Mr. and Mrs. Smith Review (2024): Spies to Lovers

 Mr. and Mrs. Smith Review (2024): Spies to Lovers

by Dylan Barbee

Courtesy of Amazon

Amazon Prime Video Original Series

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2024

Within the first ten minutes of the latest Mr. and Mrs Smith remake series on Amazon Prime, you’ll soon learn that this isn’t your typical rom-com show. From brutally murdering another couple in an intense shootout to devoting their lives to being spies for a secret organization, John Smith (Donald Glover) and Jane Smith (Maya Erksine) are clearly in for a wild arranged marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith consists of eight episodes as an emotionally reserved spy couple go through the ups and downs that most marriages contain. However, while doing so they are constantly facing near-death and action-packed mission assignments given to them by an artificial intelligence messenger named “HiHi.” The action-packed rom-com was co-written by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover. 

The best part about this new remake series was the comedic yet tender moments shared between John and Jane. Although it is an arranged marriage, more sparks continue to fly in the air between the spy couple as they complete more missions together. Over the course of the 8-episode run, you can tell that the two strangers could be forming a genuine connection with one another. Now is it teamwork that is bringing them close together, or is it love? It’s up for interpretation. 

What impressed me most about John and Jane’s relationship was the raw conversations they had. Both Donald Glover and Maya Erksine shine on the screen and their chemistry is always top-notch. They speak like an old married couple while taking out threats against their mission. Throughout the action, they have honest conversations about life goals, family and kids. This new rom-com series is no cliche but rather paints a picture of what an actual marriage consists of. There’s a sense of dry realism that carries throughout Mr. and Mrs. Smith, similar to what Donald Glover’s Atlanta series had. 

Personally, I enjoyed how John and Jane meet new characters in each episode and how the balance between their marriage and their work ultimately impacts their relationship. For instance, when seeing a broken marriage on a ski resort mission both John and Jane realize how much they truly care for one another, and while on a mission protecting a wanted criminal, the couple accepts each other’s different views on what an ideal life looks like for them. Also, the introduction of new characters offered some star-studded guest appearances from prominent actors like Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson and Ron Perlman. 

Mr and Mrs Smith is a show that knows how to be versatile. Writers Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover know how to genre blend effectively as the remake series knows when it can be comedic during violent fight scenes and at times of tenderness or turmoil between the spy couple. 

Through all of the petty arguments and jealousy, you’re still wanting the best for John and Jane. A tense finale where both the couple’s trust and lives are on the line becomes an intoxicated but critical conversation in which the pair finally tell the truth to one another about their feelings over an apocalyptic score. In the end, the Smiths receive a tear-jerker ending that serves as an emotional cliffhanger to a heartwarmingly violently work-driven show. 

Rating: 9/10