“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is a 2024 TV series that offers a fresh take on the 2005 film of the same name. The series stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, who play two strangers who are married off as a cover for their spy work.
The series begins with John and Jane, two lonely strangers, who are hired independently to work at a mysterious spy agency. The job opens doors to a world of wealth, espionage, travel, and even a coveted brownstone home in New York City. However, the catch is that they have to assume new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith.
As they navigate their new lives, they are faced with the challenges of maintaining their cover while carrying out high-risk missions every week. The series explores the complexities of their relationship as they try to balance their professional lives with their personal lives.
The supporting cast includes a roster of talented actors such as Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, Úrsula Corberó, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Parker Posey, and Wagner Moura.
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is a thrilling blend of action, comedy, and romance, exploring themes of identity, trust, and the lengths one would go to protect the ones they love. It’s a testament to the fact that even in the most extraordinary circumstances, love can find a way.
Here is a brief summary of the first few episodes:
Episode 1: “First Date”: A couple named “John” and “Jane” are shot dead by armed intruders. Later, two strangers undergo an interview for a mysterious organization and are hired to sever ties with their pasts to become spies; “John” and “Jane” Smith at a “high risk” level. For their first mission, they are instructed to intercept a package and deliver it to a set location. John and Jane tentatively bond as they deliver what turns out to be a bomb that explodes and kills the inhabitants of the home.
Episode 2: “Second Date”: John and Jane begin to cautiously open up to each other, setting initial boundaries against sleeping together and plan to eventually go their separate ways. Their next mission is to infiltrate a black tie silent auction and discretely extract information from an unknown target. Despite successfully identifying the target as Eric Shane, miscommunication leads to them overdosing him with truth serum, which results in his death.
Episode 3: “Honeymoon”: In this episode, John and Jane are sent off on their “honeymoon” to the Italian Dolomites. There, they’re tasked with spying on a bickering couple. But while trying to succeed, the pair end up having their own relationship trouble. And solving personal drama while your target is being kidnapped is a tall order.
Episode 6: “Marriage Counseling”: This episode is literally about John and Jane visiting a marriage counselor. There’s no twist, they’re not there on a spy mission, and they are genuinely trying to solve their relationship issues. On the bright side, Sarah Paulson delivers a fun performance as an overly house-proud therapist.
Episode 7: “Infidelity”: The episode starts with Jane waking up alone in the house. She opens her laptop to see an order: ‘Take out your Smith’. While feeding Max, someone begins to shoot at her. Jane manages to hide, but Max gets hit. Jane meets their latest target, Bev (Michaela Coel), across New York City. Jane interrogates Bev about her relationship with John. Bev reveals that she knows about their work and their relationship. Jane is moved when Bev mentions that John said he’d want to stay with Jane, despite their incompatibility. This leads to a fight between Jane and Bev, which is interrupted when John arrives.
Episode 8: “A Breakup”: The episode begins with Jane waking up and getting dressed alone in the house. She opens her laptop to see Hi’s latest order: ‘Take out your Smith’. She goes out for breakfast and then returns home. Jane is feeding Max when somebody begins to shoot at her. She drives behind the kitchen counter but Max gets hit. John and Jane meet at an art museum. Each assumes the other was responsible for the attacks on them. Jane says they should speak outside but as they leave the museum, she drops a knife in order to jam the revolving door. With John inside. He finds an explosive inside her bag, which she also left inside. It blows up but John manages to get out unscathed. He chases her and they get into a fight in public. John calls Jane and tells her he thought she was the prettiest lonely girl he’d ever met when he first saw her in the elevator at their house. He wants to know if any of it was real for her and she, of course, denies it. They see each other across the street and the chase begins again. Jane runs home and locks the front door. However, Denise is waiting for her inside. She says she’s Michael’s mother and she had an emergency key. Outside, John meets the neighbour and asks if he can go through his house to get to the backdoor. Denise tells Jane that if Michael feels safe, he’ll be able to truly be himself. But Jane says she’s the kind of person who pushes people away. At the neighbour’s, John realises that he’s been inside the house to give Jane a book. John snoops through his house and finds pictures of himself and Jane. The man catches him snooping though. John holds him at gunpoint and he says his name is Harris and he’s a real estate agent2. He’s really just after their house, which he claims is too nice and worth too much for the Smiths to afford. John takes the gun off Harris, figuring that he’s harmless2. They talk about relationships and divorce instead. After finishing his drink, John goes through the background and to his and Jane’s apartment2. He inches through the rooms and Jane steps out, suddenly shooting at him. The fight continues with each person bringing guns and knives to attack the other with2. Ultimately, John knocks Jane out and ties her up. He then injects her as well as himself with the truth serum they used in Episode 2. He then unties her and the serum kicks in, turning both of them woozy.
Currently, the second season of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” has not been officially confirmed by Amazon Prime Video. The showrunner, Francesca Sloane, has hinted at the potential for a second season and expressed interest in continuing the story, especially after the suspenseful finale of the first season. However, an official release date has not been announced yet. Please stay tuned to official announcements from Amazon Prime Video for the most accurate information
