When we begin this week’s episode, Yor again wonders if she’ll ever fit in with normal people. Well, I’m no expert, but I feel like her worries are so overblown. The only people who think she’s weird are the ones who are close to her, i.e. her family and her coworkers. Her family, which includes Loid, Anya, and Yuri, all love her. As for her coworkers, they started off as bitchy mean girls, but even they’ve been warming up to her (and thus the audience) these days. So from an objective standpoint, it doesn’t seem like Yor really has anything to worry about. She’s just in the throes of her insecurities again. Don’t get me wrong, ’cause Yor definitely is weird. I just don’t think that’s how most people perceive her. Like those gossipy housewives she bumped into as she was leaving her home. They probably don’t think Yor’s weird at all.

Somehow, Yor bumps into Melinda at the department store, and the former even pulls off an impossibly impressive physical feat in the process. We’ll only find out later just how important Melinda really is. In the meantime, Yor immediately gets roped into a volleyball match between housewives. First, I see this trope a lot. Do Japanese housewives often join indoor volleyball leagues? Honestly, I don’t think I know anyone in my personal life who actually plays volleyball. And second, again, Yor’s simply so easygoing and carefree. She’ll do whatever you ask of her even if you’re a stranger like the woman she just met. She kinda spoils Anya at home, so it makes you wonder if she’s ever been taken advantage of by others before. I mean, when’s the last time Yor has given anyone a firm no? How has she made it this far in life? I guess you could argue that Garden is taking advantage of her general naiveté. Obviously, her people pleasing tendencies are rooted in her insecurities, so she must have been dealing with this all her life. We just know so little about her and her past.

After the volleyball match, Yor confides in the other ladies about her issues, but they quickly reassure her that her concerns are actually pretty commonplace. In fact, this is exactly what their mommy society is for: they gather every week to share stories and perhaps commiserate on their everyday struggles (for example, one lady’s kid is up to four Tonitrus Bolts). In hindsight, maybe Yor should’ve joined this sort of community thing sooner, especially if she needs tips on things like how to cook. On the other hand, this is the same group with Damian’s mother in it, so it’s probably pretty safe to assume that these ladies belong to the upper crust of society.

Still, it’s pretty bold of Yor to open up to relative strangers like this. I suppose she feels safe around a bunch of mothers. Personally, it would take me a long time before I start dumping my issues on anyone. It’s not that I expect people to be mean to me, but it only takes one bad egg to ruin everything. It’s like… hm, locking your doors. I don’t think any of my neighbors would rob me, but why risk it? I guess I safeguard my feelings much in the same way. But outside of her secret identity as an assassin, Yor is kind of an open book.

Finally, Melinda reveals herself to be none other than Damian’s mother. Yeah, that Damian. I gotta laugh at Melinda’s formal introduction. Yes, I know her significance to the story, but imagine being one of the other women sitting there, watching your mommy friend say her full name in such a strange and peculiar way. The best part is that Melinda’s name and title couldn’t possibly have any effect on Yor. Our silly goober doesn’t even know who or what a Desmond is. Yor doesn’t even know what the “first lady” title entails. Her imagination runs wild instead. All she knows is that Anya’s schoolmate has the same family name. And as luck would have it, Yor’s cluelessness greatly endears her to Melinda. Considering who she’s married to, it must be hard for the woman to find normal friends. In fact, we learn that all of the women here met her before she ever became the first lady. Basically, Melinda is also seeking her own slice of normality in this crazy world, and it’s ironic that it takes someone as peculiar as Yor to penetrate Melinda’s bubble.

So what’s up with Melinda? How much of her behavior that we see in this week’s episode is actually earnest? And conversely, how much of her mannerisms are actually a facade to conceal something darker and far more sinister? Do none of the other mothers notice it when her mask sometimes slips? Or do they just tell themselves to ignore it because it’s Melinda Desmond? I just wonder, because as far as we know, her husband does not seem like, to put it mildly, a very good guy. Even if you take away the fact that he belongs to a far right faction that could trigger a massive, devastating war at any point in time, how can anyone be in a relationship with a man who looks like he never gets a wink of sleep — a man who looks like an unfortunate fool who has acquired forbidden knowledge of the outer gods? Basically, it takes a special someone who be his spouse, so who exactly is the real Melinda? How much of this mommy society is simply camouflage for her to exist among normal everyday people?

More importantly, what is Yor to Melinda? And what can Yor be for her going forward? Just another friendly face who doesn’t put on airs? Or can I perhaps be cynical about the former first lady? Is it reasonable to worry that she might see Yor as someone she can take advantage of? I mean, she did literally drag a stranger into a volleyball match out of nowhere. Melinda must have seen something in Yor’s temperament that made her think, “Yeah, I can make this super random request and she won’t say no!” With Yor being such a pushover, could Melinda have a purpose more nefarious in mind for her new friend? I dunno, I just wouldn’t trust her. But again, I’m cynical and we can’t all be so suspicious of our new friends. You have to remember, however, that a lot of the adults in this story are downright shady. Yor literally murders people for a job. It’s not outlandish to suspect that Melinda might not be up to any good.

Regardless of Melinda’s true intentions, she’s definitely a strange woman. After all, what’s with her reaction in the car ride home? I’m not quite sure what Melinda is feeling in this moment as she hears from Yor about her son and Anya’s friendship. We learn later from Loid that she’s even estranged from her own son, so there’s obviously something bizarre and twisted going on in that unorthodox family. The best case scenario is that Melinda yearns to be closer to Damian, because what normal mother wouldn’t want to be close to their children? And maybe in Yor, she sees an avenue to bridge that gap. Maybe her strange reaction is a mix of both fear and delight at the potential of this prospect. But, again, nothing is normal about Melinda’s situation, so I don’t know if her maternal feelings would also be so normal. In Melinda, Loid naturally sees a fount of intelligence that he can utilize, but even he has to wonder if his wife bumping into the former first lady can be safely considered a coincidence.

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Stray thoughts & observations:

• I love how Yor agrees to get crunchy tea snacks for Anya without even knowing which ones her daughter is referring to. She even agrees to grab a cake. She’s so carefree and lax. My mom rarely ever bought me sweets; I’m not sure how I would’ve turned out if I had a mom like Yor. Well, safe to say I would’ve had some broken bones, which is something I’ve luckily never had to deal with before.
• Oh Anya, you didn’t really think Damian would actually get you a cake, did you?
• Okay, I wanna know what Anya actually said in Japanese, because I doubt she phrased it like that. But you never know. Portal‘s a pretty popular game franchise. I’ve seen some Japanese streamers play the game.
• Yor has some odd insecurities. Then again, I believe these are the same gossipy housewives who thought Loid was cheating on Yor just because he often came home late.
• Ma’am, people do not sell weapons at department stores. In fact, normal people don’t sell weapons at all.
• It’s weird that she’s this unfamiliar about department stores. I guess the family needs more outings.
• How long is Yor supposed to be out anyway? Can she casually add a volleyball match to her list of things to do?
• Yor going against a bunch of middle aged mommies isn’t even like a professional footballer playing against children. Rather, this is akin to a god descending from Mt. Olympus and deciding to compete against us puny humans. Dude, if I saw something like this as an opposing player, I would just quit. I mean, you literally do not stand a chance. You can only get yourself hurt. “Yo, that housewife can jump higher than Air Jordan himself!” Nevertheless, they play on, and Yor even hilariously adapts by using a minuscule fraction of her overwhelming strength. Well, sometimes. She can’t hide her physical abilities all the time. And funnily enough, in the end, they still lost.
• Unfortunately, Loid considering every possible angle also means he can’t not suspect Yor as well. Alright, Anya, work your magic. Put your father’s silly fears to rest.
• Speaking of which, I do think the former prime minister is onto Loid. Enough to send his wife out into the field and befriend Yor? Eh, I dunno about that. But I don’t think Loid’s secret identity as a spy is as airtight as it could be. Too bad this show’s overarching plot moves so slowly that it’ll probably be years before we really find out what Donovan Desmond is really up to. Sure, I could read the manga, but… eh.
• I’ve actually been buying exactly one volume of this series every month just to read for fun and appreciate the art (it’s not top notch but it’s nice). Why just one? Because I also buy a volume each from other series I’m interested in. I spend maybe roughly thirty bucks a month on manga, which is about four series — five if any of them get a price drop, but that rarely happens. My point is, at this pace, I won’t even catch up to the anime adaptation anytime soon. I’m fine with that, though. I prefer anime to manga anyway.
• In any case, Loid can’t speculate about Melinda all night, because unbeknownst to him, he’ll also be confusing Anya.
• Does Yor really need her husband’s permission to keep attending the society’s meetings? Yeah, you should keep your family in the loop, but explicit permission? Eh, I guess back in those days… Well, there’s nothing to worry about here, because Loid has a perfect response for Yor that almost feels rehearsed. It’s too bad he can’t be fully honest with his family.
• Well, Operation Strix now has a potential new route to success. I love how Anya now thinks she’s in direct competition with her own mother. Equally funny is her perception of Damian. Every other SPY x FAMILY fan is desperate to ship these two kids, but for now, he’s just a dork in her eyes. Yes, yes, keep that way. Let kids be kids. She’s literally five. I don’t want five year olds to think about romance!
• Too bad her best friend is probably the biggest Anya x Damian shipper, and she’s got the dumbest ideas floating around in that tiny head of hers. To Becky’s credit, her episode in the second season — the one where she brazenly tried to court Loid in front of both Anya and Yor — was probably the funniest in the entire series. For me, only the movie tops it.
• I know they can’t share a bedroom because they’re not actually together, but doesn’t this scene feel so painfully lonely? Hell, I’m a loner and I don’t forlornly sit on my bed like that.
• Yor covers all her bases and even asks the Shopkeeper for permission to befriend Melinda. Man, we haven’t seen him in a while. Still as enigmatic as ever, huh? I especially still want to know why he looks like a desiccated corpse.
• Unfortunately, Yor’s very casual and simplistic understanding of her husband’s motivations is raising some eyebrows… assuming the Shopkeeper even has eyebrows.
• Oh lord…
• Well, Damian deserves it for not getting her a cake. She literally saved his ass from Schlag, and she’s gotten nothing to show for it but a Tonitrus Bolt.