‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Season 1 review: The spy series subverts convention but stops short of greatness

This hot take will probably ruffle celebrity gossip stans, but the hype surrounding the 2005 action-comedy film Mr. & Mrs. Smith continues to baffle me. Since I was a temperamental but highly precocious Black teenager, the superstar power of Brangelina did not faze me like my high school classmates. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt might have been a hot heterosexual couple and perfect fodder for the supermarket tabloids; however, as the Gen Z kids say, their acting prowess was ‘mid’ compared to their contemporaries. Nor did their starring roles in the hit spy film change my mind about the actors’ abilities, considering the writing was tepid at best, boring at worst, and highly reliant on its (white) star power.

To be fair, I was one of those pretentious film buffs who deemed any blockbuster film as hacky nonsense. As I aged into adulthood, my thoughts on the entertainment industry evolved into something more complex. Nonetheless, I recently rewatched the film in preparation for this review, and my skepticism about the movie still stands.

Thankfully, co-creators Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover are wise to go in the opposite direction with the television remake of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Instead of depending on the star power of two seemingly good-looking white actors, the show centers on Maya Erskine and Glover’s nuanced performance as the new iteration of the Smiths, albeit with some caveats. Though it is refreshing to see Sloane and Glover bring a high-concept premise down to earth, the television series falls victim to giving more weight to the Smiths’ relationship drama than providing the audience a good reason to root for their success.

In Sloane and Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, two strangers, whose real names are unknown, interview for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for a mysterious international spy agency. This position comes with great pay, a swanky brownstone in Manhattan, and the ability to travel to far-flung destinations all on “the company’s” dime. Still, working for “the company” comes with its own risks. Most notably, the lonesome souls must assume new identities and become newlywed couple, John (Glover) and Jane Smith (Erskine). The partners attempt to make their unique situation work as the risks are worth the rewards. Yet, various barriers, including their contrasting personalities and work styles, compromise their roles as spies and potential lovers.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a step up from the feature film. The series subverts convention by featuring two characters who do not fit the stereotypical ideal of spies on the screen — or even traditional Hollywood starlets (e.g., strong jawline, blonde hair, thin bodies, blue eyes). Unlike their film counterparts, John and Jane are two outcasts willing to accept a glamorous but hazardous job with “the company.”

Unfortunately for the Smiths, these two figures may not be a good fit, at least initially. John’s experience in the military allows him to improvise, but he is dangerously reckless. On the other hand, Jane’s narrow-minded focus prevents her from trusting others. Their lack of experience in the field and inability to communicate as a team is a recipe for disaster but makes for an entertaining good time.

The television iteration of Mr. & Mrs. Smith may bring the spy hijinks down a peg. Yet, the show’s interrogation of the Smiths’ relationship as co-workers turned lovers barely touches the surface. With only eight episodes in the first season, the show whips through John and Jane’s work and personal relationship at breakneck speed. Rather than taking the audience on a journey about romantic relationships in the workplace, the show quickly cuts to the eventual downfall of John and Jane’s marriage.

Streamers like Prime Video and its ilk misunderstand that television shows are a different beast from movies. We, the audience, want to get to know our characters. We root for Pam and Jim’s union in The Office or Janine and Gregory’s first kiss in Abbott Elementary because the slow burn to their eventual romantic endgame is worth it. In other words, the pacing in Mr. & Mrs. Smith prevents the show from becoming good to great.

Between the bickering, bloody gun battles, and epic car chase scenes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith does have some moments that beautifully depict the spy’s budding courtship. In Episode 5’s “Do You Want Kids,” John and Jane take a well-deserved smoke break after capturing an essential target for their superiors in Lake Como. During the wonderfully acted scene, John asks Jane if she wants to have a wedding. Jane remarks that she does not want one because she feels public shows of affection are inauthentic. So, instead of hosting a wedding in front of family and friends, the two lovers say their vows to each other alone in the glow of the moonlight. If Mr. & Mrs. Smith wants viewers to care about their leads, the show must provide quieter scenes that showcase the growth between the two characters.

If there is one thing the spy thriller excels above all else, it is the spectacular visuals. With Hiro Murai as director, every locale in the show, from a swanky restaurant in Manhattan to a ski resort in Italian Dolomites, has a luxe sheen over them. No wonder showrunners such as Glover and Bill Hader still recruit Murai to direct their series. While some directors (cough, cough, Miguel Sapochnik of Game of Thrones fame) rely too much on darkness to convey tone, Murai uses high contrasting light and color to help emphasize the characters’ emotions. The low, intimate lighting combined with the nearly claustrophobic space in the train ride scene in episode three’s “First Vacation,” for example, provides a heightened sense of closeness — and foreboding for our leads.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith may be a considerable improvement from the mediocre film led by Jolie and Pitt, but the show’s glaring problems prevent it from rising to greatness. On one hand, Sloane and Glover transform two flat characters into something more complex. On the other hand, the limited number of episodes prevents the co-creators from digging deeper into John and Jane’s relationship as spies and lovers. Hopefully, the series will get more room to breathe if Prime Video renews it for a second season. 

‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith‘ premieres February 2 on Prime Video.

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Images courtesy of Prime Video