A Not-So-Secret Affair: The Ordinary allures of TV’s new Mr. & Mrs. Smith
In a fresh twist, Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the spy couple next door, leaving high-action glitz behind to ponder life’s simple questions.
Taking on the iconic titular roles of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” — originally portrayed by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2005 — is no easy feat. The reimagined 2024 spy thriller series starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine is one of the year’s most anticipated shows, and its stylish stars showed up ready to impress at the New York City premiere on Wednesday.
The always fashionable Glover went monochromatic and neutral in a slouchy beige Fear of God suit; Erskine kept things similarly subdued in a black vintage Vivienne Westwood knee-length dress paired with open-toe heels. At the other end of the spectrum was Parker Posey, who brought a moment of color to the carpet in a vibrant purple jumpsuit, which she accessorized with white heels and pink-lensed sunglasses.
And that’s precisely why this new take works. Erskine brings her signature humor from her breakout Hulu series PEN15, expertly colliding with Glover’s Atlanta charm. Their on-screen kinship elicits the laughs while also leaving room to explore the messiness of human connection. As two spies masquerading as husband and wife, their real identities stay clouded in secrecy. But their true selves – and true feelings – eventually shine through the artifice.
When the pair inevitably catch feelings amidst the espionage, the danger amps up – both physically and emotionally. “On the one end of that, in order to be in a really healthy relationship, you have to be really honest,” says Sloane. “Bringing those two things together is the heartbeat and the impulse of the entire series.”
The action, when it arrives, satisfies. But the show’s best scenes come from the comedy of watching these two fumble through life’s routine and romantic milestones. “Of course things soon turn messy, as you would expect from two attractive people,” raves Rolling Stone. “These are two very attractive people, my friends,” echoes The Guardian.
And those simple charms outshine any big-budget thrills. This Mr. and Mrs. find excitement not in sleek cars or designer duds but in each other’s perfectly imperfect company. In matching their spy stakes to true vulnerability, the series uncovers the most human secret of all – that sometimes the greatest allure comes from those we overlook.
