After Loid’s heavy-hitting backstory, we’re back to one-off stories that can be wrapped up in about half an episode, i.e. this is normally what we’ve come to expect from SPY x FAMILY. For now, this is fine; the show is giving viewers a bit of a breather, especially if last week’s episode hit you in the feels. It certainly did for me. But now that we know the heights that the show can achieve — deeply personal drama in the flashback or pure hilarity in the movie — it would be disappointing if another major chapter doesn’t surface soon. For instance, I think the second season suffered from waiting too long before giving us the arc on the cruise ship. It also had nothing follow up Yor’s intense mission, so the last few episodes fell flat. In any case, it helps that this week’s first one-off story gives Sylvia an opportunity to reflect back on her experience training Loid. In a way, we’re getting a very minor, light-hearted extension to his backstory.

Handler and her agents have to protect a world-renowned opera singer who has come to visit the West. Hell, we even learn later that he actually defect, so it isn’t shocking to learn that he’s deemed a traitor by extremists. As an aside, I don’t think I could name an actual opera singer off the top of my head. Oh wait, I remember one. I used to spend my time wandering through the aisles of Barnes & Noble as a kid. In actuality, it was just a free form of daycare for my mom while she did errands. And back in those days, I remember they would continuously blast Andrea Bocelli singing “Time To Say Goodbye.” They played it so much, I can still hum the tune from start to finish. So there’s one actual opera singer I know, and I can’t imagine his hypothetical assassination being an international incident.

Mr. Wellman is unfortunately dogged by scandals. Most of the stuff in the tabloids probably aren’t true, but I bet one of them is. If I had to make a bet, I’d put my money on the part about him being a cheater, because, y’know, men with power and fame are wont to do that sort of thing. But it’s fine for a civilian like me to make snap judgments from time to time on matters of little consequence. On the other hand, it’s weird for a WISE agent to take what he reads in trashy journalism to heart. An agent also shouldn’t use his gut feelings as a basis for evaluating someone’s character. I know he’s a rookie so he lacks experience, but I feel like you should meet a certain standard to even be recruited into a top flight spy organization in the first place. But sure, I know why this kid is here and the purpose his naive character serves: his snotty attitude gives Sylvia the platform to give her little lecture on how to be a proper intelligence agent and also feed us a bit of exposition. A few people were disappointed we didn’t get to see Loid’s spy training after last week’s episode. Well, you’re sorta getting it now. Loid probably wasn’t as hapless as this new kid, but he had his own flaws and blind spots. Nevertheless, the new kid’s ineptitude does stretch the story’s credulity.

If I had to pick, then Sylvia Sherwood is probably favorite female character on the show. Yeah, Yor is cute and adorable, but I gravitate more to the Sylvia types. First, I don’t feel like I could have a great conversation with Yor. I don’t think she’s stupid, but our personalities wouldn’t mesh. Second, Yor is so inhumanly strong that she doesn’t feel real. Someone like Sylvia is more grounded despite the fact that she’s a Handler with decades of experience. We even get to see Sylvia in action this time around. She probably can’t hold a candle to the top assassins in the world, but she can at least get the jump on a crazed former soldier — enough to even break his jaw with just her belt. And don’t make it weird. I’m not into that sort of play.

Eventually, the tabloids start singing a different tune and for obvious reasons: Sherwood must have pulled some strings. Nevertheless, the new kid is an idiot who believes everything he reads, so he starts flip-flopping on Wellman. He is so dumb, and I have to question why they even let him join. How can he be an effective spy when he takes everything he reads at face value? He also annoyingly casts doubt on everything Sylvia says, which, okay, a dose of skepticism is healthy. But this guy is overdoing it. Is WISE really that desperate for new blood these days?

And hey, what do you know? Maybe Wellman is a scumbag after all.

In the latter half of the episode, Anya is all by herself after school because her bus is running late. This gives her the opportunity, however, to have precious 1-on-1 time with her teacher Mr. Henderson. Unfortunately, she’s too young to take advantage of the opportunity. Can you blame her? What 5-year-old wants to chat about what it takes to become an Imperial Scholar? What 5-year-old wants to review her last quiz? She’s still only five, right? My point is, kids that age should be playing and employing their imagination, not studying for freaking quizzes. God knows that imagination is going to die one day long before they ever get to adulthood. But that’s a little too depressing, so I digress.

Honestly, none of my K-12 teachers ever reached out to me like this. I only ever had this sort of encounter once I got to college. I even had one professor who was happy to listen to me yap for about an hour or more. Maybe his students didn’t normally take advantage of his office hours, so he was willing to tolerate my nonsense. Well, it’s funny how Henderson always has a positive spin for Anya’s words and actions. Even though he’s a bit of a stiff, he’s genuinely on her side and she’s lucky for that. All in all, he’s a pretty positive guy, which I suppose you need to be if you’re going to try and educate a bunch of young children.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because Henderson and his beloved school is far from perfect. The handkerchief thing from two episodes ago was so bullshit. I know it’s played up for comedic effect, but just the fact that Eden Academy would employ a nasty woman like Schlag makes me think less of the institution. Plus, it’s a Hogwarts rip-off, and these days, anything Harry Potter related is kinda tainted. Nevertheless, Henderson defends Schlag’s actions, so I’m ultimately disappointed in him as well.

To help inspire Anya, Henderson shows her a gallery full of former Imperial Scholars. There are a lot of men on both walls, but some women as well. He even points out how one of them achieved such lofty honors despite also earning six Tonitrus Bolts along the way. Welp, that’s pretty much the path that Anya is on. And even though she didn’t take up his offer to review her last quiz, he did at least help inspire Anya to work harder. She is mainly motivated by seeing her parents work so hard, but every bit helps. Unfortunately, this newfound work ethic only makes Loid more suspicious.