Warning: Spoilers for Spy X Family Chapter #106
Spy X Family has sailed past its hundredth chapter with no conclusion in sight, but recent installments have begun to offer rare glimpses into Damian Desmond and his family live. The final chapter is perhaps the most compelling yet mysterious chapter since the moment Lloyd meets Donovan, with the Desmond family patriarch uniting his family for the first time for readers. The Desmond family dinner at Spy X Family is loaded with palpable tension, with a bespoke silence to convey the varying forms of anxiety plaguing the family and the fan theory that Donovan can read minds.
Although there is plenty of reason to speculate about this possibility, especially with recently resurfaced references to Project Apple in Spy X Family Chapter #103, this new moment has multiple meanings. The Desmond family is Lloyd’s ultimate target in Operations Streaks to broker peace between Vestalis and Ostania, With the notoriously paranoid Donovan as the chairman of the National Unity Party. In the latter Spy X Family Donovan’s tendencies shine through as readers see his dynamic between Damian, Demetrius and Melinda for the first time.
Spy x family dinner scene already supports existing telepathy theory
Donovan’s presence elevates family anxiety
in Spy X Family Chapter #106, Damian is surprised and nervous to learn that Donovan is joining him, along with Melinda and Demetrius, for a family dinner. The rest of the chapter covers the moment when the family barely exchanged more than a few words at a time, and Donovan’s quiet, but unusual suspicion speaks volumes. When Damian speaks, Donovan grunts in acknowledgment; As Demetrius finishes his meal, Donovan excuses him, and as Donovan stares at Melinda for far too long, his eyes narrow with suspicion. It is The biggest hint of Donovan’s telepathy in Spy X Family Since chapter #37.
however, Donovan’s hinted ability to read minds may be shared by Demetriuswhose strange, dinner-plate-shaped eyes featured prominently as he and Donovan communicated the smallest of issues in Spy X Family Chapter #106. While the telepathy theory can only be inferred instead of directly confirmed, moments like these grow more interesting when considering Demetrius’ infamous idle thoughts in chapter #93. It indicates that Demetrius, if he has a telepathic gift, is close enough to Donovan without speaking his mind, unlike Melinda, who verbally excuses herself from the table.
Melinda Desmond’s behavior may have a dark explanation
The misunderstood matriarch in Spy X Family
While Melinda Desmond showed terribly polarized emotions, glamped by Anya in Spy X Family Chapter #75, her remarkably calm yet unnerved reaction to Donovan joining for dinner was especially noteworthy in Chapter #106. With Melinda living in a separate residence from Donovan, Her nervous facial expression while facing Donovan indicates a clear and present fear of her husband. They live in separate homes, but she is invited to join Donovan and the family for dinner. This is likely done to keep up appearances, and Melinda is not willing to participate.
Related
What is also noteworthy is that Melinda seems protective of Damian, despite her conflicting internal thoughts about him, suggesting a fear for their mutual home life, but still caring for the boy. This is shown in Spy X Family Chapter #75, when Melinda urges Damian not to tell Donovan that she came to see him after the foiled red circus attack. Her conflicting thoughts of concern for the boy and simple disdain for him stem from her marriage to Donovan. Although this dysfunction is never spoken out loud, it is evident within Spy X Family Chapter #106.
The Desmond family dysfunction is strongly communicated in the last chapter
Tatsuya Endo used deliberate character placement at the family dinner
As noted in a post that went viral by @_mdmay on X, Spy X Family Chapter #106 shows The deliberate character placement at the Desmond family table To convey lopsided alignments and emotional distance. Damian sits near the corner next to Melinda. In contrast, Demetrius sits near the corner shared with Donovan, with Donovan surveying the family in sequence, narrowing his eyes similar to when he met Lloyd in Chapter #38. What is perhaps equally uncomfortable is that Damian and Demetrius are not seated directly facing each other, with Demetrius staring blankly forward at neither.
@_mdmay also highlights that Damian’s life entails much of this dynamic, with the Desmond family often out of sync and often interacting passively with each other through their servants in Spy X Family. Contrary to the telepathy theory, which is still speculation, the more tangible truth is that Donovan projects a powerful and terrifying control over the Desmond family, creating tension when he is around. Although Donovan Desmond expresses joy in a pleasant family dinner in Spy X Family Chapter #106, No one in the Desmond family feels the same, a feeling probably shared by the readers.
Source: @_mdmay on X