Episode 8 entitled “A Breakup” finds John and Jane living separate lives. The previous mission failure proved too much to bear as John moved out, leaving Jane home alone with Max. Jane seems to be going through the motions, continuing to check in with Hihi. She receives an alert for her next mission: “Terminate. Take out your Smith.”
Jane immediately shuts the MacBook in disbelief feeling conflicted. She seeks approval from the company to ascend the ranks, but do feelings for John lie dormant? Just then, bullets interrupt her morning pondering, missing her but killing Max. Assuming the hit is from her former partner, Jane makes up her mind.
Meanwhile, across town, John enjoys a stroll with his mother. They’ve just come from the grocer and are discussing his current emotional status and whether he needs counseling. John has told his mother about Jane; all the need-to-know particulars at least. As they walk up to enter his mother’s brownstone, John notices the guest bathroom’s toilet seat is up. Something is amiss. Giving his mother an excuse to return later, he finds a trip wire stretched across the entrance. He immediately contacts Jane.
Both assuming the other is responsible for these assassination attempts, the two meet at the Whitney Museum. Stunning cinematography captures the tension between them, especially the shot of them descending in the elevator. They agree to move the conversation outside. Jane is the first to exit, wedging a knife in the revolving door, trapping John inside. He realizes he’s stuck with a bomb set to detonate. He panics and then…BOOM!
Miraculously, John survives this second attempt on his life and a chase ensues throughout the city. At one point, Jane fakes an asthma attack, making fun of John as she gets the upper hand. Later, men intervene as they see John assaulting Jane. Even in this deathly pursuit, the two protect each other from outside harm. They even work together to disrupt a crowd when the police close in on their position. John eventually gets suckered by a car. Jane kindly waits long enough to make sure he’s okay before retreating home to find an uninvited guest.
Jane stumbles in on John’s mother, who reveals he gave her a house key upon her moving to the city around two months ago. The two share a heart-to-heart about her and John’s relationship. She learns his real name is Michael, and that he was always attached to his mother’s hip as a child. Jane also learns Michael’s love language is feeling safe. Jane admits she doesn’t make people feel safe. Michael’s mother leaves Jane with some sound advice: “Marriage is a house you build, and sometimes your tastes change.”
Meanwhile, John arrives unable to get inside. He resorts to convincing their hot neighbor (Paul Dano) to let him through his apartment and climb the balcony to enter his place. The neighbor agrees. As John snoops around the apartment, he finds disturbing photos of him and Jane plastered on the wall, as if their neighbor has been watching them for months. Assuming he’s A) been sleeping with Jane, or B) is some rogue agent, John pulls his gun threatening his neighbor’s life. The neighbor comes clean admitting he’s just a real estate agent who wants to sell their property to the highest bidder. He and Jane have never had relations.
Halfway through the episode, John finally enters the apartment. John and Jane prepare for their final duel. The next 10 minutes is a bullet-riddled fight throughout the home. Guns hidden throughout the house are found as they both dodge each other’s rage. When the bullets disappear, it’s hand-t0-hand combat. John, bloodied and beaten, finds a new strategy, injecting them both with the truth serum. John and Jane divulge their true feelings.
During this forced honesty session, John admits his asthma is more about anxiety, and it’s the reason why he was discharged from the military. Jane confesses she failed her CIA psych exam for exhibiting sociopathic tendencies. This is the root cause of her lack of emotional wealth with others. Both admit missing open shots on purpose, revealing neither one of them was responsible for the initial hits. They realize Hihi ordered their terminations at the hands of the other Smiths.
The two agents appear in their home, detailing that their super-high-risk missions are terminating non-compliant agents. They reveal the El Salvador mission was to take out a former agent, and viewers can assume they were responsible for the couple’s death from the first episode. Seated at the table, they explain to John and Jane how Hihi is all-knowing as if it’s their god. Suddenly, the other John sneezes. Knowing that two more are coming, Jane shoots the other John in the eye as John leaps into another room.
John and Jane find refuge in the panic room, only to learn John has been shot, and Jane has one bullet left. During John’s final breaths, they discuss how many kids they want, and that they prefer John and Jane to their former selves. Wiping away tears, Jane lays out their strategy: she’s going to open the door and fire her last shot, killing the other Jane. At the count of three, the camera pans outside as multiple shots light up the dark apartment.
The scene transitions to the next day. The apartment is empty. Debris of Hihi’s expensive taste litter the luxury hardwood floors. Their neighbor, the real estate agent, calls his partner excited that the home is finally free to place on the auction block.
The emotionally wrought conclusion is spectacularly done. The episode moved in narrative waves – from extreme action to heartfelt drama, while never sacrificing its comedic tones. Glover and Erskine displayed their full range as actors throughout, but the last 15 minutes are soul-crushing in a way many would not expect. For these two lonely people, the risk paid off. For it was better to have loved than not at all.
Rating: 10/10