A good chunk of this week’s episode is devoted to Loid fending off his jealous superior. Y’see, everyone wants a piece of Loid. It’s all for the mission. Not only is he popular enough to potentially get VIP clients, you can’t get turned in for being suspicious if everyone loves you. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite manage to charm everyone. The chief director of the hospital is incensed that Loid is hogging all of the attention. As a result, he tries to pull all sorts of childish pranks. Naturally, our spy deftly avoids all of the negative consequences, so in the end, the fool of a director resorts to the most heinous thing he could do: accuse Loid of being a spy. Oh, if only he knew how right he was. And sure enough, Loid is already fifty billion steps ahead.

Fiona, being the brutal and efficient spy that she is, suggests disposing of the chief director, but Loid opposes the idea. But why? They could get rid of this asshole director and bring in someone far more amicable. So instead, they turn the tables on the director. Loid then pretends to be the (very dramatic) voice of reason that “rescues” the director, thus putting the man forever in his debt. I guess that also works…? But it’s so convoluted, and it could’ve failed if the director stubbornly remained spiteful. And who’s to say he’ll forever have gratitude? He could forget how Loid saved him, and go back to being a jealous jerk. Yeah, I think I’m with Fiona: they should’ve just gotten rid of him. It’s not like he’s an innocent person. He tried to poison Loid (with laxatives) and accuse him of being a spy (despite being right about this). He also wanted to trick a woman (Fiona) into sleeping with him. He’s the type of Karen who would call ICE on a waiter because his drink has one too many ice cubes or whatever. Why spare a man like that?

Towards the end of the episode, the focus shifts back to the kids, who are on their way to a museum. Damian is being a joyless brat as usual. Lately, the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, so a lot of people have been pitying him. Yeah, yeah, he has a terrible home life and his father never praises him. But now the pendulum swings back and reminds us that he can be a huge, arrogant jerk to people who are just trying to be friends with him. Sure, maybe your life at home sucks and you constantly have to fend off brown nosers, but you can still try to be a better person. Plus, a trip to the museum sounds awesome. Better than any field trips I ever got. Well, that’s not true. One time, we got to visit one of California’s Spanish missions. But I digress. Unfortunately for the kiddos, they won’t be seeing any dinosaur bones anytime soon. Instead, the bus gets hijacked by extremists.

Finally, with the episode almost over, we’re introduced to someone who’s an actual threat. When I saw the preview for this week’s episode, I thought the bus hijacking would be the main focus. But man, that little side story with the hospital director just dragged on and on and on, didn’t it? I know it’s setting up the possibility of bringing Melinda in and having Loid as her psychiatrist, but still, I feel like the pacing was off — like it was a couple minutes too long. Oh well, at least we’re finally at our destination, which is young children being held hostage! Surely, Anya is going to somehow resolve this bus hijacking, and double surely, it’s going to be hilarious. But more importantly, she’s got to earn a Stella from this, right? After all, she needs to balance out that Tonitrus bolt she just got.

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Stray thoughts & observations:

• Anya initially wants a cake from Damian, but when she realizes she could push the mission forward, she actually sacrifices her sweet tooth for not only information but also the sake of world peace. Pretty impressive for a five-year-old. No sarcasm, actually.
• Whoa, language! I realize Becky is often left to her own devices, but I wonder why. I’m not saying they should monitor her 24/7, but her family is certainly rich enough to at least have someone check what she’s consuming.
• Damian’s eyes narrow when Anya tells him that she hasn’t heard anything about Damian through the grapevine. First, he seems to share the same mood swings as his mother. Perhaps to a lesser degree, but it’s there. Second, I think he finally remembers that he’s estranged from his mother. He probably thinks she doesn’t care about him at all, which is why he readily accepts the fact that her mother wouldn’t have said anything about him. Mother and son are kept apart, but why?
• Hmm, think about it. Who needs a therapist? Perhaps a mother who can’t see her son?
• I think it’d be funny if someone ends up stalking Loid because he’s so charming, thus putting Operation Strix in jeopardy. For example, maybe they come close to finding out about Loid’s fake family. Technically, this should be scary, but it’s Loid so I’m sure he could handle a weirdo no problem.
• Oh right, he already has a stalker: Fiona. Do you think Fiona is the type of woman who would let Loid sleep around “for the mission?” I mean, they are fellow spies…
• It’s too late. It’s way too late, girl. What would Eden College think if Anya just showed up with yet another mother. But in all seriousness, I bet you Fiona knows in her heart that Loid would never pick her. She’s just entertaining herself with her fantasies. If he ever did choose her, she’d probably freeze up and ruin her golden opportunity to be his wife, i.e. the classic “I never thought I would get this far.”
• I’m almost tempted to go back and time the conversation.
• What? This is the real reason why you’re jealous? Bro, you stand no chance.
• Even though Loid ends up being late to a meeting, his coworkers still praise him. Apparently, they get on the jealous doctor’s case instead. Well, this is why soft skills are important. As long as people like you, you can be as mediocre as you want (granted, being good at your job also helps people to like you).
• I don’t know about Ostania, but this is literally a crime in my world. But once again, having a rumbly tummy still somehow works out for Loid.
• Do people really get toilet paper stuck to them like this? And how? You see this gag a lot in movies and TV shows, but I’ve never ever seen this happen in real life. Not to me or anyone I know. Still, it has to come from somewhere.
• Honestly, pretty legible for a doctor.
• If the short guy is Franky, then who’s the tall accomplice of theirs? Oh, that’s who it is. Right, they’re so good at disguises that Fiona can literally look like a dude.
• Now’s not the time to indulge in your fetish, Fiona.
• I’ve seen people want to ship these two, but I’m not a fan of the idea. It’s like trying to ship Aira and Jiji in Dandadan. You don’t always have to pair everyone up. Characters are allowed to have lives outside the confines of the narrative we’re told. Plus, I’m uncomfortable with the idea of shipping “the leftovers.” They deserve better than that.
• In Anya’s head, she cooks up almost the exact same scheme that her father pulled on the director. But that would only happen if Loid sat there all night and replayed the events of the day in his head in front of Anya. I guess it’s possible, but eh… Oh well, Anya’s execution needs some refinement.
• Oh wow, there is cake. Well, is there? These don’t look like cakes. Plus, they ended up in his lackeys’ bellies anyway.
• When you think about all the kids with rich and/or political connections on this bus, I’m kinda surprised that the security was so lax. They have one security car. Not only that, when they saw the bus come to a complete stop, I feel like they should’ve immediately hopped out of their car and questioned the bus driver, not sit there and watch a pair of strangers climb onto the bus.
• Oh boy, more fuel for the shippers in next week’s episode.
• Seeing others react to the show, I think people are too harsh on Loid. “How can he still suspect Yor?” I mean, it’s literally his job. Yes, we all want the Forgers to stay together as one big, happy family, but he’s literally trying to prevent another massive war. He can’t just take for granted that his fake wife is innocent, which, let’s be real, she isn’t. She’s literally an assassin for a mysterious organization. If preventing a war means means you might have to hurt your fake wife’s feelings once in a while, then so be it. “I can’t believe he doesn’t consider Franky a friend!” Deep down, Loid probably does. But you also have to remember what happened to his childhood friends. I doubt he wants to forge those deep connections with someone else, because it’ll only hurt him more should tragedy strike again. He’s already taking a massive risk with Anya.