REVIEW: Mr. & Mrs. Smith – Season One [2024]

Rating: TV-MA | Episodes: 8 | Runtime: 45 minutes
Release Date: February 2nd, 2024 (USA)
Studio: Amazon Prime Video
Creator(s): Donald Glover & Francesca Sloane

You attract less attention as a couple.

You never know what really happens after so much time passes. Was the reboot series of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” always just created by Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane or was Phoebe Waller-Bridge also on that list before she left for creative differences as an actor? I ask because the latter is a successful writer with a first-look deal at Amazon. Would she have jumped aboard without having some creative control? In the end, it doesn’t matter since Waller-Bridge has no relationship to the show anymore. No writing credit. No producing credit. Pretend that she was never involved at all so you can simply enjoy what did get made.

As a fan of the original film written by Simon Kinberg, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. The fact that Glover was involved gave me hope it would tread new ground since he’s not known as an action star. And seeing Francesca Sloane’s name as co-creator with episodes of “Atlanta” and “Fargo” under her belt added even more. Amy Seimetz being attached to direct two episodes was therefore a bonus at that point—just another coup insofar as recruiting interesting people to tackle the retool of a box office success with built-in brand recognition. It was ripe for subversion and this team doesn’t disappoint.

That doesn’t mean it’s a complete subversion, though. We’re still dealing with two covert operatives living together under the same roof—two assassins simultaneously playing house while also going on highly-secretive missions. The difference this time around is that John (Glover) and Jane Smith (Maya Erskine) aren’t in the dark about the other’s “real job.” Rather than work for rival agencies, they conversely work together as partners. Marriage was simply a necessary arrangement for taking the job. We can assume their handler picked them because they might be compatible, but love comes later (think “The Americans”). Maybe it’s real. Maybe it’s a product of close proximity and life or death stakes.

This first season unfolds as a way to find out for certain. Episodes are therefore entitled “First Date,” “Second Date,” “Couples Therapy,” etc. for a reason beyond merely the scenario of that given mission. Yes, there is ample drama and tension in the task at-hand, but what really sticks and ultimately carries through all eight chapters is how the events themselves impact this central relationship. How does work bleed into life and vice versa. What happens when the honeymoon period of snuggling and sex makes way for frustration and resentment? We’re talking very close quarters with two very independent people. It’s full trust or nothing.

So, it’s not just sex appeal and flying bullets a la Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie circa 2005. John and Jane are introverts. He’s a Mama’s Boy. She’s robotic and cold. That which endears them to the other soon becomes exactly what they hate about the other … or is it a mirror that reveals what it is they hate about themselves? Don’t discount anything as a result. Race. Gender. Family history. It all plays a role in building the masks that they wear out in the world and at home as well as the crippling anxieties they cannot avoid. What does the future hold for them professionally and personally? Can those two halves ever be separate?

I think Glover and Sloane do a very effective job asking these questions and beginning to answer them. The goal is multiple seasons, right? You can’t answer them all straight away. You have to tease the evolution of this partnership and the potential fireworks that may result if things go off-the-rails. So, you sprinkle in other people with similar problems. What can the Smiths learn from guest stars like Sharon Horgan and Billy Campbell or Parker Posey and Wagner Moura? How about targets like John Turturro or Ron Perlman? Or a couples therapist who has no clue what she’s getting herself into (Sarah Paulson)? They present examples to learn from, clichés to avoid, and reminders that they’re often their own worst enemy.

With a condensed episode order and fast-tracked trajectory, there’s very little excess throughout. Sometimes that can be a disadvantage when it comes to ensuring every small detail relevant to a later moment is screamed during the episode (and louder during the recap), but I’d rather that than filler episodes spinning wheels or recycling plotlines. Glover and Erskine have a great rapport: chemistry, comedic timing, and an infectious charm that makes you want to pull for them even when things go sideways. The supporting cast is fantastic (I didn’t even mention Paul Dano as “Hot Neighbor”) and the action—once it arrives during the last few episodes as more than tiny snippets—works.

But it all truly lives and dies with the characters. No matter how good the acting, we’re dealing with John and Jane for every minute of every show. If they aren’t captivating and complex on the page, no amount of charisma will compensate. They need flaws. They need walls to guard them from getting hurt. They need to make mistakes. Unlike the film version, these Smiths aren’t pristine models (that distinction is left for the duo who open things up via a prologue that serves as a reminder of the job’s short shelf life). No, they are regular people with trust issues who are embracing a roller coaster of risk to start building a nest egg for incomplete dreams.