Mr. & Mrs. Smith

I watched all 8 episodes and found them to have the same sentiment as the original movie but with a ton more depth. And also what I thought was better acting, Donald and Maya took every episode and put their full acting strength behind it to give each episode a familiar piece of life with some crazy action involved too. Some of the mid episodes definitely just felt like fillers and since we had the general plot going we didn't feel as we had to watch every second to get the gist. Now to the ending, DIDN'T LIKE, why with 8 full episodes would the series runners leave it on a cliffhanger... not appreciated and made me have mixed feelings toward the entire series. Boo.

The series is a character drama with the facade of an action series. We are deeply invested in these characters and the pacing gives us room to explore their love, and flaws in an intimate way. In a word I would describe the series as warmth. It has deeply human scenes with actors that make you care. The pacing and dialogue are not action drama standard. If you are looking for a series to distract with guns a shoot em ups, this probably isn't for you. It you're interested to see how love, compassion, friendship, and intimacy play out in a world of spies and humor... this is the series for you.

After seeing the low ratings for this show, I couldn't help but think, "Oh no, not another disappointment." However, since I'm a fan of espionage-themed TV shows and movies, and having enjoyed the film, I felt compelled to give this TV series a chance. And, I'm glad I did. While the movie leaned heavily on the sex appeal of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this rendition of Mr. & Mrs. Smith excels in both acting and writing. With only 8 episodes, building a story arc with substantial depth is no easy feat. Yet, this series manages it admirably. Each episode is fun to watch, and it's evident that the cast relished portraying these deadly characters. Although it was seemingly written as a limited series, I'm really hoping for a second season.

You can tell Mr. & Mrs. Smith was created by Donald Glover because it has the same feel as Atlanta. They shouldn't have called this Mr. & Mrs. Smith though. I think that's why some people left negative reviews because it doesn't resemble the movie at all. I think the people who didn't like it would've liked it more if they called it something else because they went into it expecting the story to be along the same lines of the movie. It's not. It doesn't make it bad though. Both Donald Glover and Maya Erksine were fantastic in this. They have such natural chemistry. This show has plenty of drama, action, comedy, etc to keep you entertained.

This show starts slow, hence the impatience of the ADD generation and bad reviews. Two people are put together to be spies for a mysterious organization. Both of their personalities are very different, so it takes time for them to gel and for the audience to get to know them. That's actually a strength as the series continues because just like a real relationship their differences is what makes it work. Their relationship starts slow, develops, then their personalities clash after the honeymoon phase and the show does a good job of exploring where the characters go from here. Unlike the movie it does a better job of exploring the relationship dynamic and is not as dependent on their looks. The movie was terrible, and there in lies a problem. People who liked the attractive people in the movie, explosions, and action aren't going to enjoy a nuanced show about how to make relationships work within a spy show. This is more of a show about being in a relationship with two very different personalities than a spy show. If you're looking for a flashy show, with attractive people, no plot, lots of explosions, then watch the movie. If you want actual characters, character development, and an overarching storyline, then give this series a try. It's a slow burn that requires a little patience. It's by no means perfect, but you might find yourself growing to like their characters as the series progresses. The show does take some liberties to push the storyline along and to further explore their relationship. Examples include the episode with Toby who acts more like their child than a grown man, their opening up their home and secrets to another couple, and others. This is done to further show the relationship dynamic more than the actual spy craft. It is a fun show, just more relationship oriented and character development than action.