Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ presents the story with a fresh twist in the spy genre. The show is based on the movie of the same name, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the titular roles, but it subverts the tropes of the genre by completely rewriting the original story while acknowledging it on several turns. The show does keep the names of the original characters, but they are not their real names, as it soon becomes clear. These are the identities they have taken over; this is the cover for their secret lives that no one can know about. But what about their true identities? What are their real names? SPOILERS AHEAD
John and Jane Smith Discover Each Other’s Real Names in the Finale
When the Company hires John and Jane Smith, it gives them new identities so that they don’t feel burdened by their past and can have a fresh start, which would allow them to focus better on the future. It is also a hint to the people that they don’t need to poke into their partner’s past or know who they used to be before they joined the Company. It is a clean slate for both parties, and they can write their future however they want.
As a plot device, not knowing each other’s names and then eventually discovering it presents an incredible character arc for them. It is, in a way, the final tearing down of the barriers between them, telling the audience that the characters now know each other completely. All their hidden feelings and emotions are out in the open now, and they can be truthful with each other, sharing intimate things like their names.
In the final episode, when Jane and John are manipulated into believing that one is trying to kill the other, Jane runs into John’s mother at their house. Because John knew how much Jane disliked John keeping a connection with his mother even when he was specifically told not to, he didn’t tell Jane that he’d moved his mother to New York and had even given her a spare key to their apartment for a rainy day. His mother knew that her son was married, but she didn’t know that he worked as a spy and used a different name in this life. She addresses him as “Michael,” which is how Jane discovers his real name.
While John’s name is revealed by accident, Jane’s reveal is much more intentional. She’d always been the more reserved of the couple. While John always tried to be open to her, trying to get to know her and thinking about a normal life eventually, she tried to keep the veil between them as much as possible. Even when she would be on the brink of revealing some personal details, she would refrain from it immediately. So, in the end, when she does reveal her name, it shows that she has finally torn down her walls. When John asks her name, she reveals it is “Alana.” Still, they both confess they like their fake names better.
Read More: Mr and Mrs Smith Tribute: Who is Michael S. Sloane? How Did He Die?
