‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Shouldn’t Return Without Donald Glover and Maya Erskine

The big picture

• Prime Video's
  Mr and Mrs Smith
  The TV reboot goes beyond the original film, delving into modern espionage and dating.
• The chemistry between Donald Glover and Maya Erskine is critical to the show's success and should continue into Season 2.
• An anthology format for
  Mr and Mrs Smith
  it could expand on the mystery and relationship dynamic while keeping the audience engaged, but it wouldn't work as well without Glover and Erskine.

While there are plenty of mediocre TV shows based on successful movies, the reverse is rarely the case. Years 2005 Mr and Mrs Smith was a thoroughly entertaining studio action film that, despite its fairly generic humor and action, succeeded thanks to the effortless charisma of brad pitt i Angelina Jolie. However, Prime Video's TV reboot managed to improve on its predecessor in almost every way; the series revamped the premise to explore the all-consuming nature of espionage, crafting a powerful deconstruction of what dating is like in the Internet age. Based on the strong response that the first eight episodes received, Mr and Mrs Smith was quickly confirmed for a second season.

Although strong writing and a string of memorable guest stars certainly helped Mr and Mrs Smith being an entertaining series, the brilliance of the show was in the dynamic between Donald Glover i Maya Erskine. The duo created flawed, yet very relatable characters who struggle to balance their personal and professional obligations. While the series seems intent on morphing into an “anthology” format that could introduce a new set of protagonists, Mr and Mrs Smith's second season would be much more interesting if Glover and Erskine reprise their roles.

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith ends Season 2 with a compelling hook

Although the ending is a bit ambiguous, the final episode of Mr and Mrs Smith ends with an important moment of character development this means a new direction a follow-up story could take. An enduring tension between Jane (Erskine) and John (Glover) throughout the first season is a debate over whether they want children; while Jane initially expresses unease about starting a family due to the nature of her profession, she eventually admits to John that she wants children when it looks like they might be nearing the end of their lives. This puts the characters in an interesting position if their survival is confirmed; although their lives are constantly in danger, John and Jane may want to start a family in the time they have left.

One of the most interesting elements of Mr and Mrs Smith it's his subtle way of hinting at the larger espionage organization that employs multiple “Johns” and “Janes”. There are brief hints as to what the organization's true motivations are through the secret messages sent to John and Jane, but the series does not reveal who is really in charge. Returning to Erskine and Glover could afford it Mr and Mrs Smith to develop its central mystery. It seems that John and Jane finally commit to each other out of complete sincerity, and not out of any professional obligation. Given this new allegiance, it seems they may be interested in exploring the program that previously employed them.

The desire to turn Mr and Mrs Smith in an anthology series makes sense, as the show was able to hint at a larger universe by bringing in acclaimed actors as various guest stars. Despite this, allowing Erskine and Glover to return would not prevent the series from introducing other “Janes” and “Johns”. In fact, it might be very interesting to see how Erskine and Glover's characters react to another couple who are at a different stage in their relationship; moments focused on alternate John (Wagner Moore) and Jane (Parker Posey) are a highlight of the first season.

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' could make the relationship dynamic more complicated in Season 2

Although Mr and Mrs Smith features some of the most thrilling espionage action on television in recent memory, the show is at its best when detailing the emergence of a modern relationship. As John and Jane lead various missions together, they experience dating, vacations, therapy, infidelity, and even a potential breakup. A second season of Mr and Mrs Smith it has the potential to explore the later stages of a relationship. It would be interesting to see how John and Jane deal with the possibilities of getting married, buying a house, or meeting each other's families; given the constant danger they find themselves in, there's a good chance these developments could be surprisingly fun and very intense.

Given how significantly Jane and John change over the course of the first season, it would be disappointing if Mr and Mrs Smith he was back to “square one” with a new partner. Even if the relationship dynamics were slightly different, it would be hard for a second season with new characters to avoid going through some of the same narrative beats and feeling very repetitive. Viewers connected with the first season because the audience and the characters were making revelations at the same time; this is negated if the protagonists are recast and the show starts from scratch.

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' is less relevant without Donald Glover and Maya Erskine

While the premise is brilliant, Mr and Mrs Smith it was successful because of the creative collaboration between Glover and Erskine. Both performers may be better known for their comedic work, but they managed to deliver mature performances that showed a different side to their on-screen personas. This was essential to break the unique tone of Mr and Mrs Smith; while there are shocking twists meant to be serious, the inherent humorous sensibilities of its stars allowed for some unexpected moments of comic relief.

The involvement of Glover and Erskine is what sets it apart Mr and Mrs Smith of other spyware. Prime Video has no shortage of espionage-adjacent genre shows like this one Reacher, Jack Ryan, Bosch, and the next reboot of Cross. Comparatively, Mr and Mrs Smith is a relationship drama that uses the parameters of a genre series to be more entertaining. The first season marked the beginning of something truly unique that had the potential to get deeper and more complicated as it went on; It would be a shame if Season 2 chose to negate that progress by trying to spin Mr and Mrs Smith in a franchise.

Mr and Mrs Smith is streaming on Prime Video in the US

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