It has been ages since I had watched anything related to spies or espionage on the big or small screen. There have been a few good spy thrillers on TV recently like The Americans (FX) and Slow Horses (Apple TV) but I have not gotten around to seeing them. Honestly, it was just my lack of interest for these series for the most part. The last thing that I watched which had anything remotely related to espionage was (hold your breath) the 1980s TV series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I know that a lot of you who might be purists of serious spy dramas will be shaking your head at this point but you will be surprised how popular this TV series remains until today 😁. Seriously, there have been others that I have enjoyed over the years like the 1988 British miniseries 'Codename: Kyril' which was set during the Cold War and starred the late Edward Woodward (The Equalizer), a little known 1997 movie 'The Assignment' which starred Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley (originally watched with my late father but re-visited recently with my sister ) and of course my perennial favorite 'La Femme Nikita' (1997-2001), the Canadian/US TV series which starred Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis, to name a few. Although I'm quite fond of the original French movie 'La Femme Nikita' (1990) by Luc Besson, I did not care much for the remake TV series from The CW titled 'Nikita' (2010-2013) which starred Maggie Q and Shane West. Personally, I felt that the earlier series, whose cast was predominantly French Canadian except for the beautiful Peta Wilson who was Australian, was unique because it had a very strong European influence which was faithful to Luc Besson's original movie but the version from The CW was too Americanized which made it a little 'soulless' and less appealing to me. Some might not agree with me but this was just how I felt when I compared both series.
Despite watching a barrage of movies and TV series in the vein of spy thrillers from the 1980s until the 1990s, I had never seen the 2005 movie Mr & Mrs Smith which starred Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Yes, hard to believe since it was a high profile movie which starred the two biggest names at that time. So when I decided to watch a new Amazon Prime series (similarly titled ) which was a remake of the original movie, I had no expectations or any pre-conceived notions going into the series for the first time. So what attracted me to this series in the first place was the all round good reviews it was receiving after it premiered early this year (February 2024). Although there were others currently being shown on TV or on the big screen, I was really looking for a good spy drama which had a more updated story and modern feel to it. A spy drama for our times, so to speak. After completing the series, I can now safely say that I was really impressed with it. This original Amazon series, which comprises of only 8 one hour long episodes, is basically the brainchild of Francesca Sloane and the multi-talented Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino). Since it is loosely based on the 2005 movie, the series concerns two strangers who agree to become secret agents for a mysterious undercover organization but who must, at the same time, pose as a married couple while navigating through their missions. Details of their missions will be cascaded to them via a series of text messages which always starts with the greeting of "Hi, hi'" from their mysterious mission leader. Remember those self-destructive messages from Mission Impossible or the voice of Charlie in Charlie's Angels?
Both titular characters, John and Jane Smith, are played by Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, who replaced Phoebe Walller-Bridge (Fleabag) after she exited the series. The supposedly mixed marriage between John/Donald Glover (who is African American) and Jane/Maya Erskine (who is half Scottish and Japanese) is in very stark contrast with the original movie where John and Jane, played by Pitt and Jolie, can be best described as not only conventional but 'aesthetically pleasing'. Thus, making this John and Jane more realistic and relatable to the modern audience. In fact, at the start of the first episode, we see another John and Jane, played by the very photogenic Alexander Skarsgard and Eiza Gonzalez, alluding perhaps to Pitt and Jolie. But when the series cuts to the actual main characters and we are instead introduced to Glover and Erskine, the audience immediately understands that the series, despite being a remake, is not a clone of the original movie. A very clever trick on the part of Sloane and Glover who co-wrote the first episode. In another scene in the sixth episode entitled 'Couple's Therapy', John, while on a mission, plays poker with a group of shady characters, all of whom are African American men. He starts to chat with them and so far everything is going well until they start to ask him about his wife which he later explains to them is half Asian. After he shares some unflattering remarks about her with them, Jane, who is listening in on the rooftop with a sniper gun, shoots all of them dead through the window except for him. After watching this darkly humorous scene, I was further convinced that this series is very different from its 2005 counterpart. Of course, this is only an assumption as I have never seen the original movie.:). Any comments from anyone who has seen both versions? Another thing worth mentioning here is that the series is also an exaggerated commentary on the different stages of marriage hence each episode is named First Date, Second Date, First Vacation, Double Date, Do You Want Kids?, Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid), Infidelity and A Breakup. Despite being a spy drama, the theme of marriage is not only handled with great panache in this series but it also takes center stage frequently in the storyline. But like any spy thriller worth its salt, the series does not skimp either on great and expanded action sequences or elaborate car chases which is especially showcased in Episode 5 (filmed mostly in the coastal village of Veneto, Italy) and in the final episode.
Other factors that make this series great include the top notch writing from Sloane, Glover and their team, great chemistry between the leads, influences from different directors for each episode, the varied and often breathtaking locations featured in each episode ranging from New York City to the Italian Dolomites and Lake Como in Italy and the tongue in cheek performances of A-list guest stars which include Paul Dano (last seen as The Riddler in Matt Reeves' Batman), John Turtorro, Billy Campbell, Sarah Paulson, Wagner Moura, Parker Posey, Ron Perlman and Michaela Coel (to name a few). Incidentally, Beverly Glover (Donald's real mum) also cameos as John Smith's mother in the series. If you have seen enough Bond/007 movies in your lifetime (which I know most have), then you will know the formula for all good spy thrillers includes action, intrigue, humor and romance. This series has all these classic elements but at the same time it also gives them an added modern twist. So will there be a second season? While the first season ended on a cliffhanger, there has been no official word from Amazon Prime Video yet that the series has been renewed for a second season. However, the probability is high since the series is amongst the top five new series for Prime Video in terms of total US viewership. Last thoughts, the series is not only a refreshing take on an old but beloved movie but on the spy genre as a whole. For those who have seen the 2005 movie, approach this series without any reservations and you might be pleasantly surprised. I have appended below the link to Amazon Prime for those interested in viewing the episodes from the first season.
Mr & Mrs Smith (2024) Amazon Prime (paid link)
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