something weird about mr + mrs smith is that it’s clearly written from the perspective of john and subtly favors johns (in spite of their many flaws) over janes even though it’s ostensibly told from the perspective of the couple. of all the smiths we see die (or are implied to), it’s always the men that get shot/dispatched first and nearly all the johns we meet are defined by being, for lack of a better word, more silly and frivolous than their janes.

on the one hand this is an interesting story choice, but it's also a striking disconnect between characters we see "get the job done," typically coldly and without sentimentality and how they're contrasted with characters we see doing 'the spy thing' and their (largely ineffective) vibes-based approach to missions.

when the camera spends time with jane, we see her doing what appears to be scheming, possibly undermining john—even the omniscient narrator is jealous or at the very least suspicious of her connection to Hihi.