Why Action + Romance Works: Mr. & Mrs, Smith Could Be Starting a Trend

Why Action and Romance Works: Mr. & Mrs. Smith Could Be Starting a Trend

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re examining how “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” could be starting a trend in regards to the blending of genres.

Action and romance seem like disparate categories - one focused on shootouts, car chases, and death, the other on love and companionship. But as Amazon’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” beautifully proves, the two may be more alike than we think.

The two genres work so well exactly because they shouldn’t. Opposites attract, and all that. Blending the two together allows your product to span demographics that typically don’t overlap. It allows couples that might otherwise disagree on their entertainment to find common ground and watch something they can both enjoy. And perhaps most important of all - it allows the action genre to be sexy! You see, action relies on romance more than one may think, and action brings an exciting spark of life to romance. Come on, why do you think James Bond has been popular for half a century? It’s not because he drives invisible cars, we tell you that.

As “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” smartly proves, action and romance don’t just work together like chocolate and peanut butter - they actually complement each other through their themes, storylines, and ideas. Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover proved with “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” that action and romance are one in the same, and that action could be used as metaphor to help explain romance. And they did this through the structure of the series.

Episode one - “First Date.” Self explanatory. The couple is getting to know each other, sharing a drink at a local pub while bonding over their shared experiences. They take a walk around the city (while trying to intercept a package). The episode even ends with them delivering a gorgeous cake, a physical symbol of capital-R Romance. Of etiquette, beauty, and refinement.

Episode two - “Second Date.” John and Jane are asked to infiltrate a black tie event and give truth serum to a shady billionaire. In essence, this is the couple’s first “major” date, a fancy occasion that requires them to dress nice and look sharp. And when they accidentally kill Eric Shane and dispose of his body in the composter, it serves as the couple’s first obstacle that only brings them closer - in this case, sleeping together for the first time.

“First Vacation.” John and Jane head to the Italian Dolomites to spy on Gavol and Parker, serving as their first international getaway. But it’s also through Gavol and Parker that they learn some hard truths about serious relationships. The couple’s doomed relationship asks John and Jane to confront their own, and each takes a different side in the couple’s fight. Through their fight, we learn that John is a more caring and loving person hoping for physical intimacy, whereas Jane is a more calculating woman focused on her professional work. Just like Gavol and Parker, the fractures begin to show, and John and Jane have their first major fight. But following an intense shootout in the snow, Jane helps John regain his composure and the two strengthen their bond. Once again, through tragedy and death comes healing.

“Double Date” shows John and Jane as a happy and confident couple, hosting an elegant dinner and getting along well with their guests. In this case, their guests just happen to be fellow spies.

“Do You Want Kids?” is when things start to fall apart for our titular heroes. This episode is one long extended metaphor, with the frail and needy Toby Hellinger standing in for a young child. He demands things and tests their patience, and whereas Jane is maternal and caring, John is cold and demanding. It’s telling that the episode ends with their house - the very symbol of domesticity and stability - exploding into pieces. Just as Toby represents their potential child, their exploding house represents their inability to root.

The final three episodes of the show combine to tell an extended tragic story about the couple’s downfall. The two attend couple’s therapy (and burn down the therapist’s house), John starts seeing another woman (a rival spy who nearly kills him with a garrote), and they finally break-up as they attempt to kill each other (who hasn’t?).

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” tells the story of a doomed relationship. It just does so through the guise of an action series. Each episode acts as a step in their relationship, with the spy subplot often symbolizing an aspect of their personal lives. It proves that action and romance can be intertwined, that one can actually stand in for the other and help develop its themes. “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” isn’t that interested in the spy aspect of things - it just uses it as a trojan horse to sneak in ideas about awkward first dates, vacations, fights, family, and domesticity.

And, like many works of spy fiction, it displays the sexy allure of the genre. There are gorgeous international locations, including the aforementioned Dolomites and Italy’s Lake Como. There are sexy suits and extravagant outfits. Their house is filled with giant TVs and seemingly endless bottles of wine. It’s all very sexy and alluring, beautifully blending the danger with the passion.

Provided “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” does well, it could start a trend in regards to taking more creative risks. It could encourage the blending of seemingly disparate genres and the use of metaphor, perhaps using one genre to help explain the tropes of another. It’s an exciting prospect, and one that proves the universal aspect of storytelling, however different the story device may be.

Equally exciting is what “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” did with old IP. In today’s entertainment landscape, we are being endlessly bombarded with remakes and sequels that don’t really try anything new. But “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” took an old idea and put its own unique spin on it, taking the basic premise from the 2005 film and using it to explore what is essentially a brand new story. It proves that rehashing old ideas doesn’t need to be boring. It can be artistically invigorating and intellectually rewarding, with the old story serving as the foundation for new creative building blocks.

The success of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” proves that we want something new, even if it’s rooted in the nostalgia of the old.