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The audience was eagerly waiting for the appearance of Yuri Briar in Spy X Family episode 8, and both the animation and Kensho Ono did this fan favorite character justice. Various sides of Yuri’s character were explored in this episode, with several more waiting to be revealed in the next one.
Taking a detour from the usual Anya-centered plot, Spy X Family episode 8 focused more on Yor and Loid’s relationship, as well as more mature themes. The darker side of the world they live in was juxtaposed with the romantic side of Yor and Loid’s pretence.
The undercurrent of hilarity did lighten the severity of some of the serious themes that this episode highlighted.
Spy X Family episode 8 reveals Yuri’s secret, the Forgers are forced to take their acting a step too far
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In the last episode, Anya managed to apologize to Damian despite Becky’s protests, However, the apology was rejected due to Damian realizing that he had become infatuated with Anya.
Loid became too strict with Anya’s studies, but Yor told him about her own experience with her younger brother. She asked Loid to praise Anya more. Elsewhere, Yuri, Yor's brother, found out about her marriage from Dominic.
Spy X Family episode 8 is titled “The Counter-Secret Police Cover Operation” and cover chapters 11 and 12 of the manga. To maintain consistency, this article will follow the Viz translation of names instead of the Muse translation.
Note: This episode, and the media included in the article by default, features several depictions of blood and torture, and therefore discretion is advised.
The State Security Service
Spy X Family episode 8 begins with a light-hearted scene of Anya getting an answer wrong in class, gifting the viewers yet another Anya Meme Face. Twilight goes to meet Sylvia, who reminds him that Anya must become a scholar at any cost. She also notifies him that the State Security Service (SSS) has recently brought one of WISE’s informants for questioning.
The SSS is Ostania’s counter-intelligence agency and the opposing force to WISE. They employ many methods, from torture to wiretapping, in order to capture spies and counter what they consider treason. They are called the Secret Police by the citizens and are generally feared.
Yuri Briar, age 20
Spy X Family episode 8 cuts to the City Hall, where Camelia informs Yor that Dominic ran into Yuri the night before. Yor remembers that she had forgotten to inform Yuri and give him her new address.
The scene moves to the SSS headquarters, where some high-ranking officers are seen interrogating Hayward. a civil servant from the city hall. Soon, the interrogation is passed off to Yuri Briar, who is revealed to be an SSS agent.
Yuri is 20 years old and far too intelligent for his age. He was recruited after skipping several grades and has already reached the rank of 2nd lieutenant. While most of his colleagues, including his boss, coddle him and treat him like a child, they both respect and understand his talents at interrogation and detection.
Demonstratively, Yuri manages to get Hayward to talk within minutes, but does not shy away from employing a bit of harsh treatment. Yuri’s motivation for protecting his country is linked to his love for Yor, but he does seem to hold some loyalty to his nation. It is also revealed that the SSS is specifically after Twilight.
The “Lovey-Dovey marriage Kit”
Spy X Family episode 8 shifts to the Forger home where Yor returns and tells Loid that Yuri is coming to visit them that night. She refuses Loid’s offer to tell Yuri the truth about their marriage, since he would not accept Yor being stuck in a sham marriage with a man she does not love.
Loid is prepared for this, and has a full set of fake things that imply a happy married life, including, but not limited to: a set of photoshopped photographs, gaudy romantic bedsheets, several household items with “LOVE” inscribed on them, and various other things that put Valentine’s Day decorations to shame.
The Forgers put on a convincing act in front of Yuri, but he is determined to hate Loid. However, he believes anything Yor says, including her flimsy excuse of simply having forgotten to inform her brother of her marriage. Yuri is enamored by Loid’s cooking and admits that the man is someone he ought to approve of for his sister.
Secret identities
Yuri gifts them an expensive wine from Hugaria, where he was supposed to have gone for a diplomatic meeting. This is the cover story for his SSS mission, and Twilight discovers his identity when Yuri describes the foreign city as per the SSS handbook, word by word.
Twilight realises Yuri might be smart, but he is inexperienced due to his age. He also realises that Yuri is likely keeping this a secret from Yor as well.
Yuri, meanwhile, gets drunk and tells Loid about how much Yor has sacrificed to provide them with basic necessities and give him a proper education since the siblings were children.
Setting aside his obsession with his sister, Yuri feels strongly about his remaining family, and resents Loid for taking her away. The latter, a professional liar that he is, falsely proclaims his undying love for Yor to placate him.
However, he soon realises that Loid and Yor are very aware of each-other’s physical presence, which is uncommon for married couples. To prove that they are really married, he asks them to kiss each other once.
Loid has honey-trapped several women in the past for missions, so he has no qualms about performing. Yor, however, has no experience, and starts to panic as Loid leans in at the end of Spy X Family episode 8.
Final thoughts
The first thing to note in Spy X Family episode 8 is that while the series wants to provide a fair impression of the two warring countries, the description of the SSS emphasizes their brutality while neglecting to mention or depict the similar methods that WISE must also employ during their missions.
The series needs the audience to empathize with Loid and Yor, but in order to justify WISE’s actions, the merciless nature of the SSS must be highlighted. This is not exactly biased storytelling, but can be classified as redirecting the viewer towards a preferred narrative.
On the flip side, this depiction of the SSS is not only correct, but Spy X Family episode 8 also explains why Yor's motivation for entering the marriage seemed so justified to Loid. The SSS is clearly modelled after certain infamous organizations throughout history.
They are truly ruthless, and their particular brand of nationalism has crossed the boundaries of rationality and into paranoia. While WISE’s continuous infiltration of their country may justify the SSS's fear of spies, it does not excuse the treatment of their own citizens.
Yuri has a sister complex, and while the Spy X Family episode 8 portrays it in funny colors, the next episode may make some viewers uncomfortable. However, once this obsession is removed, Yuri and Yor share a strong familial bond that serves as their motivation for doing what they do.
This is a connection that Twilight does not have, and during the course of the series, he forms one with his fake family.
