity to think instead of blindly trusting everything. 

The second half of the episode follows Anya, who is getting bored in school after bus delays in picking up students. Henderson convinces Anya to help him in carrying study materials with the promise of treating her with sweets. As a supportive teacher, Henderson conveys to Anya that she can confide in him if she is feeling pressured in school due to any issues, but Anya is in a super chill mood like always and mentions that she is doing fine. Henderson is surprised, as he wonders how, despite getting two Tonitrus Bolts, Anya is keeping herself composed like this, and reading his mind, Anya takes all the wrong cues to assuage his concerns. Henderson tries to make Anya realize the importance of inculcating good habits, discipline, and a hardworking mindset from a young age, which makes a student eligible to gain Stella Stars and become an Imperial Scholar, like Anya wishes to become. Little Anya can’t understand the significance of these big words; she just knows that for Loid’s mission to succeed, she needs to become an Imperial Scholar and just becomes more and more confused with Henderson’s advice. Henderson tries to inspire Anya through examples of former renowned Imperial Scholars of Eden Academy, who went on to become notable public figures. There is even an Imperial Scholar who received six Tonitrus Bolts but became a renowned personality in later years. Anya curiously asks whether she too can be one among them in the future, and even though Henderson can’t answer that, he mentions her own actions and a bit of luck are going to be the determining factors in that. Ultimately, Henderson is unable to make Anya fully realize the significance of his words, as she returns home after enjoying her sweet treats. 

After returning home, Anya reads the minds of her parents and realizes how hard they have to work daily to keep everything together. Anya is motivated enough to ask Loid to help her with study, but Loid is so shocked by such an unexpected request from his daughter that he almost faints, considering she might have received another Tonitrus Bolt yet again.