Finding a good balance between work and private life is difficult when you are not only a couple, but also colleagues. If you're a spy couple, things get a little more difficult, we see Mr. & Mrs. Smithan extremely entertaining series by and featuring Donald Glover (Atlanta).
John (Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) are linked by a mysterious organization that constantly sends the two on seemingly impossible missions. Sometimes it starts with picking up a package and ends with gunfights and explosions. It is therefore not surprising that John and Jane are sitting on the couch of a relationship therapist at one point. “It seems like work is really a point of contention for you,” she says with a sense of understatement. Unfortunately, the couple cannot talk about their real work, which means the two cannot fully vent their frustrations. The missions regularly result in fatalities. In one of the first episodes they have to get rid of a corpse together. To do so, they must break the victim's bones, resulting in a darkly comic scene in which John tries not to throw up. But they have to pretend to the therapist that they work in the tech world (something with software).
Chemistry
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a new version of the 2005 film of the same name in which Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie played the leading roles. During the making of that film, the two superstars began a relationship, something that rather overshadowed the film itself. Glover and Erskine do not have a romantic relationship in real life, but their chemistry jumps off the screen from their first scene together. Despite the bizarre circumstances, they authentically play a couple. Because it's no surprise that the two quickly fall for each other, despite an original agreement not to have sex. Their fake marriage quickly turns genuine. This premise is a twist on the previous story: in the film the couple did not know about each other's espionage work, in the series they work together from the start.
The 40-year-old Glover, who in addition to being an actor also makes music under the name Childish Gambino, developed the series with Francesca Sloane, someone he also worked with on his critically acclaimed previous series Atlanta. The role of Jane was originally going to be played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Flea bag), but he dropped out due to creative differences with Glover (Waller-Bridge would also co-write the story). Partly because of this, production was significantly delayed, but the faltering start is nowhere visible in the end product. 36-year-old Erskine (Pen15) fortunately doesn't feel like a last-minute substitute at all, because if you watch the series, you can't think of a better opponent for Glover.
They both fill their roles much more subtly than a viewer would think based on the series' wild premise. They don't shout at each other online while shooting opponents, they are given plenty of space to create an authentic relationship.
Once the spy craziness starts, it works even better because the main characters are so well developed. The approach is also relatively old-fashioned. Each episode, John and Jane are given a new mission through chat sessions with an anonymous client, whom they call 'hihi' (hihi). The season has a common thread, but most episodes stand alone. They also all have their own tone: sometimes the action is central, sometimes the relationship (as in the episode with the relationship therapist played by Sarah Paulson).
Spectacular action
The makers clearly had a large budget at their disposal. A spectacular episode that takes place around Lake Como in Italy is particularly notable in this regard. The couple has to accompany a rich man who seems to be on the death list of all kinds of parties. A car chase and subsequent shootings in an Italian village are spectacularly depicted and are on par with the action in a film series like Mission: Impossible.
But the action never overshadows the story. The series is more of a comedic relationship drama with action in the background. It helps that each episode can count on excellent guest stars from John Turturro, Wagner Moura, Michaela Coel and Parker Posey, among others.
Beforehand, Glover had asked Brad Pitt for advice, told he in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “He wriggled his way out of there in a Brad Pitt way,” Glover said. According to him, Pitt had no tips, but said charmingly: “You'll do great, boy.”
Erskine felt uncomfortable for a while while preparing for her role, which was physically challenging. “I had given birth the year before, hadn't exercised and didn't really take care of my body,” said them against The Guardian. “Angelina Jolie was a total goddess in that movie. I had to accept that I would be a real woman, not perfect. Still sexy, but in a different way.”
It is not surprising that Brad and Angelina come up. But while watching the first, successful season of Mr. & Mrs. Smith you actually forgot about those two very quickly.
#wonderful #39Mr #Smith39
