TaronEgertonis not playing it safe.With Apple TV+’sSmoke, the Emmy-nominated actor reunites withBlack BirdcreatorDennis Lehanefor a crime drama that throws procedural rules into the fire — literally. Collider has your exclusive first look at an intense scene from Episode 3, just in time for the holiday weekend. In the sneak peek, Dave Gudsen (Egerton) and Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) zero in on a new clue at an arson scene — shopping bags. It might not sound like much, but inSmoke,everything means something. As Dave explains the significance of the bags’ colour, the tension between him and Michelle continues to simmer. And considering what we already know by the end of Episode 2 — that Dave is actually one of the arsonists they’re chasing — the scene hits a whole lot harder.
Smokemight look like another cop show on the surface, butthat illusion burns awayfast. By the end of Episode 2, titled “Your Happy Makes Me Sad,” the series upends the entire crime procedural formula. Instead of askingwhodid it, we already know: it’s Dave. Now, the question iswhy— andhow long can he get away with it?
The pivotfrom mystery to character studyredefines the series. Egerton’s Dave is a fire investigator with a tragic past, a complicated marriage, and a dangerous secret. Rather than string audiences along with breadcrumbs, Lehane shows his cards early and shifts the tension onto the psychological unraveling of a man trying to investigate crimes he’s secretly committing.
Is ‘Smoke’ Worth Seeing?
Writing for Collider,David Caballeropointed out the positive similarities betweenSmokeandBlackBirdin his review. “Smokeis cut from the same insightful, eerie, morbidly funny, and biting clothas Lehane and Egerton’s 2022 limited series,” he wrote.
IfBlack Birdgave us a glimpse ofEgerton’s dramatic range,Smokedives deeper. The Welsh actor plays Dave as a man stuck between two versions of himself — the careful investigator trying to keep his family together and the dark, broken soul seeking power through destruction. Episode 3 sees the pressure mounting. Dave and Michelle grow closer in their investigation, which only increases the audience’s dread. Every shared clue, every flicker of chemistry between them, is colored by the fact that Michelle is hunting her own partner and doesn’t know it yet.
you’re able to watch the first two episodes ofSmokeon Friday, followed by a new episode every week until August.
