Love is a battlefield, and marriage is even more so, and this is on full display in Donald Glover‘s (Child Gambino) new foray into serialized drama, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The series really has no real links to the Angelina Jolie- and Brad Pitt-starring movie, apart from its title and the geopolitical and corporate spycraft. However, Amazon’s reboot of Mr. & Mrs. Smith inverts Hollywood’s formula used for the original movie and pairs two spies together as an undercover married couple, who now have to navigate their relationship along with high-octane missions they’re sent on.
However, action sequences actually aren’t central to the series. Glover, who produced the series along with Franchesca Sloane, masterfully balanced out action scenes and spy missions with the everyday realities of their marriage, which has a basis in reality for the vast majority of married couples in real life. The series even deals with the themes of intimacy, abandonment, and even clinginess that play out in both their life and their work — which is consequently one and the same for Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
From talks about parenthood in Italy to marriage spats involving military-grade weapons, Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith marries the mundane with the extraordinary and brings the microcosm of marriage to the macro-world of geopolitical spycraft. Here are five aspects of Mr. & Mrs. Smith that speak to the ups and downs of real marriage:
The Slow-Burn Chemistry
Unlike the instantaneous spark that’s often depicted in romantic narratives or action narratives with romance scenes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith takes a different route. The two were given new identities, wedding rings, a wedding license, and a beautiful Manhattan brownstone, but the details of their marriage are for these two strangers to establish. This is very testing, as they discover each other’s appealing traits and annoying habits, which is typical for real-life marriage.
They go from complete strangers to colleagues who learn to work well together on missions, to lovers, to a couple that’s very casual and relaxed with one another —there’s a fart scene that attests to that, and even its dialogue is simple and really based in reality. All of this exemplifies the slow-burn chemistry which develops over time through shared experiences. At the same time, it also highlights that real relationships are actually built on vulnerability, trust, and unveiling one’s true self to another person — including those “inner beauty” defining gastro-intestinal mishaps that occasionally rip under the sheets.
The Excitement and Monotony
As we stated at the beginning, Mr. & Mrs. Smith masterfully balances out the couple’s high-octane missions of espionage, which involve surveillance and occasional murder, with everyday realities of their marriage, which speaks to the duality of relationships where the excitement and monotony coexist — preferably in somewhat equal measures. This allows Mr. & Mrs. Smith to perfectly capture the very essence of how married couples navigate their respective daily routines, the time they spend together, and the more adventurous or adrenaline-pumping moments and events they share.
External Factors and Internal Growth
It’s often said that when you marry someone, you marry their entire family, and there’s a lot of truth in that. Mr. & Mrs. Smith reaffirms this idea by introducing guest stars like Paul Dano and incorporating Micheal’s (John’s real name) mother into the narrative to add complexity. These characters serve as catalysts for John and Jane Smith to confront and overcome the challenges in their relationship.
These external factors, from discussing parenthood to dealing with the intrusion into their personal lives, mirror how real-life married couples face and overcome different obstacles, thus exploring the dynamics of compromise, communication, and personal growth within a committed relationship.
Intersection Between Personal and Professional
By introducing us to John and Jane’s relationship at its inception right along with their clandestine activities, Mr. & Mrs. Smith offers a unique perspective on how personal and professional lives intersect and influence each other. This masterfully portrays the complexities of modern marriages where couples must constantly negotiate their individual aspirations, as well as their shared goals, and the practicalities of daily life together. Â
Humor in Conflict Resolution
Despite all the espionage and danger, John and Jane’s relationship has plenty of humor and banter, which actually provides relief and a means of communication during tense or dangerous situations. This aspect of Mr. & Mrs. Smith really underscores the importance of humor in overcoming marital conflicts, finding resolution, and even compromising. What is marriage but a chance to diffuse tense situations through humor while making fun of each other from a place of love for, presumably, the rest of your lives?
In the end, Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith perfectly blends over-the-top espionage action with both the exciting and mundane aspects of marriage, providing a hilarious narrative that mirrors all the ups and downs of real marriages.