Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Created by Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover
Inspired by Mr. & Mrs. Smith by Simon Kinberg
Donald Glover as John Smith / Michael
Maya Erskine as Jane Smith / Alana
Guest starring
Alexander Skarsgård as First Other John
Eiza González as First Other Jane
Paul Dano as Harris Materbach
John Turturro as Eric Shane
Sharon Horgan as Gavol Martin
Billy Campbell as Parker Martin
Sarah Paulson as Therapist
Parker Posey as Second Other Jane
Úrsula Corberó as Runi
Wagner Moura as Second Other John
Ron Perlman as Toby Hellinger
Michaela Coel as Bev
Dave Attell as Kosher Food Mart Clerk
Additionally, Beverly Glover, who is Donald’s mother in real life, makes her acting debut as Denise, John Smith’s mother.
Music by David Fleming
Production
Executive producers Donald Glover, Francesca Sloane, Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, Nate Matteson, Anthony Katagas, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer
Producers Christian Sprenger, Fam Udeorji, Kaitlin Waldron
Running time 42–63 minutes
Production companies Gilga, Super Frog, Big Indie Pictures, New Regency
Amazon MGM Studios
Original release Network Amazon Prime Video, Release February 2, 2024
When a friend emailed me and suggested I watch “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” I was dubious. There have been a number of “odd-pairing spy capers” in recent years, and most of them were pretty bloody awful. Usually they’re presented as sitcoms, albeit with lots of guns, drug lords and terrorists various. The most recent, a father-daughter pairing with a game (and slightly gamy) Arnold Schwarzenegger was unwatchable. Most of them are trying for the chemistry of Get Smart but between the times we live in and generally inept writing, fail.
The first episode of Mr. and Mrs. Smith starts out on a slightly sitcom-y note. We have the two disparate personalities in an agency-driven ‘meet cute’ and the expected mix between the two of curiosity, interest, apprehension and general awkwardness. “John Smith” (Donald Glover) is intelligent if not well educated, thinks fast on his feet, and has a imaginative approach to challenges. He is, however, impetuous bordering on fecklessness. “Jane Smith” (Maya Erskine) is very well educated, studious, cautious and loves order. She is borderline OCD and tries to avoid complications.
Right off the bat, the viewer notices the dialogue is sharp, witty, and as realistic as might be expected between two strangers who have just learned they are going to be making a high-risk but highly lucrative living pretending to be married. The acting (and chemistry) between the two leads is strong.
By the end of the first episode you realize this isn’t just a sitcom. The two are stunned to learn they were complicit in a murder operation. It fails in one important aspect, and their sole contact with the hidden agency, a messaging entity calling itself “Hi Hi” leaves a terse message: “One failure. Two remain.”
CONTROL this isn’t.
The relationships between the two, the people they have to interact with, and their mysterious controllers evolve as the show goes on. They fall in love, and in bed, and end up essentially as a married couple. But by the third episode they are bickering, and the emotional and intellectual gap begins to widen. When John almost randomly buys a villa in Europe, Jane is appalled, both at the capriciousness of the action and the fact that it has put them and a person they are protecting in grave danger. Bickering grows to contentiousness, and they even seek counseling. This leads to outright hatred.
The action sequences are genuinely excellent (a chase sequence at a ski resort would be worthy of any Bond film) and it’s obvious the budget for the show was lavish. But this doesn’t overwhelm the human drama at the core of the show. The writing (mostly Donald Glover) is stellar.
The plot gets darker and darker. It’s not to much to say the viewer will reach the end of the eighth episode utterly gobsmacked and muttering, “Hold up. There were FOUR shots.” It’s an ending that will haunt you.
Now on Amazon Prime.