Valentine's Day Special: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Marriage is their most dangerous mission. We are the spy fi guys, and this is Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Hello, and welcome back to the spy fi guys, where we cover spy facts, spy Fiction, and everything in between. I'm Zach. [00:00:20] Speaker B: And I'm Christian. [00:00:21] Speaker A: And happy Valentine's Day to all of our spy fi fan. [00:00:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So, we are covering the tv show Mr. And Mrs. Smith with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. We figured since the show just came out, it'd be a nice tie in for Valentine's Day. [00:00:37] Speaker A: This you. How well do you remember the movie with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? [00:00:42] Speaker B: Quite well, actually. Yeah, I've seen it a number of times. [00:00:45] Speaker A: I remember the fighting. Were they actually spies in that, or were they assassins? [00:00:49] Speaker B: They're more like assassins, really. So, it's interesting because this. And, I mean, we'll get more into it, but it sort of flips the concept of it on its head, because in the movie, and we'll probably get to the movie someday, they don't know that each other's a spy, but they are actually married in this one. They both know they're spies and they're legally married, but they are not, like, in love with each other. [00:01:15] Speaker A: And I like that. That's exactly how remakes of known properties should work, where it's similar but different, reversed, if you will. [00:01:25] Speaker B: This actually seems more like a show, and I know that they have said that this has been based on the movie, but there was a show called Mistress and Mrs. Smith in 1996, which this seems more like in that there are two spies who have to pretend to be married. They're both in their name, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and they work together, but they don't really know anything about each other's lives, including their real names. [00:01:47] Speaker A: Oh, interesting. [00:01:48] Speaker B: And it starred Scott Bakula and Maria Bello. [00:01:51] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. That Scott Bakula guy just will not stop making tv shows. [00:01:56] Speaker B: Yeah. And also in the same vein, there was another show in 2010 called Undercovers, which was exec, produced by JJ Abrams. That was basically the same concept. It was more in line with the Mr. And Mrs. Smith movie and that they are retired spies and they get brought back into the life, and they are actually married. [00:02:18] Speaker A: I remember seeing ads for that show, but I can't say I ever watched. [00:02:22] Speaker B: I saw maybe three or four episodes of it. It was fine, actually. I think after the second or third episode, it got canceled, but, yeah, it was fine. It did feature Mbathara, who I do enjoy, and I think that's the earliest thing I saw her in. You may know her as Renslayer from Loki. [00:02:43] Speaker A: I don't remember that character. [00:02:44] Speaker C: Oh, wait. [00:02:45] Speaker A: Renslayer? Who's that? [00:02:46] Speaker B: Yeah, she's like the judge in Loki. [00:02:53] Speaker A: Yes, I remember that character. [00:02:55] Speaker C: Nice. [00:02:56] Speaker A: She's been around a while. [00:02:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:02:58] Speaker B: Yeah, she has. So, this show, like we said, stars Donald Glover, who we all know from community, and a lot of other things. Maya Erskine. I didn't really know that. [00:03:10] Speaker C: Well, how about you? No. [00:03:11] Speaker B: So, I knew she was on a show called Pen 15, mostly because of the name, which I was amused by, but apparently, she's been in a bunch of stuff, including she was in Obiwan Kenobi. [00:03:21] Speaker A: Oh, really? [00:03:22] Speaker B: In a super minor role that she's, like, basically wasted, and she's, like, some random pilot. But she's also in the blue eyed samurai show on Netflix that I've been wanting to check out, and it's got a lot of other great people in it, so judging on her performance here might give me more reason to check that out. [00:03:38] Speaker A: Yeah, I've heard good things about that show, as well. [00:03:41] Speaker B: All right, so do we have some synopsis? [00:03:43] Speaker A: Yes, we do. Here come the poetry synopsis. As always, they may contain spoilers. I will not make any promises. If you want to avoid spoilers. We're only covering the first episode today. If you want to avoid spoilers for that, here we go. Here's the haiku auto interview. An easy task goes awry. What are they in for? [00:04:06] Speaker B: All right. Pretty good. [00:04:08] Speaker A: And then here comes the limerick. There once was a middle aged couple who got into some money trouble. Got a house and a cat, and then 2 seconds flat, instead of one spy, we've got double. [00:04:19] Speaker B: Do you say they're middle aged? What is considered middle aged? [00:04:24] Speaker C: That's what I honed in. [00:04:25] Speaker B: I was like, wait a tick. They are, like, my age. [00:04:28] Speaker A: They've been around. They've been around for a while. Christian, I hate to break it to you, but we're both kind of coming. [00:04:32] Speaker C: Up on middle age. [00:04:33] Speaker B: Middle age is 45 to 65. We are not middle aged yet. [00:04:37] Speaker C: Dang it. [00:04:39] Speaker A: Okay, well, fair enough. I don't know how old they're supposed to be. I get the impression they've been around the block. [00:04:45] Speaker B: I know. Maya Erskine is, like, she's about a year younger than me. I don't remember how old Donald Glover is. He is. Survey says he's only three years older than me. Yeah. So he's 40. [00:05:00] Speaker A: Okay, so I guess not quite. [00:05:02] Speaker B: No. So they are not middle aged. [00:05:04] Speaker A: And then here is the real IMDb plot summary. Two strangers land jobs with a spy agency that offers them a life of espionage, wealth and travel. They catch new identities in an arranged marriage. Yes, that's true. It is an arranged marriage. I hadn't thought of that. That's literally what happened. [00:05:19] Speaker B: So we start with this married couple on a porch. It's apparently they've got drinking their last bottle of wine, and these guys. Wait, hold on. I'm trying to remember who these guys. One of them I recognize is, like, Aza Gonzalez. I don't remember who the other guy is. [00:05:36] Speaker A: The other guy looked kind of like that dude who stole Boba Fett's armor in the Mandalorian. [00:05:41] Speaker B: It is definitely not him. [00:05:43] Speaker A: He does kind of look like him, though. And the woman here, he's a. [00:05:50] Speaker B: He's Alexander. [00:05:52] Speaker A: So the woman here is the classic. She's too attractive. It reminded me of fox. [00:05:57] Speaker B: What? [00:05:58] Speaker A: It doesn't look like a real. [00:06:00] Speaker B: Oh, okay. Yeah. All right. Way to judge people. [00:06:04] Speaker A: It's a compliment. [00:06:06] Speaker B: Doesn't sound like a in. She's in a lot of stuff. She's in baby driver, if I recall. [00:06:16] Speaker C: But, yeah. [00:06:17] Speaker B: So we meet them. They're introduced as John and Jane. [00:06:22] Speaker A: Yeah. So clearly they're another Mr. And Mrs. Smith. [00:06:26] Speaker B: So there's a car approaching them. They grab their bug out bags, lock the doors, grab the guns. [00:06:31] Speaker A: So my girlfriend and I were watching this together, and she was like, is that squirrel going to come back? Because they watch a squirrel and the squirrel does something. I don't know if she thought it was, like, a robotic squirrel. It means nothing, as it turns out. I think it's just a harbinger of doom. [00:06:46] Speaker C: Yep. [00:06:47] Speaker B: So Jane makes some sort of comment like she can't keep running. And they're about to fight back when John is suddenly silent because he gets shot through one cheek and out the other. [00:06:59] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:06:59] Speaker A: These guys are not just a bunch of goons that one spy can destroy. No problem. It cannot be. [00:07:05] Speaker B: And I'm, like, not expecting that level of gore from that. I was like, whoa. That is. [00:07:09] Speaker A: I hope you liked it, Christian, because this is the most exciting part of the whole episode. It's right in the beginning. No, you know I'm right. [00:07:16] Speaker B: Ooh, this man. No, no, you are incorrect. Oh, boy, here we go. Anyway, so, yeah, he's dead. Jane gets pinned down. She runs out guns blazing, but is also shot dead. And the killers drive away. [00:07:30] Speaker C: And then. [00:07:30] Speaker A: Yeah, this is where we get our opening credits, right? [00:07:32] Speaker B: Yeah. And so we got cut to a big room with a bunch of folding chairs and rows, numbers getting called. We hear number 347 called. It's an asian woman played by Maya Ersky. And she enters a room with a chair and a computer interface. [00:07:49] Speaker A: A question for you. Do you think this was a robot? Because I know in my haiku I said auto interview, but do you think a human is running the other side? [00:07:57] Speaker B: Yes, I think so. [00:08:00] Speaker A: That makes. And this isn't the first time I've brought this up, but this reminds me of the opening of the voyage home on the opening, the beginning of the voyage home, where Spock is answering all the questions. [00:08:10] Speaker B: How do you feel? [00:08:11] Speaker A: I legitimately thought they were going to ask her, how do you feel? Because there's a lot of other personal questions. [00:08:16] Speaker C: What's one more? [00:08:19] Speaker B: What caught me is like, insert nail clippings in my mind. Are they doing drug testing? That's the only thing I can think of. [00:08:26] Speaker A: I thought it might be just to confirm who they are. Because of their DNA, maybe. [00:08:30] Speaker B: Interesting. Well, is there DNA in nail clipping? [00:08:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:08:36] Speaker A: To the spy versus fiction. I mean, there's DNA in your hair. I knew there's an. [00:08:44] Speaker B: Other questions, like height, ethnicity, are you willing to relocate? We see her checking out this new house in sort of a flash forward. We find out that she applied to the CIA but didn't make the cut. Apparently, she has antisocial tendencies. [00:09:00] Speaker A: Okay, you have my attention, Shell. [00:09:03] Speaker B: Yeah. And then we go over to Donald Glover, who's either in a similar room or the same room at a different time. We really don't know. He's asked a bunch of the same questions. He has experience in hand to hand combat, some basic training where it's hinted that he had a dishonorable discharge. So he's military. [00:09:21] Speaker A: He also says that he's killed people, presumably in the military, but not necessarily. [00:09:26] Speaker B: Yeah. And then how much money do they have in their bank account? She definitely has more. She's like 14k. He's about 300. [00:09:35] Speaker A: Yeah, but neither have that much. [00:09:38] Speaker B: No. And this is interesting. The feel here is like it's a cross between doing a dating profile and a job interview. [00:09:46] Speaker C: That's fair. [00:09:47] Speaker B: And they're also asked, what's their worst quality? She says she's very secretive. He says he's too competitive. [00:09:54] Speaker A: Those are good answers. I don't know what I would have said if someone had asked me my worst quality. I probably would have been much harsher. Hey, maybe that's my worst quality. I'm too hard on myself. [00:10:04] Speaker B: No, that's exactly the kind of answer you give, actually, because you're not actually saying a bad quality. [00:10:13] Speaker A: Wow. He's going to call me out like that? [00:10:15] Speaker B: No, I'm not saying you specifically, but a person, that's what you. If, like, if you're dating, putting it in a profile. [00:10:22] Speaker A: Well, it's kind of like when they ask you the classic what's your greatest weakness in a job interview? [00:10:31] Speaker B: So we see them both sort of looking around the house, and they finally meet each other, introduce themselves also as John and Jane, and they go over to a room and open a box. There's a bottle of wine and a note, good luck on your first day of marriage. [00:10:48] Speaker A: So, question, is there ever a point where they say your name is Jane Smith and your name is John Smith? Or do we just kind of put that together from context? [00:10:57] Speaker B: They can introduce in terms of the Smith. I don't know if they ever say the last name of Smith. Like, when they're introducing each other, when they meet Jane, John. That's about it. That's where we get it. [00:11:07] Speaker A: Okay, so, yeah, they tell us. They tell you? [00:11:10] Speaker B: Yeah, they tell us. We're not shown or told where they get that name, and we don't need that. Really? John finds some guns hidden behind the portrait. They both open up a laptop, and there's a messaging app that gives them their first mission. They're supposed to follow this woman and intercept a package and bring it to some coordinates. [00:11:29] Speaker A: Sounds pretty. [00:11:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And so they're theorizing she could be a foreign spy or she could be us intelligence. So they're working outside of the normal intelligence circle. Seemingly. [00:11:40] Speaker A: I mean, yeah, clearly they're cool with it. They're just in it for the money. [00:11:44] Speaker C: So. [00:11:44] Speaker A: I do like that angle. [00:11:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:47] Speaker A: These mercenaries, as opposed to the noble spy, will do anything for their country. [00:11:52] Speaker B: So they get a bunch of COVID documents, including an actual marriage certificate, as well as the rings. And apparently there's a cat that comes with the house. This is getting. Catch your attention. [00:12:02] Speaker A: Yeah. So that cat looks like my sister's cat that I've catted for many times. [00:12:07] Speaker B: That's funny. [00:12:09] Speaker A: It's called a tuxedo cat because it's black and white. [00:12:12] Speaker B: Okay. So they sort of jockey for position of. All right, who gets the master bedroom? Who gets the guest room? Jane takes the master room, John takes the guest room. And off the bat, you can see that they've got different styles of living. Jane apparently left her dishes in the sink when she cooks, whereas John was not into that. [00:12:33] Speaker A: Maybe he was a marine. [00:12:35] Speaker B: Maybe. I don't know. So John awkwardly goes to say goodnight to her, and they have an awkward conversation. And he also covertly takes a photo of her to try to reverse image search to find anything about her. [00:12:48] Speaker A: Yeah, but he fails. It just shows a lot of asian women. I don't know if that's supposed to mean something of, like, google image search. [00:12:55] Speaker B: Or that she's a digital ghost. [00:12:59] Speaker A: Yeah, more likely you would think you'd have some kind of spy search. [00:13:04] Speaker B: I guess, maybe. But he doesn't have access to any of that sort of tech. [00:13:09] Speaker A: Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention this in our last episode. Argyle. But do you notice that Argyle was an apple original and then they kept using apple products. [00:13:19] Speaker B: I did not notice that. Actually, it's not as blatant as some. [00:13:23] Speaker A: I've lived too long and I've seen too much. I cannot see it now. [00:13:27] Speaker B: Some of the most obvious ones are in the James Bond films, like, okay, the very prominent, like, sony vio logos everywhere. [00:13:34] Speaker A: The Sony vio is the most popular tablet in Hollywood, if nowhere else. Anyway, we're here to talk about Mr. And Mrs. Smith. I didn't see any Amazon products. [00:13:43] Speaker B: I was about to say, yeah, I did not see any. I'm surprised that when they entered the package later, it didn't have, like, the Amazon tape over the box. [00:13:53] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good point. [00:13:56] Speaker B: Anyway, so where were we? [00:14:00] Speaker A: The Google image search doesn't work. [00:14:03] Speaker B: So the next day, they go to the rendezvous point, which is a cafe. They watch their target, and John is trying to make small talk with Jane, which know avoids. But, like, at the last second. [00:14:15] Speaker A: Yeah, they order green tea and they talk. And this is the first time but not the last that the show started to put me to sleep. Now, admittedly, I was tired when I watched it, but I was like, I'm getting bored. I'm getting bored. [00:14:29] Speaker B: This is interesting, like, because I want to know more about these characters, too. So I'm with John and like, all right, I want to know what. And so she drops this bombshell about how the last time she was in New York, she ditched a school trip to meet up with a pedophile. [00:14:44] Speaker A: Yeah, that was interesting. I was like, okay, keep talking, keep talking. [00:14:48] Speaker B: But before John can follow up on this, the target gets up and leaves the restaurant. So they go and follow. [00:14:53] Speaker A: So I have a question, Christian. Do they have any training to be spies before they just send them out after this target seemingly. [00:15:00] Speaker B: Well, no. I mean, we don't know what their backgrounds are. They seemingly had something, and we'll find out a bit more about that. [00:15:11] Speaker A: They could put in another episode that shows them getting trained. Like, just drop it in. It would still all make sense, still kind of all hang together in the context of the show. [00:15:19] Speaker B: I mean, we know that John has, well, seemingly has military background, so maybe he was a military intel. And we know that Jane's got some sort of training. [00:15:28] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:15:28] Speaker A: Not that you need too much to follow somebody around, but you don't really. I was just curious. [00:15:32] Speaker B: So the target stops in a park and waits on a bench and meets up with a much younger man they're trying to judge. All right, could this be her son? Jane thinks it could be her boyfriend, but John's like, no way. John's still trying to get more info on Jane's past. He finally gets some very, very vague basics on their housework preferences, what she likes to read, to get to sleep. So not a lot, but. Oh, shut up. Sorry. [00:16:02] Speaker A: Not exactly on the edge of my. Edge of my seat here. [00:16:05] Speaker B: It's called character work. [00:16:07] Speaker C: All right. [00:16:08] Speaker B: Not every spy show has to be nonstop action. [00:16:10] Speaker A: No, it's true. But it's like, also what they're doing is like they're just watching an old lady make out with somebody. [00:16:18] Speaker B: You realize that this is most of what actual spy work and surveillance is. [00:16:22] Speaker A: I understand. Let's just say the transition from Argyle to this is like a whip crack. [00:16:28] Speaker B: You mean like every episode of this show where we go from spy fact to spy fiction? [00:16:33] Speaker A: I should be used to it by now. [00:16:35] Speaker B: Right. Anyways, so they see the target handing some money to the guy, and they see them kissing. So Jane gloats about how she was right, and the target keeps moving. [00:16:47] Speaker A: So, Christian, I have a question for you. [00:16:49] Speaker B: Sure. [00:16:49] Speaker A: Do you think the target's love life is ever going to come up again? [00:16:54] Speaker C: No. [00:16:54] Speaker A: Like in a later episode? [00:16:55] Speaker B: No. [00:16:56] Speaker A: So it's just character stuff. [00:16:58] Speaker B: It's all like character work here. [00:17:00] Speaker A: World building. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Character work is not fluff. [00:17:04] Speaker A: Well, it depends on the character. If it's a character we don't see again, then we don't see again. I would put it more under world building. [00:17:13] Speaker B: Now that it's a vehicle. All of that is a vehicle for them and how they interact. And John mentions that he's bad at losing and he always has to win an argument. And here we have him having to react to being. [00:17:30] Speaker A: I mean, yeah, no wonder he's single. That's kind of a bad trait to have. [00:17:35] Speaker B: Hey, at least he's honest. [00:17:36] Speaker A: That's true. It's his best quality. [00:17:38] Speaker B: They head down the subway, and they follow the target to a theater. Outside the theater, they realize they can't actually text each other because they don't have each other's numbers. So John is going to be a distraction while Jane gets into the theater. And there's a moment where it looks like John's trying to make a move because he moves her hair over her ear. Very awkward. She immediately is like, no, I'm not in this for the romance. But he's like, no, actually, I was just trying to put an earpiece in, but be smooth about it. [00:18:13] Speaker A: Yeah, but I mean, come on. He's clearly like. He's clearly into her. You can tell. [00:18:17] Speaker B: I mean, they have good chemistry, but also, they are supposed to be married, so, yeah, it makes sense that they would do this in public. [00:18:26] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. [00:18:28] Speaker B: So once Jane gets in there, John starts speaking to her on the earpiece and then realizes, oh, wait, there's a huge flaw because you can't talk back. [00:18:37] Speaker A: Yeah, not in a theater. [00:18:40] Speaker B: So instead, she has to text John, which also is kind of taboo. [00:18:45] Speaker A: Yeah, there was some interesting tension in this part because you all know it's only a matter of time before somebody gives her some grief for texting in the theater. Not just a movie theater, a live theater. Right. So either a bouncer is going to kick her out or someone is going to come over and say something, which is exactly what happens. Before we get to that, though, I also want to comment about how she gets in, where she takes advantage of this cute little old lady, steals her ticket, and then pretends like she has dementia or something and forgot. [00:19:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it was clever, but also terrible. [00:19:21] Speaker A: I mean, whatever. The old lady will get in eventually. I just thought it was funny, but it also gives an insight into her character. Do you do what you got to do, even if that means taking advantage of the vulnerable? [00:19:32] Speaker C: Yes. [00:19:34] Speaker A: She also kind of takes advantage of her being asian because the woman's also asian and she speaks to her, I think, in Japanese to sell it that they're related. [00:19:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:19:44] Speaker B: So while they're watching the play, but also trying to watch the target, John asks about the pedophile. And so she texts back that it actually did happen and that she and her friend went to get pancakes with the guy and he paid the check, and as soon as he left, her and her friend just busted out laughing. [00:20:03] Speaker A: Wow, what an anticlimactic story. [00:20:07] Speaker C: Character. [00:20:09] Speaker A: Yeah, stories with no point. We can agree to disagree. [00:20:13] Speaker C: My God. [00:20:15] Speaker A: Okay, well, okay, hang on. If you're going to make that point, though, what did we learn about her character from that story? I guess she's willing to take risks. [00:20:21] Speaker B: She'S willing to take risks and that. [00:20:25] Speaker A: She'S willing to do for anything, like stupid stuff for a laugh. [00:20:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:20:32] Speaker B: Anyways, while all this happening, Jane is distracted and doesn't actually notice that the target's leaving. So she has to run and get up. And John is outside and says that he saw her get a package from the coacheck. So they go and follow, and it's a box. Looks like an Amazon box. [00:20:47] Speaker A: You think so? It does not look like an Amazon box. Also, I think it's funny that these two in shaped spies are so easily outpaced by this old woman moving at a regular pace because they're not paying attention. [00:21:05] Speaker B: Yeah, but also, when you're tailing something, you don't want to be right behind them. That's really obvious. You need to follow from a distance. [00:21:12] Speaker C: That's true. [00:21:13] Speaker A: You took the surveillance class, not me. So I defer to your expertise. [00:21:17] Speaker B: They're trying to figure out how to get the package from her, so they split up. Jane is continuing to tell her while John's trying to figure out something. He gets a box from a. They're, like, in Chinatown, I think. [00:21:28] Speaker C: I did like this part. [00:21:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Where he's like, I want this box to this poor. [00:21:32] Speaker B: He's trying to grab a box that just doesn't have anything on it. And so he has to buy something to put in the box. And she sees him and is like, are you shopping right now? [00:21:43] Speaker A: So this is the kind of thing they should have had them do on seven. Road to a million. You need to find a box that looks just like that box and get it. I don't care how you do it. Here's $20. [00:21:57] Speaker B: So they all exit the shops in Chinatown. John causes a distraction while Jane switches the boxes. And they get the box. [00:22:07] Speaker A: So good. [00:22:08] Speaker B: Yeah. And they get on the subway, and they're sort of wondering, all right, what's in the box? They also talk about how they don't know who the company that hired them is, and they bring out how. I didn't know since this till the second time it happened. The text messages always start with hi. Hi. [00:22:29] Speaker A: Between the two of them. [00:22:30] Speaker B: No, from the company. [00:22:33] Speaker A: From the company. Yeah, I remember that now. Yeah, that was funny. I really can't complain about this because literally every spy show does this, but they openly talk about their secret mission on the train with lots of people around. Like I said, they all do it. [00:22:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I am not bothered by it, really. And also, in New York City, you could be talking about anything on the train, and no one would pay any attention to you. [00:22:56] Speaker A: Yep, that's right. [00:22:58] Speaker B: Or not. The train, the subway. Excuse me. Anyway, so John says, know he's just happy to have a job. And Jane says that she took this job because no one else would take her. John, too. [00:23:09] Speaker A: Yeah, they're leaving the past. [00:23:12] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that earlier. When he gets some information about her, he guesses that she's like, former FBI, CIA, something like that. And she says, yeah, something like that. So there we go. She's got some sort of intel pass. [00:23:25] Speaker A: The classic non answer. [00:23:26] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:23:27] Speaker B: So, yeah, we got a little flashback to the interview room where we see that they're told about that they were going to be actually married to someone and that they're supposed to cut all contact with the past. And they both are just like, sure, that sounds good to me. So they arrive at the coordinates they were given for the delivery. It's a big fancy house, and they're directed to a room in the back where they give the package to a woman. This all seems very sort of suburban. [00:23:55] Speaker A: Yeah, this part is really surreal. It feels like something out of black mirror because, yeah, it is suburban. But there's also. Were there, like, security guys there? I seem to remember. [00:24:06] Speaker B: No, there was looking guys. There was one guy who said, oh, package. All right. And he shouts over, we got another package. And send them back that way. [00:24:16] Speaker A: Because they're setting up for maybe I'm thinking of the guys who are, like, setting up for the party. [00:24:19] Speaker B: It's probably just the caterers. [00:24:21] Speaker A: Yeah, caterers are like people doing set up or whatever. So, yeah, it all seems totally legit. There's something a little off about the woman that they give it to. Or maybe I was just expecting her to be a little off because I know that's a spy story. [00:24:33] Speaker B: Right. So she opens the package, and inside it is a box with a cake in it. And she says that it's a little damage, but it'll do. She even tries to negotiate 50% off as long as it doesn't come out of their cut. So she's at least considerate about that. [00:24:52] Speaker A: So I seem to remember I don't have this in spy fact versus fiction. I should have looked it up. There was some of this sounds familiar. There was some spy, might have been KGB general who would have his underlings do stuff like pick up his laundry for him. I can't remember now, does that sound familiar? [00:25:13] Speaker B: That's basically what I'm sure it happened. [00:25:15] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:15] Speaker B: And so Jane and John are obviously very confused, and they leave and as they're sort of discussing what's with the cake. All right, maybe it's a cake from overseas that they can only get somewhere else or something like that. And they're arguing about what is with the cake. And John's actually like, we don't talk about it. And they're maybe 10ft away when the house explodes. [00:25:39] Speaker A: It is a good explosion. [00:25:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:41] Speaker A: Do you think someone was watching them and waiting for them to get clear before setting it off? [00:25:48] Speaker B: I thought it was a timer, but now that I think about it, you're right. Maybe there is someone who's watching them. [00:25:53] Speaker A: It would be ridiculously precise timing if that was the case. Though it does make me wonder where the original person was going to take it. [00:26:05] Speaker B: Or it's just an extra level of security. [00:26:10] Speaker A: Or it was all a test. [00:26:12] Speaker C: Maybe. [00:26:13] Speaker B: I mean, probably. Yes. [00:26:14] Speaker A: That. [00:26:17] Speaker B: As they run away from there, there's a couple of men who chase after them. They make some shortcuts through a bunch of businesses, including a mechanic shop over a fence. [00:26:28] Speaker A: I like how they had Jane poses being injured. [00:26:32] Speaker C: Yep. [00:26:33] Speaker A: He kind of smears blood on her face to look worse than she. [00:26:36] Speaker C: Hmm. [00:26:37] Speaker B: And they find a restroom in a restaurant to clean up. And they split up. And we'll meet back at the house. And so we see them hours later, both making their way back to the house. And Jane opens the master bedroom to find John. And he says that he came to say goodnight, but he got sucked into the bed because it's so comfortable. [00:27:02] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:27:02] Speaker A: Very subtle. [00:27:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:27:04] Speaker A: He was one sega away from being like, how will you join me, honey? [00:27:08] Speaker B: I do not think he was that. I think he was literally. It's an exhausting day and this is a very comfy bed. [00:27:15] Speaker C: That's true. Yeah. [00:27:17] Speaker B: I wasn't necessarily getting that kind of vibe from him there. So he notices the cat again and says that he wants to name the cat. And he was coming up with some other names, but Jane is very know and that's like, okay, I'd love to compromise you on a bunch of things, but this cat's name is Max. That's when John realized that Jane actually brought the cat from her house. It's her actual cat. It did not come with the house. [00:27:45] Speaker C: Yep. [00:27:47] Speaker B: And John admits that he has killed people. He lied before and that he was a drone operator in. [00:27:58] Speaker A: It's a good revelation. And then I have the no pedophile confession as well. [00:28:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So Jane admits that it was not her idea. It was actually her friend's idea to get pancakes with the pedophile. And that she was actually scared the whole time. So this shows it's more character work shows. Okay. She can lie about things. And also that she's maybe not as tough as she presents herself to be. [00:28:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:22] Speaker A: Not as much of a daredevil as we thought. [00:28:25] Speaker B: And we get another flashback to the interview room where Jane is saying that she's okay with starting a whole new life, seemingly that she's ready to move on from whatever life she had before. [00:28:38] Speaker C: Right. [00:28:39] Speaker A: Which we kind of knew already. But I guess you reiterate that she's not asked, how do you feel? [00:28:46] Speaker B: No. And with that, our episode ends. [00:28:51] Speaker A: All right, so now it is time for our spy fact versus fiction. So you had one thing. You said, I have a couple. Do you want to go first? [00:28:58] Speaker B: I have a little bit. So, as you've mentioned, obliquely referred to, I have done a surveillance class with the spy museum. I've not done from both sides, being the person who's surveilling someone and the person being surveilled. And these were classes with what's his name? Eric O'Neill, who is the real life person who the movie breach was based on. He was played in that movie by Ryan Philippe. And, yeah, so he does a very good class on this. He does it maybe about once a year. And, like, what they're doing in the show, they're working in teams, trying to blend in with other people in the environment. And, yeah, you do not want to be right up, right behind the target. You want to be pretty decent distance behind them, and you definitely don't want to make any sort of contact with the target. [00:29:44] Speaker A: Didn't you successfully lose your tail? [00:29:48] Speaker B: Yes, actually, more than I should have. All right, well, you brought up the story, so I will bring this up. [00:29:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:55] Speaker B: So I was the target who was supposed to be being surveilled, and I had an idea that I was actually going to do a quick change. So I had a reversible jacket. I had a hat that I was wearing, a hat that was going to take off, and I was going to put on some glasses and let my hair down, and I did this rounding a corner, and I thought I'd waited long enough that maybe someone would at least catch it. Maybe not everyone, but just someone would catch me doing it. Unfortunately, no one caught it. And also, not only did the all my followers lose me, they started following someone who was wearing what I used to be wearing. So much so. And not only did I lose them, I also lost Eric O'Neill and the people who are running it. [00:30:40] Speaker A: No, you're really good at this. But did you tell Eric O'Neill that you were going to do it? [00:30:43] Speaker B: I told him I was going to do a quick change and even told him I was thinking about where I was thinking about doing he. So he didn't catch it. He was further behind. And they all started walking, following this other person who was going in random directions. I had a set path I was supposed to be following, which Eric O'Neill knew. And then I get these text messages saying, christian, what are you doing? Where are you going? He's like, I'm going here. Stop ad libbing. He's like, it's not adlibbing. And then I was, like, getting yelled at via text. And then he said, oh, no, just kidding. Never mind. It's all okay. We'll have a laugh about this. And it wasn't until I got back to our home base where it was revealed that they started following someone else that was not me at all. [00:31:24] Speaker A: Wow, they were so bamboozled. [00:31:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And actually, so they always have a photographer come in on these things as well. And he has photos of me, like, literally behind a bunch of them. And they have no idea it's me. I think I've shown you the change between what I was wearing at one time and what I looked like afterwards. And it is a fairly different look. [00:31:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, the spies have the right idea. Totally works even on the amateurs. [00:31:57] Speaker B: So I guess that can be my minor bragging rights, is that I managed to elude Eric O'Neill in a surveillance. [00:32:04] Speaker A: Yeah, nice job. And that also reminds me of a story where one time I was on my way somewhere and I was standing at a crossroads, and then a guy walks up next to me, puts a bag down, pulls a bottle of whiskey out of a paper bag, and then puts it in his backpack and zips it up. And he didn't look homeless. [00:32:22] Speaker B: So I was like, okay, I have. [00:32:24] Speaker A: A little bit of time before I get to where I'm going. I'm going to follow him and see where. [00:32:27] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:32:28] Speaker A: Bottle of whiskey. All right, so unfortunately, he went one block, and then he turned into one of those buildings that. It's a bunch of offices inside of it. [00:32:38] Speaker B: Okay. [00:32:39] Speaker A: So I couldn't follow him any further. So now that's an anticlimactic story for you. Yeah, that reminded me of a kids book I read about fictional kids where their hobby would be following people just to see where they went. [00:32:51] Speaker B: What was that book called? [00:32:53] Speaker A: I don't remember. [00:32:54] Speaker B: Sorry. [00:32:54] Speaker A: Sound familiar? [00:32:55] Speaker B: It sounds familiar. [00:32:57] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:57] Speaker B: I mean, it also could just be Harriet the spy, because that's what she. [00:33:01] Speaker A: It's not. I would have remembered if it was Harriet the spy. It was two kids. Anyway, so here's my. So they go into the house, and they find the guns behind the painting. And John says, wow, an alien. And I was like, what are you talking about? So I googled alien gun. [00:33:21] Speaker B: I'm sure you got a lot of hits on. [00:33:24] Speaker A: No, this is the first result. This is the first result. [00:33:27] Speaker B: Okay. [00:33:27] Speaker A: Logo spelled L-A-U-G-O. Lago arms. Alien is a revolutionary semiautomatic pistol with several patented and unique technological solutions. [00:33:39] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [00:33:40] Speaker A: Neat. I don't know why they called it an alien. That seems like a bad name for search engine optimization. [00:33:46] Speaker B: Or that's exactly why. [00:33:48] Speaker A: Okay, so I'm going to read you some of these, and I think if you don't understand guns, which I do not, this is going to be incomprehensible. Let me see what you think. Okay. The alien system of operation does not use obsolete locking mechanisms or normal trigger mechanisms. This new approach is driven by the vision of progress, which we want to give to the shooters. With alien pistol, shooters are more accurate. I think it's from a foreign country. That's why the English isn't great. This effect is caused by the permanently fixed barrel to the frame. As a result, the barrel does not move during the fire cycle and can freeze float, like on a sniper rifle. That altogether, with precise manufacturing, contributes to the exceptional accuracy of this firearm. Okay, I guess it's like an innovative gun, but you have to really understand guns to understand how. [00:34:38] Speaker B: I don't quite get what's the difference there, but I don't know that much about guns. I know a lot about nerf guns, but not about real guns. [00:34:50] Speaker A: And that was one of the more comprehensible. The one I just read. [00:34:53] Speaker B: All right, so I have that. [00:34:55] Speaker A: And then the other thing is, while they're surveying the target, she is looking at her tablet. 15 best places to travel alone. [00:35:05] Speaker B: I do. [00:35:06] Speaker A: I don't understand why later, she hooks up with the boyfriend if she wants to travel alone. [00:35:13] Speaker C: I don't know. [00:35:14] Speaker B: Maybe some people just like traveling by themselves. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Well, speaking of that, I googled as well, and I found the 15 best places to travel alone, according to Timeout magazine. I'm not going to say all 15. I'm just doing the ones that jumped out to me. But do you have a guess for which one is number one? Give you a hint. It's a foreign country, and I will give you a hint? [00:35:39] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:35:40] Speaker A: No, I give you a hint. I have been there and I traveled there alone. [00:35:45] Speaker B: Where did you go alone? I have no idea. [00:35:48] Speaker C: Okay. [00:35:48] Speaker A: It's Iceland. I went there in October of last year. [00:35:52] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:52] Speaker A: So that greatly amused me because I did travel there alone. Number three was Botswana, because they speak English a lot and there's good safaris. Number eight is Slovenia. Lots of seasons, and it has a lot to explore. And number 13 is Bhutan. It's a buddhist, so it's safe. You can also walk a monk trail. Good architecture. And you got the Himalayas, too. [00:36:14] Speaker B: You brought it up. You don't have to give the descriptions of why. Just give me the whole list, though. I'm curious. [00:36:20] Speaker A: Okay, fine. I will tell you the whole list really quick. [00:36:25] Speaker B: You said number one was. [00:36:27] Speaker A: Number one was Iceland. [00:36:29] Speaker B: Iceland, yeah. [00:36:30] Speaker A: Okay. Number two is east coast, Australia. Number three is Botswana. Number four is Canada. I mean, Canada is. [00:36:37] Speaker B: So that's such a big. Yeah, okay, that one. All right. [00:36:43] Speaker A: Number five is Vietnam. [00:36:45] Speaker C: Interesting. [00:36:45] Speaker B: Okay. [00:36:46] Speaker A: Number six is Portugal. Seven is Chile. Number eight is Slovenia. Number nine is New Zealand, which I've also traveled to alone, but I studied abroad, so I don't know if it counts. [00:36:57] Speaker B: Okay. [00:36:57] Speaker A: Ten is Ireland. [00:36:59] Speaker B: Eleven is Japan. [00:37:00] Speaker A: I mean, these are all just good places to travel anyway, right? [00:37:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:37:04] Speaker A: Twelve is the greek islands. 13 is Bhutan. 14 is Croatia, and 15 is Singapore, which makes sense because it's a city. Singapore is pretty small. [00:37:16] Speaker B: Interesting. [00:37:17] Speaker A: Okay, so that's what I got for spy. Fact versus fiction. Next we have our favorite quotes. I have a couple, so I can go first. So the first night when Jane is messy, John walks into her room and she says, you lost your shirt because you're not wearing a shirt. [00:37:36] Speaker C: Right. [00:37:36] Speaker A: See, that's why I think he's, like, coming onto her. Because you don't walk around without a shirt on. [00:37:42] Speaker C: Right. [00:37:44] Speaker A: Around a strange woman. [00:37:45] Speaker B: Do something. Sure, fine. [00:37:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:47] Speaker B: I was like. I walk around. I mean, at home. [00:37:49] Speaker A: Sure, at home, yeah. With people you're actually married to. For real? [00:37:54] Speaker B: This is his home now. [00:37:56] Speaker C: Right. [00:37:57] Speaker A: It also reminded me of Alan Rickman saying, I see you got your shirt off in Galaxy Quest. And then later, John says, I thought it would be harder, like lasers, you know? Yeah, I was expecting that, too. [00:38:13] Speaker B: Well, they said they theorized that maybe they were just easing them into this. [00:38:18] Speaker C: That's right. [00:38:19] Speaker A: The lasers will come next episode. [00:38:21] Speaker B: Maybe. [00:38:24] Speaker C: How about you? [00:38:25] Speaker A: What's your favorite quotes? No, that's it. [00:38:27] Speaker B: So I've got two. You're going to pay me not to talk to my dad? Where do I sign? That's from. [00:38:33] Speaker A: Ooh, that was a good. [00:38:35] Speaker B: That's. Yeah. So, clearly she just does not want any part of her past. And then from John, nothing bad ever happens in public, and especially in New York. Right? [00:38:52] Speaker A: Just in general. [00:38:53] Speaker B: No, just in general about just New York not being the safest. [00:38:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:38:59] Speaker A: Fortunately, New York could take a joke. [00:39:02] Speaker C: All right. [00:39:03] Speaker B: And that's what I've got. [00:39:04] Speaker A: All right, so now it's time for our ratings. On a scale of one to ten martinis, one being Avengers 1998 and ten being no time to die, mission impossible, ghost protocol, or better, how would we rate the first episode of Mr. And Mrs. Smith? I'm anticipating another confrontation. [00:39:20] Speaker B: Here we go. [00:39:21] Speaker A: All right, I guess I can go first again. So, as a sleep aid, I would give it a ten out of ten. [00:39:27] Speaker B: Wow. [00:39:29] Speaker A: All jokes aside, I probably shouldn't have watched it when I was tired, but I did find it to be kind of slow. And the characters I did not find particularly engaging enough to keep watching the show. But it wasn't, like, bad. It was just average. It reminded me of Citadel. Not a coincidence because they're both on Amazon prime, but I will give it a five out of ten. It was. [00:39:58] Speaker B: No, hold on. Now. I want to look back and see what you gave Citadel. Okay, let's take a look. I feel like you also gave it a five and I gave it a six. [00:40:12] Speaker A: That's right. [00:40:13] Speaker B: Good job. I was thoroughly engaged by this. This is, like, I would say, so far from Citadel, because it is. I mean, Citadel was your wild, out there spy action. This is much more grounded, and I appreciated that. Like, you actually had decent spy work in terms of, okay, they're surveilling someone, and it wasn't all shoot them up, bang, bang. So I really liked. And unlike you, I am intrigued about where this is going. I want to find out more about the company who always greets everyone with high high, and I want to learn more about their past. And Donald Glover is really great in most things, and I am drawn in by Maya Erskine. So I'm very curious where this going. So I'm going to give this an eight out of ten martinius. Wow. [00:41:12] Speaker A: Very nice. I take it you're going to keep watching the show. [00:41:15] Speaker B: I am once we're done watching everything else for this month. And also, I'm trying to watch all of the Oscar nominated best picture movies, so probably once I'm done with that, then I'll sit down and finish this. [00:41:28] Speaker A: How are the Oscar nominations going? I think I'm still at four out of ten. [00:41:34] Speaker B: Four and a half. I'm partway through, maestro. [00:41:37] Speaker C: All right. [00:41:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, the content just keeps piling up, doesn't it? [00:41:44] Speaker B: It does. There's so much to watch out there. But, yeah, I really enjoyed this, and I believe that the critics are on my side for this. We'll see. [00:41:56] Speaker A: That's totally fine. But I hope you enjoyed the episode, everybody. Happy Valentine's Day to all of you or singles appreciation day for those of you who follow a different tradition. And thank you for joining us here on the spy fi guys. You can find us on social media at the Spy Fi Guys on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and our merch store [email protected]. Until next time, I'm Zach. [00:42:22] Speaker B: And I'm Christian. [00:42:23] Speaker A: And we are the spy fi guys signing off. [00:42:29] Speaker B: Thank you for listening to the spy fi guys. If you enjoyed our podcast, please be sure to give us a five star rating on iTunes. The theme song from this podcast is mistake the Getaway by Kevin McLeod from incompetent.com, licensed under Creative Commons by attribution. 30 films, books, and television shows reviewed by our podcast are the intellectual property of their respective copyright holders, and no infringement is intended. [00:42:56] Speaker A: This is a personal podcast. Any views, statements, or opinions expressed in this podcast are personal and belong solely to the participants. They do not represent those of people, institutions, or organizations that the participants may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. [00:43:20] Speaker B: You can find our podcast on social media at the Spy Fi Guys on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.