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shallownessMr & Mrs Smith - 1.3 First Vacation
In their new iteration as a sexing couple, the Smiths had to deal with what this new level of intimacy meant – further intimacy? – along with the job of the week: spying on a married couple, bugging their phones and catching a specific conversation. Oh, and they knew they couldn’t fail (or Jane did) because HiHi was being passive-aggressive about it. Cue contrasts between the Smiths’ whatever-they-are and what looked to be a disintegrating marriage, where she (played by Sharon Horgan) was the high earner, and he (looked familiar, the credits when aired were no help to me, oh, it was Billy Campbell, still pretty) was an ex-surfer. Arguably, the fact that sharing a bed was an issue for both couples was a bit too on the nose, but bringing up very human issues like snoring and farting grounded it.
John really should have admitted he couldn’t ski before getting in the lift, but the sight of him flailing about on the slopes was the comic highpoint of the ep.
Jane learned he’d broken the rules and was in regular contact with his mother (who knows he’s married but seems to be fine with not having met her daughter-in-law? Strange mother.) John was kind of freaked about Jane having severed contact with her father, and bought the line about it being because he molested Jane (which I didn’t.) Obviously, we ought to meet both parents at some point. We also saw contrasting attitudes towards making vacation friends, and I was on Jane’s pragmatic side, as they did get in the way of the Smiths’ mission.
Things kicked up a notch with the Smiths separating to go talk to the subject they hadn’t empathised with in an attempt to bug their phones. They struck up conversations, with John getting to play more suave than he’s managed around Jane. There was a less obvious kind of seduction between Jane and her target, because he'd recognised her as ‘a honeymooner.’ She used his worry about his kid (with his headphones on, immersed in a game, while his parents bickered all holiday) to bug his phone.
The big set-piece that followed was a little too detached, what with John and us only being able to hear the abduction at first, but then in the indirect way it was shot, as he decided, whatever their instructions, to instigate a rescue for the child’s sake. Things improved when Jane set out to rescue him on a snow quad bike thing.
In the aftermath, Mrs Target was furious with Mr Target for having refused the abductors’ demands, but he said that in doing so he’d realised he still loved her, and she was…all right with that. All this played out on the monitor in the Smiths’ room, as Jane tried to defrost John (so he wasn’t shot or injured, then?) while he played it up. Jane admitted that believing John was in imminent danger (because he’d put himself into it) had made her realise she loved him, essentially. I was all ‘oh’.
As they went home, the Smiths agreed to share a bed.
I find myself a little removed from the show. I don’t know if it’s too arch or in a register that doesn’t speak to me. Am I the wrong generation for it? My default is to be ‘O RLY?’ with whatever Jane says, so I was wrongfooted by her vocalisation of ‘really, really caring’ for John.
In their new iteration as a sexing couple, the Smiths had to deal with what this new level of intimacy meant – further intimacy? – along with the job of the week: spying on a married couple, bugging their phones and catching a specific conversation. Oh, and they knew they couldn’t fail (or Jane did) because HiHi was being passive-aggressive about it. Cue contrasts between the Smiths’ whatever-they-are and what looked to be a disintegrating marriage, where she (played by Sharon Horgan) was the high earner, and he (looked familiar, the credits when aired were no help to me, oh, it was Billy Campbell, still pretty) was an ex-surfer. Arguably, the fact that sharing a bed was an issue for both couples was a bit too on the nose, but bringing up very human issues like snoring and farting grounded it.
John really should have admitted he couldn’t ski before getting in the lift, but the sight of him flailing about on the slopes was the comic highpoint of the ep.
Jane learned he’d broken the rules and was in regular contact with his mother (who knows he’s married but seems to be fine with not having met her daughter-in-law? Strange mother.) John was kind of freaked about Jane having severed contact with her father, and bought the line about it being because he molested Jane (which I didn’t.) Obviously, we ought to meet both parents at some point. We also saw contrasting attitudes towards making vacation friends, and I was on Jane’s pragmatic side, as they did get in the way of the Smiths’ mission.
Things kicked up a notch with the Smiths separating to go talk to the subject they hadn’t empathised with in an attempt to bug their phones. They struck up conversations, with John getting to play more suave than he’s managed around Jane. There was a less obvious kind of seduction between Jane and her target, because he'd recognised her as ‘a honeymooner.’ She used his worry about his kid (with his headphones on, immersed in a game, while his parents bickered all holiday) to bug his phone.
The big set-piece that followed was a little too detached, what with John and us only being able to hear the abduction at first, but then in the indirect way it was shot, as he decided, whatever their instructions, to instigate a rescue for the child’s sake. Things improved when Jane set out to rescue him on a snow quad bike thing.
In the aftermath, Mrs Target was furious with Mr Target for having refused the abductors’ demands, but he said that in doing so he’d realised he still loved her, and she was…all right with that. All this played out on the monitor in the Smiths’ room, as Jane tried to defrost John (so he wasn’t shot or injured, then?) while he played it up. Jane admitted that believing John was in imminent danger (because he’d put himself into it) had made her realise she loved him, essentially. I was all ‘oh’.
As they went home, the Smiths agreed to share a bed.
I find myself a little removed from the show. I don’t know if it’s too arch or in a register that doesn’t speak to me. Am I the wrong generation for it? My default is to be ‘O RLY?’ with whatever Jane says, so I was wrongfooted by her vocalisation of ‘really, really caring’ for John.
