Mr. & Mrs. Smith Reboot Aims for a Subversive Take on Spy Genre

In the lead-up to the release of the new Amazon Prime series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the discourse has largely revolved around comparisons to the original movie. Doug Liman‘s 2005 action comedy was a box-office hit and a catalyst for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s high-profile romance. Witnessing their characters’ chemistry, it’s impossible to look away. But the new series, created by Francesca Sloane, aims to subvert the spy genre and offers a different approach.

The casting of Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the new John and Jane Smith makes sense in this context. While not as conventionally glamorous as Pitt and Jolie, Glover and Erskine bring a relatable and accessible quality to their characters. The premiere episode, titled “First Date,” introduces a different married couple, Alexander Skarsgård and Eiza González, who meet a tragic end at the hands of their former spy employers before we meet our main protagonists.

John and Jane Smith, portrayed by Glover and Erskine, are introduced through a montage of their interviews with the mysterious organization that later assigns them missions. Despite their shared qualities of being emotionally distant loners, they are brought together as partners. Their first mission is a relatively simple one, involving intercepting a package from a woman in a café and delivering it to a specified location. During this mission, John tries to establish a connection with Jane, while she remains focused on the task at hand.

As the episode progresses, the mission takes a dangerous turn when they discover a bomb hidden inside a cake. After successfully completing the delivery and narrowly escaping the explosion, John and Jane begin to open up to each other, revealing their secrets and vulnerabilities.

Overall, “First Date” does not entirely embody the elements that made the original Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie memorable, but it sets the stage for a different exploration of the spy genre. The show’s creators seem to be aiming for a naturalistic and prestige aesthetic rather than a light-hearted, action-packed comedy. The series has potential to delve deeper into the complex dynamics between John and Jane as their missions become increasingly perilous.

It remains to be seen if the Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot will successfully carve out its own identity or fall into the trend of unnecessary TV reboots. However, the concept of a subversive spy series with a focus on character development and relationship dynamics is certainly intriguing.