Spy x Family, Episode 11, Stella Review: Excellent Commentary on Silent Drowning.

While the previous, hilarious episode of Spy x Family detailed Anya’s failed attempt to get a Stella Star through PE, Episode 11, “Stella”, depicts her actually obtaining one through a heroic act.
Directed by Toshifumi Akai, this episode also begins on a hilarious note, with Anya glumly watching her Bondman cartoon while the lines of dialogue depressingly match up with Loid looking at all the Fs she received for her tests.
“This can’t be happening!” One of the cartoon characters cries out as we see Loid going over all of the failed tests, before Anya attempts to flee from studying when the lights are turned on.
Eventually, both Loid and Yor sit down with Anya in an attempt to help her study and Anya again shows she can learn through her cartoon, prompting Loid to attempt this new study technique, only for it to be revealed to us that Anya failed because she read the wrong people’s minds about the answers for the test.
She decides to learn which student is best at which subject so she can cheat off them, sporting a humorously evil grin at the thought.
Unfortunately, it is here that we see the downside of Anya’s telepathy, as she hears Loid thinking that if she were to get perfect scores so suddenly then it could make her classmates shun her.
This terrifies Anya, once more showing why she has not revealed her powers to either of her parents, as she believes it will disgust them and they will abandon her.
They obviously would not but it is that fear which shows just how rough Anya had it back when she was with the organization who created her, since they instilled this fear in her.
Seeing that studying isn’t working, Loid decides to teach Anya to excel in other areas such as art, music and sports.
Cue a comedic sequence of Anya failing at absolutley all of these, leading to Loid deciding to take Anya on a special father daughter “ooting.”
In reality, this is a trip to help at a hostpital so Anya can potentially gain a Stella Star through community service.
Cue yet another hilarious sequence of Anya failing at all the jobs she is given, leading to the head nurse yelling at her and Loid to leave.
As they do so, both looking dejected, the perspective cuts from them to a young boy named Ken who is going through physical therapy to help his broken leg.
However, he heads out to the pool ahead of his mother and falls in, beginning to drown, completley and utterly silent.
This is a fantastic piece of commentary Spy x Family is doing here, educating those who do not know that a drowning can happen in complete silence with no one noticing.
Thankfully, Anya certainly notices due to her telepathy and, still afraid of Loid abandoning her if he learns the truth of her powers, stages a situation where she runs to the pool in an attempt to save Ken that looks coincidental.
Unfortunately, Anya cannot swim very well herself, leading to her almost drowning as well, but thankfully Loid is there to rescue them, pulling both Anya and Ken out of the water, before again repeating the commentary of drowning often being silent for both the characters and the viewer.
Anya is rightfully hailed as a hero for her actions, leading to her gaining her first Stella Star, the first of the first-graders so do so.
The happy face Anya pulls during her award ceremony is pretty funny, along with Becky’s, “I’m really proud of you for some reason” line.
The episode only gets funnier as it goes on, with Anya wanting Loid to cook for her instead of Yor (can’t really blame her though), and Anya presenting an overly smug persona at Eden College the next day, demanding that Becky call her “Starlight Anya.”
Anya even begins to think that Damian will want to be friends with her now, helping Twilight’s mission succeed, only for Damian to immediately cut this down by declaring that she shouldn’t get a big head.
Yet, Damian still proves to be a good kid at heart, as he supports Anya when some of his fellow students begin spreading vile rumors of her pushing Ken in the pool to fake saving him, declaring that Eden College would never hand out a Stella by mistake.
Although, he does admit to himself that he wishes Anya cheated, so she wouldn’t be ahead of him.
Anya and Becky later have lunch togethor and Becky says Anya should ask for a reward for her actions, like a dog.
After reading Damian’s mind to learn that he too has a dog, Anya decides to ask Loid and Yor for one as a reward, so that she can get closer with Damian for Twilight’s mission.
Anya’s request for a dog goes over well with Loird and Yor but Yor imagines a big dog ripping Anya to shreds so she asks for a little puppy instead… only for Yor to imagine the puppy killing Anya with a knife.
Anya being horrified by Yor’s messed up way of thinking never stops being funny.
As they look through a dog book to find the perfect one for Anya, she points out a fox terrior, which I know is a good choice since I have one, but fate may have other ideas, as we cut to a terrorist cell who plan to use their captive dogs as bombs.
One of these dogs, a large and fluffy one, has a mysterious vision of the Forger family.
Why is it having a vision of them and what does it mean?
Well, we’ll have to wait for the second cour to find out because the final episode of the first cour is a filler episode, although a good one.
All in all, “Stella” is another great episode of Spy x Family with plenty of funny moments.
The big thing I have to commend it for, though, is educating its viewers on how drownings can be silent so to always pay attention when at a pool.
After all, someone could watch this episode and because of it later realize that someone is drowning and save their lives.
You never know.