Worth: $14.00
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Cast:
Donald Glover, Maya Erskine
Intro:
Glover and Erskine bounce off each other well, their quirkier edges fit each other seamlessly.
From the opening scene of its very first episode, this reimagining of the 2005 Brangelina spy thriller lets the audience know not to waste their time drawing comparisons between the two productions.
First off, we learn that John and Jane Smith are (pretty obviously) codenames for interchangeable couples, and by opening on a pair of John-and-Janes played by Alexander Skarsgård and Eiza Gonzalez — who in a certain light could mirror the 2005 edition — and then very neatly putting an end to their story with a hail of bullets, the message is clear that this version plans on being its own beast entirely.
Enter Maya Erskine and Donald Glover. They’re a little less polished, a little more socially awkward. She’s secretive, he’s competitive, they’re both total strangers and trained spies, set up to pose as a fake couple living unobtrusively in a regular neighbourhood brownstone as a cover for the missions assigned to them by the faceless HiHi.
Whereas previously, the plot revolved around an actual couple uncovering the difficult truth that they’re both assassins assigned to target one another, this time around, both parties are aware of each other’s more lethal personas going in, and it’s the intimate minutia of married life that they have to navigate.
Forced into close quarters, John and Jane learn to accept one another’s annoying habits and personal quirks in their downtime, while figuring out how to trust one another on the job — one of which may be a touch more life-and-death than the other, but both come with their own kind of danger and vulnerability.
The script, co-written by Glover, has a naturalistic feel that helps sell the on-screen couple’s chemistry. The banter can be downright bizarre at times, veering off on tangents about paedophiles and cringeworthy jokes about racist cartoons, but between the overlapping dialogue and fun visuals and fast cuts as they zip around the city running from inevitable trouble, it all lends immediacy to what otherwise can feel like a slow burn.
The real similarity with its 2005 predecessor worth noting is that, as with Brad and Angelina, the story lives and dies by the rapport between its two leads. Glover and Erskine bounce off each other well, their quirkier edges fit each other seamlessly. While much of the storyline is carried on their shoulders, the show does have a rotating door of impressive guest stars, including Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, and John Turturro lending his singular brand of unhinged energy to the role of Eric, a bored aristocrat looking for unconventional thrills. Paul Dano also shows up and manages to make a short exchange about a cat and a rooftop garden sound suitably mysterious and vaguely ominous, as is his way.
By the end of each episode, we’re introduced to just a taste of the mystery behind HiHi, John and Jane, and it’s enough to keep you hitting that “play next” button for more.
