You know, like most, I was pretty surprised that Donald Glover’s next project on TV starring was a TV series connected to a film from 2005 when stars were the driving force to see a film. That film starring Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt was simpler times when the only controversy about it was that Pitt, who was with Jennifer Anniston at the time, fell in love with Jolie and started a relationship with her. The film is about a married couple who are both spies who work for competing spy agencies that end up pitting the two against each other. That film is full of mid-2000s slickness and bombast that, honestly, in many ways, doesn’t exist anymore. So what have Glover and co-creator/showrunner Francesca Sloane cooked up with this new interpretation? Right now, I don’t know if it’s quite that amazing a meal. First, let me go on a bit of tangent; see, the 2005 film isn’t the only spy story with this title; another one exists that appeared on network television on CBS starring Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap fame and Maria Bello as John and Jane Smith who are partnered together on spy missions for an agency throughout the 13 episodes the two had a will they or won’t they fall in love as they try and succeed at their missions. This Rom-Com/Spy, mission drama setup is the one I feel this new series takes as much inspiration from this old canceled CBS show as much as the 2005 film.
Glover plays “John Smith,” who has just gotten a job with an independent spy agency, and he meets his partner and new wife “Jane Smith” played by Maya Erskine, in their new house in Manhattan. They receive their missions through text messages, which they call “HiHi” because they start each correspondence with “ hi hi.” While trying to figure out this new job, the two start to get too close as the relationship stops being a facade and becomes real. This leads to some funny and dangerous outcomes as their personalities and feelings get in the way of skills. The show is only eight episodes, and while it has an exciting start, it does get into a good groove around the middle of the set of episodes. I feel episodes four through seven where I was really the most interested and the less slow. There is some stuff early on that the show drags a bit along with, and it’s hard to buy them becoming a couple because it feels too fast. While I feel both Glover and Erskine are good in those early episodes, I didn’t feel the chemistry. While I’m not going to spoil the end, the characters make certain choices that don’t feel authentic and feel rushed, along with playing into some worn tropes.
I think the directing in the episodes is very good, with Hiro Murai doing the pilot sets the right tone visually. The costuming is also what you would like to see in a spy show—very good silhouettes on the characters in the series. The show also uses guest star actors quite well in the different types of missions the couple have to do. For me, John Turturro, Parker Posey, Ron Perlman, and Michaela Coel were the stand out guest stars for me. Also, Paul Dano is good as a neighbor, which causes some conflict for the couple. The music drops as solid, and the action in episodes are quite good from set pieces and choreography. The show still hangs on the performances of our leads. Glover’s John is capable but is also the character that really brings the comedy out in this show more than anyone. Glover’s closest performance in this is to his take on Lando from the Solo film, yet he still has a bit of the wholesomeness of his Troy from Community. Erskine’s Jane is a bit more complex of a performance because she sometimes feels like the competent one but also at times unlikable because she makes some daft logical choice regarding their relationship or just being a human being.
While I do think the show is made quite well, there are some things in that keep it from being a fantastic series. Maybe it’s the number of episodes or certain choices with the characters as it closes the season’s end. Whatever it is, It’s worth a watch, but it might not check everyone’s boxes. I do hope people accept it on its own merits and don’t compare it to the film too much. There’s no chance people will compare it to the old ’90s canceled show because no one has seen it. If this show gets another season, I will give that a watch, and I’d say that makes a successful television series.
Score: B
RIOTUS 