As for the overall tone and mood of the series, it isn’t to my taste and will likely be a hard sell for many. I can see what Glover was trying to do: Subvert expectations and make a series about marriage that also happens to have spies. It could have been profound, but it just doesn’t gel into something cohesive. “Smith” was originally meant to be a collaboration between Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag” and “Indiana Jones 5”). Bridge departed due to creative differences, and this is one of the only times I believe that the phrase isn't a euphemism for some deeper conflict. Maybe they would have had more chemistry, but Bridge’s style and humor are brash and obvious, and Glover clearly wanted a more intimate, stranger vibe.
He certainly achieved strange. And that probably wasn’t for the best.
Kelly Lawler
It’s amazing how many glowing reviews for this series (and a whole lot of critics who contorted words beyond meaning to sound positive) I skimmed to find a few that somewhat match my impressions of the show. I guess this is one of the instances where the Rotten Tomatoes score accurately reflects its quality – a 90% critics rating together with a 66% Audience Score is the marking of a poor series in my view.
I understand and appreciate the concept behind the series, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The chemistry between the two lead actors was almost nonexistent, and their sudden shift from a professional partnership as mercenary spies to ‘loving’ couple facing modern relationship issues felt forced and pointless – particularly after they jointly decided the previous episode to avoid mixing business with pleasure.
It certainly doesn’t help that the thriller ingredient of the series was contrived and implausible. As I was watching I kept wondering: are these the worst spies in fiction? Despite being explicitly instructed to cut all ties to his earlier existence, Mr. Smith often calls his mom, tells her where they live, and even finds her a new home to be closer to her. The episode where they meet another couple of Smiths is even more egregious: you would think at least Jane, later praised as the more cerebral of the two, would question if this couple is really who they claim to be. For all they knew, they could be agents from a competing company/agency sent to root them out. But no, they invite them to their home as if they’re old friends, and even get suckered into completing one of their missions…
I enjoyed some aspects of the show. The opening episode had promise; the one where they undergo couple’s therapy had the best humor, dry as it was; and the ending was action-packed and filled with twists and turns, at which point the series finally felt closer to the original movie. The rest unfortunately was boring, redundant filler.
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