For a penultimate episode, Smoke episode 8 on Apple TV+ might have given us a bit too much. But it definitely ended in a way that sets up a big finale.
This review contains spoilers for the first eight episodes of Smoke on Apple TV+.
Secrets are Spilling in ‘Smoke’ Episode 8
Everyone and their mother has a secret to share in Smoke episode 8. Some are way bigger than others. Some are completely unexpected, delivering juicy plot twists. Some, like a young Gudsen not making it into the police academy because he failed his psych evaluation, aren’t. Perhaps the most unexpected secret is that fire chief Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear) has been embezzling money from the city through fire station funds for years. And it’s not just a couple thousand. He took $256,000!
At first glance, this may seem out of place. Englehart doesn’t have much of a role or place in the Apple TV+ series outside of main storylines, so what’s the purpose of this? It turns out only three people know the fire chief’s secret: himself, his daughter, and arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton). We always thought Englehart’s main concern about Gudsen being a serial arsonist was betrayal and distrust, But it’s so much more than that. With both of them having big secrets, there’s blackmail potential now.
Speaking of plot twists, Smoke episode 8 ends with a big one. Or a few, technically. Not only does Gudsen’s detective partner, Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett), accidentally kill police captain Steven Burke, but she also makes a cigarette butt firestarter a la Gudsen and frames her partner for the murder by burning down Burke’s new house. We’ve known since the Smoke pilot that Calderone has childhood trauma concerning fires, and we’ve known since Smoke episode 2 that she has a dark side. So the detective is capable of more violence than she’d care to admit.
Both secrets set up an intriguing and emotionally complicated series finale. Each can affect whether or how Gudsen gets taken down as the divide and conquer/potato chip arsonist. They’re also both a matter of morality and character. Englehart, Calderone, and Gudsen are all guilty of crimes. Englehart and Calderone feel guilty about what they did, but is taking Gudsen down worth the risk? Will it absolve their guilt? All of them can go down. Just one or two of them can go down, or none of them can go down. Only time will tell.
Dissecting Dynamics and Duos
Smoke episode 8 features several duos who haven’t gotten much time together until now or in a while. Despite being partners, it’s been a few episodes since Gudsen and Calderone worked together. Though neither has been particularly fond of the other, their animosity is more evident now than ever before. Calderone knows Gudsen is the arsonist they’re looking for and straight up says it to his face. Gudsen somehow knows her secret, too. Her mom was a meth addict who set a motel room on fire — while she was still inside — that ultimately killed three people. Not to mention Calderone has so much hatred for her mother that she no longer goes by the name her mom gave her: Mercy.
It was only a matter of time before things blew up between the detective and arson investigator. However, their fight just has us thinking, “So what?” Obviously, Calderone and an entire team of people are still trying to find usable proof that Gudsen’s the arsonist. But there’s just one episode left of Smoke, and the storyline with Calderone and her mother still feels pointless. The detective does have a backstory and other plot lines beyond working with Gudsen, so it’s not like her character was lacking.
Another element we’re unsure about is the pairing of ATF agent Dawn Hudson (Anna Chlumsky) and Gudsen’s former partner Ezra Esposito (John Leguizamo). While it was a nice change of pace and scenery for the team to divide and conquer in the hunt for Gudsen, we spent too much time learning about them for no apparent reason. They’re minor characters who are introduced in the latter half of the series. We don’t need to learn much of their backstory out of context to the plot — unless that somehow plays a big role in the finale. That would require Smoke to be a show where everyone and everything is somehow connected, though. The Apple TV+ series has been kind of like that. But the execution could use a bit of improvement. We’re curious to see if that ends up being the case.
Last, but not least, are Reba (Erin Karpluk) and Dave. After Gudsen and Calderone blow up at each other, the arson investigator decides to go to his ex-wife’s house. Nothing new or surprising happens with them, but what’s interesting is their power dynamic. It’s no secret that Gudsen likes to be in charge, have power, and be a hero. But with Reba, it seems he’s willing to do the opposite. Maybe that’s one reason they’re no longer married to each other. Regardless, showing us a rare instance where the arson investigator isn’t in power and doesn’t seem to mind it is an intriguing contrast for the second-to-last episode of the Apple TV+ series.
The first eight episodes of Smoke are now streaming on Apple TV+. The Smoke series finale will be released on Friday, Aug. 15.
