The Marriage on Trial

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

The couple’s staged marital checkup exposes a real estrangement that eventually forces them to rebuild their relationship.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Auction Prize The Auction Prize from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Auction Prize A comic pretext Jane Smith and John Smith explain that their friends, the Colemans, bought them therapy sessions at a charity auction.

The Auction Prize from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Auction Prize A comic pretext Jane Smith and John Smith explain that their friends, the Colemans, bought them therapy sessions at a charity auction.

The Auction Prize A comic pretext Jane Smith and John Smith explain that their friends, the Colemans, bought them therapy sessions at a charity auction. Their polished politeness makes the visit look like a joke rather than a plea for help. A revealing score Asked to rate their happiness, both settle on eight, though their hesitation suggests that the number is less a measure than a shield. Dr. Wexler notices that their practiced agreement conceals separate disappointments.

The Missing Intimacy The Missing Intimacy from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Missing Intimacy An avoided question When Dr. Wexler asks how often they have sex, the couple argue over the scale instead of answering.

The Missing Intimacy from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Missing Intimacy An avoided question When Dr. Wexler asks how often they have sex, the couple argue over the scale instead of answering.

The Missing Intimacy An avoided question When Dr. Wexler asks how often they have sex, the couple argue over the scale instead of answering. Their jokes about defining the numbers turn direct intimacy into an abstract puzzle. A blunt result Dr. Wexler privately records zero. The silence exposes how far their courteous public routine has drifted from the closeness they once shared.

Separate Confessions Separate Confessions from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". Separate Confessions Two private visits Jane returns alone and describes emotional distance; John independently comes back and admits that the mystery he once…

Separate Confessions from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". Separate Confessions Two private visits Jane returns alone and describes emotional distance; John independently comes back and admits that the mystery he once…

Separate Confessions Two private visits Jane returns alone and describes emotional distance; John independently comes back and admits that the mystery he once loved in his wife has faded. Neither knows the other has sought help. Writing as a beginning Dr. Wexler asks each to write privately about their feelings and their first meeting. The assignment gives them a way to approach truths they cannot yet speak aloud.

The Unfinished Stories The Unfinished Stories from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Unfinished Stories Remembering the beginning Writing carries Jane and John back to Bogotá, where danger, attraction, and improvisation made their first…

The Unfinished Stories from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". The Unfinished Stories Remembering the beginning Writing carries Jane and John back to Bogotá, where danger, attraction, and improvisation made their first…

The Unfinished Stories Remembering the beginning Writing carries Jane and John back to Bogotá, where danger, attraction, and improvisation made their first hours together vivid. Their memories reveal that neither had been living an ordinary life. Remembering the present Their accounts of home life expose resentment over meals, chores, drinks, and quiet refusals. The contrast shows how a marriage that began in exhilaration became a carefully managed performance.

A Second Beginning A Second Beginning from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". A Second Beginning Survival before certainty The Smiths survive the assault at Home-Made and speak openly about wanting a child.

A Second Beginning from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". A Second Beginning Survival before certainty The Smiths survive the assault at Home-Made and speak openly about wanting a child.

A Second Beginning Survival before certainty The Smiths survive the assault at Home-Made and speak openly about wanting a child. Their future is no longer guaranteed by a suburban ideal but chosen amid danger and uncertainty. A home without a house With their residence destroyed, Jane realizes that the objects and routines never constituted a home. Their renewed partnership, rather than a perfect setting, becomes the foundation for starting again.

At the opening therapy session

During the first session

At their second appointments

After the second therapy visits

After the agencies’ final battle