Mr. and Mrs. Smith
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In the lead-up to the release of the new Amazon Prime seriesMr.
& Mrs. Smith, the discourse has largely revolved around comparisons to the original movie.
In some ways, its a fools errand to try catching lightning in a bottle twice.
In a self-aware,open letterabout the inherent silliness of rebootingMr.
What if our John and Jane could be anyone, could be you and me?
Before weve even met our real heroes, were seeing what could happen if they ever go rogue.
Theyve both been in love before, but only John has ever expressed it out loud.
Their actual meet-cute happens at the gorgeous Manhattan brownstone where theyll be living.
I guess were married now, Jane says.
A moment later, they exchange nice to meet yous.
They dont even have each others phone number yet.
(In some ways,The Americansis the ultimate rom-com.
Okay, not really.)
Hes friendly and flirtatious, while Jane is cool, professional, and secretive.
(Jane suggests the company is just easing them in.)
First, they follow their target to the park, then to a show at the Cherry Lane Theatre.
They went through with it, he paid the check, and they laughed after it was over.
The Smiths complete the delivery, handing the package to some rich lady planning a big party.
(What if the house just blew up behind them?
I remarked to my roommate a split second before it happened.)
Its the exploding-house equivalent of a classic side-view car-crash shot.
In the final scene, John admits he lied earlier about having never killed anyone.
Jane was terrified the whole time.
First Date may contain only a few of the elements that made the originalMr.
This is not your fathersMr.
Its darker, messier, and far more relatable.
Enjoying the show might depend on your willingness to just roll with it.
Its a smart structural conceit for the show.
