Things are heating up in Smoke on Apple TV+, the new crime drama starring Golden Globe winner Taron Egerton. During the two-episode premiere, the show revealed so much yet somehow so little at the same time.
After the Smoke pilot and episode 2, titled “Your Happy Makes Me Sad,” we already learn the identities of both serial arsonists Dave Gudsen (Egerton) and Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) are after — unless Smoke pulls a big plot twist later on in the series. That seems unlikely, though. Considering that’s the mystery of the show, we wish it wasn’t given to us so quickly. At the same time, the dramatic irony of the audience already knowing compels us to keep watching, to see when and how Gudsen and Calderone will find out.
‘Smoke’ on Apple TV+ delivers strong characterization
Despite being only two episodes into the series, we’ve already seen stellar performances from Egerton and Smollett as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and detective Michelle Calderone, respectively. The temperatures and tempers are rising for both actors in Smoke on Apple TV+, and both actors are delivering the emotions. Besides that…nothing in particular stood out in the pilot.
But in Smoke episode 2, each character had a major scene that allowed us to see them at their limits.
Calderone crashes out after committing crimes that would ruin the investigation — and her career. Gudsen nearly reaches his limits and almost curses out his stepson, offending his wife in the process. Those scenes demonstrated Smollett and Egerton’s range while helping to develop their characters as complex individuals.
Another standout performance in the first two episodes of Smoke on Apple TV+ is from Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy. Though his character is a criminal, one of the arsonists Gudsen and Calderone are trying to pin down, Mwine and the Smoke creative team have worked together to humanize him. There are moments where we feel for and empathize with him. The character is a testament to mankind. And Mwine’s performances in the first two episodes of Smoke are full of depth that help to develop another complex character.
‘Smoke’ episodes 1 and 2 attempt to balance exposition and pacing
Though the first two episodes of Smoke on Apple TV+ give us a lot of information about Gudsen, Calderone and Fasano, many of the scenes felt slow and the timing often felt off.
In the pilot, there’s a timelapse of Gudsen and Calderone going through tons of personnel files. The timelapse does a great job at indicating a lot of time has passed. But then there’s the scene where the arson investigator and detective are staking out, watching Arch Stanton, a suspect and active fireman who’s a massive jerk. Apparently they kept their literal eyes on him for five days and overall looked into him for two weeks.
It just didn’t feel or look that way, though.
It’s also clear the characters of Smoke on Apple TV+ all have secrets that will surely unravel throughout the show, so it makes sense we’re getting bits and pieces of Gudsen and Calderone’s backstories without full context. But some moments felt rushed.
Emmett (Luke Roessler), Dave’s stepson, shows up very briefly in Smoke episode 1 but is easily forgettable. That feels like a problem considering their big falling out in Smoke episode 2 is sure to set the scene for more tension to come in the remainder of the Apple TV+ series. We needed just one or two more seeds to be planted in between the very brief introduction of Emmett and his fight with Dave.
Despite that, both episodes simply needed to pick up the pace. It didn’t always feel like the story was moving along. We don’t want to be watching and think, “We’re only X amount of time through the episode?!” However, episode two of Smoke does end on a compelling and well-timed reveal. So we hope things continue to get going in episode 3.
The first two episodes of Smoke are now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes will be released on Apple TV+ on Fridays through Aug. 15.
