Action and romance go together like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re examining how “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” could be starting a trend in regards to the blending of genres.
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00:00 "I like to read to get to sleep."
00:02 "I do the dishes while I'm cooking."
00:05 "Oooh."
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08 And today we're examining how Mr. and Mrs. Smith could be starting a trend in regards to the blending of genres.
00:14 "Okay, so you're mad that I saved the day. That's what you're mad about."
00:17 "No, I'm mad that you take all the credit."
00:19 Action and romance seem like disparate categories.
00:23 One focused on shootouts, car chases and death.
00:26 The other on love and companionship.
00:28 But, as Amazon's Mr. and Mrs. Smith beautifully proves, the two may be more alike than we think.
00:34 The two genres work so well exactly because they shouldn't.
00:38 Opposites attract and all that.
00:40 Blending the two together allows your product to span demographics that typically don't overlap.
00:45 It allows couples that might otherwise disagree on their entertainment to find common ground and watch something they can both enjoy.
00:51 And perhaps most important of all, it allows the action genre to be sexy.
00:55 You see, action relies on romance more than one may think.
00:58 And action brings an exciting spark of life to romance.
01:01 "You got this? Be careful."
01:04 "Nice one, babe."
01:10 Come on, why do you think James Bond has been popular for half a century?
01:13 It's not because he drives invisible cars, we'll tell you that.
01:16 "Aston Martin call it the vanquish, we call it the vanish."
01:23 As Mr. and Mrs. Smith smartly proves, action and romance don't just work together like chocolate and peanut butter.
01:30 They actually complement each other through their themes, storylines, and ideas.
01:34 Francesca Sloan and Donald Glover proved with Mr. and Mrs. Smith that action and romance are one in the same.
01:40 And that action could be used as metaphor to help explain romance.
01:44 And they did this through the structure of the series.
01:50 "I think they're just easing us in. You know, it's always like this at a stakeout at first."
01:55 The couple's getting to know each other, sharing a drink at a local pub while bonding over their shared experiences.
02:00 They take a walk around the city while trying to intercept a package.
02:03 The episode even ends with them delivering a gorgeous cake, a physical symbol of capital R romance, of etiquette, beauty, and refinement.
02:12 "Okay. Wow, so just a whole new life."
02:19 "Hmm."
02:20 Episode 2, Second Date.
02:22 John and Jane are asked to infiltrate a black tie event and give truth serum to a shady billionaire.
02:28 In essence, this is the couple's first major date, a fancy occasion that requires them to dress nice and look sharp.
02:35 "Nice."
02:36 "Oh, thank you, so do you."
02:38 And when they accidentally kill Eric Shane and dispose of his body in the composter,
02:43 it serves as the couple's first obstacle that only brings them closer.
02:47 In this case, sleeping together for the first time.
02:50 "Do you wanna kiss me?"
02:52 "It's not as dogs this time, just actually."
03:00 First Vacation.
03:02 John and Jane head to the Italian Dolomites to spy on Gavall and Parker, serving as their first international getaway.
03:09 But it's also through Gavall and Parker that they learn some hard truths about serious relationships.
03:13 The couple's doomed relationship asks John and Jane to confront their own,
03:17 and each takes a different side in the couple's fight.
03:20 Through their fight, we learn that John is a more caring and loving person hoping for physical intimacy,
03:26 whereas Jane is a more calculating woman focused on her professional work.
03:30 "Is it so bad to just like, wanna have affection from your wife? It's not the worst thing in the world."
03:36 "I mean, that's Gavall Martin. Her net worth is, what, like the GDP of Australia? She needs sleep."
03:43 Just like Gavall and Parker, the fractures begin to show, and John and Jane have their first major fight.
03:49 But following an intense shootout in the snow, Jane helps John regain his composure, and the two strengthen their bond.
03:56 Once again, through tragedy and death comes healing.
03:59 "I like, really, really care about you."
04:04 Double Date shows John and Jane as a happy and confident couple,
04:08 hosting an elegant dinner and getting along well with their guests.
04:11 In this case, their guests just happen to be fellow spies.
04:14 "Do you want kids?" is when things start to fall apart for our titular heroes.
04:18 This episode is one long, extended metaphor, with the frail and needy Toby Hellinger standing in for a young child.
04:25 "I think I threw up."
04:27 "You scared me."
04:29 "I'll go."
04:32 "No, it's fine."
04:34 He demands things and tests their patience, and whereas Jane is maternal and caring, John is cold and demanding.
04:41 "One leg over slowly."
04:42 "We don't have a lot of time."
04:44 "There you go."
04:45 "He knows we're in a hurry, right?"
04:46 "It's okay, John. Okay."
04:48 "Boy, if you don't put your foot on the ground right now."
04:52 It's telling that the episode ends with their house, the very symbol of domesticity and stability, exploding into pieces.
04:59 Just as Toby represents their potential child, their exploding house represents their inability to root.
05:05 The final three episodes of the show combine to tell an extended tragic story about the couple's downfall.
05:11 The two attend couples therapy and burn down the therapist's house,
05:14 John starts seeing another woman, a rival spy who nearly kills him with a garrotte,
05:19 and they finally break up as they attempt to kill each other.
05:22 Who hasn't?
05:23 Mr. and Mrs. Smith tells the story of a doomed relationship.
05:27 It just does so through the guise of an action series.
05:30 Each episode acts as a step in their relationship, with the spy subplot often symbolizing an aspect of their personal lives.
05:36 It proves that action and romance can be intertwined,
05:39 that one can actually stand in for the other and help develop its themes.
05:43 Mr. and Mrs. Smith isn't that interested in the spy aspect of things.
05:47 It just uses it as a Trojan horse to sneak in ideas about awkward first dates, vacations, fights, family, and domesticity.
05:55 "John, you wanna bring kids in to this life after a day like we had today?"
05:59 And, like many works of spy fiction, it displays the sexy allure of the genre.
06:04 There are gorgeous international locations, including the aforementioned Dolomites and Italy's Lake Como.
06:10 There are sexy suits and extravagant outfits.
06:12 Their house is filled with giant TV's and seemingly endless bottles of wine.
06:17 It's all very sexy and alluring, beautifully blending the danger with the passion.
06:22 Provided Mr. and Mrs. Smith does well, it could start a trend in regards to taking more creative risks.
06:28 It could encourage the blending of seemingly disparate genres and the use of metaphor,
06:33 perhaps using one genre to help explain the tropes of another.
06:36 It's an exciting prospect, and one that proves the universal aspect of storytelling, however different the story device may be.
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06:58 Equally exciting is what Mr. and Mrs. Smith did with old IP.
07:03 In today's entertainment landscape, we're being endlessly bombarded with remakes and sequels that don't really try anything new.
07:09 But Mr. and Mrs. Smith took an old idea and put its own unique spin on it,
07:14 taking the basic premise from the 2005 film and using it to explore what is essentially a brand new story.
07:20 It proves that rehashing old ideas doesn't need to be boring.
07:24 It can be artistically invigorating and intellectually rewarding,
07:27 with the old story serving as the foundation for new creative building blocks.
07:32 The success of Mr. and Mrs. Smith proves that we want something new,
07:36 even if it's rooted in the nostalgia of the old.
07:39 What do you think of action and romance together?
07:44 What did you think of Mr. and Mrs. Smith?
07:46 Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
07:49 Do you agree with our picks?
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