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In the season’s penultimate episode, Smoke flips the script, leaving me picking up my jaw from the floor at every turn. Just me? Okay. This feels like what TV is supposed to be.
From the get-go, Smoke Season 1 Episode 8 has me glued to the TV, and 48 short minutes later, everything ends, setting up an epic season finale.
I typically call these kinds of episodes the “yes, ma’am,” episodes. Odd name, but here’s why: because you can’t help but nod along in agreement as the chips fall in place and everything begins to make sense.
In this one, a lot falls into place, but we are left with one big question: Is Dave really the arsonist?
Hear Me Out About Dave
I’ve railed against the guy throughout my Smoke Season 1 reviews, but I’ll be the first to admit I might be wrong.
I’m not wrong that he’s a loser, but he might not be the arsonist.
Everything we’ve seen (or heard about Dave) has been based on everyone’s opinions about him, including Dave’s own. There are weird things that go on in his mind, and it’s hard to separate reality from fiction where Dave is concerned.
Is the arsonist we saw in the second part of the premiere really Dave, or a character from another one of his stupid misogynistic novels?
Come to think of it, I’m not sure anyone else has seen him set a fire. Most of the evidence is circumstantial, and even the worst investigative team knows that to be true.
The opener shows someone lighting the fires, but we don’t know how. All he does is fire up his lighter and stare at it. That’s no crime.
The final clue is when he goes to work without a care in the world, and at this moment, I can only think that he’s either mad or innocent.
Dave is weird, that’s for sure, but is he really a firebug? I keep wondering because I’m confused.
He might harbor deep hatred for women, but is he really that demented to set six fires and show up at work?
I’ll go out on a limb here and say that Dave Gudsen is innocent of the arson he’s been accused of.
He likes to push people’s buttons, he cheats on every woman he’s been with, he writes bad novels, and he has odd sexual desires. He’s quite damaged, but he’s not smart enough to be a serial arsonist.
There exists a fair chance that he’s the arsonist but I doubt it. Is this what he does to people? Is this how he’s able to get away with so much? Because I’ll admit that it’s working on me.
When Push Comes to Shove
Now if we’re talking about smart people, that’d be Michelle Calderon, who puts all her energy into something that she misses the bigger picture.
Calderon for sure had me fooled. I thought she was a decent person who had been hurt and might bend the rules to push her agenda forward, but she is as bad as Dave, if not worse.
Is she better than her own mother, whom she judges harshly? Is she better than Dave, who will use any information he has on someone to blackmail them into doing his bidding?
Who breaks a man’s windpipe and watches him suffocate to death? At this point, Calderon is not different from her mother, and they will be at home together once she leaves prison.
That’s if they don’t trade places.
Before I took on reviewing this show, I was told no character is a good person; they just think they are. While that has been largely true, this is the first time I’ve seen it.
This episode is a masterclass in telling engaging stories. Apple TV+ has positioned itself as the leader in good stories in the age of streaming, and one can see why.
The scene with Dave’s boss, where he admits he’d been embezzling public money in the hundreds of thousands, stuck with me. The attention to detail and imagery almost made me sympathize with him.
However, I have a deep hate, deeper than Dave has for women, for corrupt and thieving officials, so he can rot in hell for all I care.
If that scene was written for some other streaming platform that shall not be named, I can almost see the rewrites I’d make to rob it of its impact.
“Mercy” was a great episode in its own right, but its true impact will be felt in the season finale. It changes everything we thought we knew, building genuine excitement for the finale. Whether that measures up remains to be seen.
Stray Thoughts
- The first “yes, ma’am” came after the team realized they’d botched the tailing operation and couldn’t berate themselves enough. That’s what I’ve been saying!
- The second was when I realized how Dave has been getting away with being a bum at work, possibly an arsonist. He has blackmail on everyone. This is my strongest evidence that he might still be our arsonist.
- I knew there was something odd about Dave’s ex-wife, Reba. Truly, there is someone for everyone.
- The final, and biggest, was when Emmett refused to leave to stay with his dad. The downfall of Dave Gudsen must be witnessed by Emmett and I!
Not every show gets love, but we still cover them.
If you made it this far, you probably care too. Drop a note, hit share, and keep rooting for the little guys — us and the show.
Watch Smoke Online
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