Spy x Family’s Sci-Fi Twist May Have a Simpler Explanation Than Fans Think

Just when fans thought they’d finally figured out where the story was headed, Spy x Family‘s latest chapter has thrown fans a complete curveball with a sci-fi twist nobody could have anticipated. While surely anything is possible in a series where a psychic child and her prophetic dog are a common occurrence, Spy x Family‘s new twist involving aliens and UFOs is bizarre even by its own standards, with the newest chapter seemingly poised to turn the series into a piece of science fiction. That said, there may be a surprisingly simple explanation for Melinda’s new revelation than fans think, and it may have been staring fans in the face for quite some time.

Chapter 109 of Spy x Family sees Melinda Desmond finally sit down with Loid and open up about her troubles, which she implies are related to her family. Oddly, Melinda begins by asking Loid whether he believes in UFOs. Still completely straight-faced, Melinda then goes on to confide in Loid that her husband, Donovan Desmond, is an alien. Ridiculous as it may seem, there may be a rather simple explanation for Melinda’s ridiculous belief, which is that she suffers from Capgras Syndrome, a delusion disorder that leads one to believe a loved one or family member has been replaced by an alien or imposter.

[Related: Spy x Family Reveals Its Most Tortured Hero (& It’s Not Loid)]

Melinda’s Belief That Donovan Is an Alien Has a Scientific Explanation

While fans have long theorized what secrets the Desmond family could be hiding, UFOs and alien imposters definitely weren’t on anybody’s radar. Donovan’s odd behavior has previously led many to theorize he could also be a telepath like Anya or could at least be connected to the elusive Project Apple in some way. However, Donovan being an alien is surely the wildest possibility that not even Anya, with her vivid, overactive imagination, could have come up with.

As such, reason begs that there must be a more rational explanation for why Melinda thinks so, and a psychiatric disorder seems most logical. Melinda has proven to be quite unstable ever since her introduction, and a disorder such as Capgras Syndrome that is usually associated with schizophrenia would perfectly explain most of her odd behavior in the series so far. Other types of delusions typically associated with schizophrenia could explain not only Melinda’s mood swings witnessed in Chapter 75 but also her clear sense of paranoia surrounding her husband, such as in Chapter 106.

Interestingly, Capgras Syndrome is also commonly observed in patients with brain damage, which raises some interesting possibilities about Melinda’s possible involvement in Project Apple. One can’t help but wonder how Project Apple was able to make so much headway without conducting countless experiments. Fans already speculate that Demetrius could be a telepath alongside his father, and perhaps even Melinda was part of Project Apple’s experiments.

But of course, it is also possible that Donovan is indeed a telepath, and thinking that her husband has been replaced by an alien is simply Melinda’s way of rationalizing his odd behavior and how he always seems to read her mind. Another possibility is that perhaps Melinda is messing with Loid, though the fact that Melinda previously also sought professional help does go against this idea. Nonetheless, the upcoming chapters of Spy x Family will surely reveal the fate of the series as well as the truth about the odd Desmond family, and aliens or not, Endo is sure to cook up a storm.