The Apple TV+ thrillerSmokeis nearing its endgame, and the masks are starting to come off of its lead characters. Arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) and Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) have a tense confrontation in an exclusive clip fromthe popular streaming series. As both are caught in a cat and mouse game, a fire rises between them that unearths some ugly truths about their personal lives.
MovieWeb can exclusively reveal a clip fromSmokeEpisode 8, which features Dave and Michelle having a fiery discussion about the true definition of being “violent.” The scene has Michelle hinting at the fact that she knows that he is guilty of being a serial arsonist, but Dave has his own way of confronting this suspicion. When Michelle mentions that being violent with a dog is different from hurting an armed terrorist, Dave has a more “everyone is guilty in their own way” approach. In fact, he says “I’m guilty, just like everyone else,” before revealing that Michelle is not absolved either. He then arms his knowledge of her tragic past against Michelle, which seemingly throws her off, before she delivers a truth bomb about his violent tendencies. you may check out the clip below.
Smokehada two-episodepremiereon Apple TV+ on June 27, and has since released new installments weekly. The penultimate episode will be available to stream on August 8, while the season finale is set to release on August 15. Created by Dennis Lehane (Black Bird), Smoke follows a serial arsonist inspired by the real-life story of John Leonard Orr. In addition to Egerton and Smollett, the cast ofSmokefeatures Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Greg Kinnear, and John Leguizamo. Check out the official logline below:
Inspired by true events, Smoke follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.
Jurnee Smollett Talks Tense Confrontation Between Michelle and Dave in ‘Smoke’
SmokestarJurnee Smolletttells MovieWeb that the exclusive clip from Episode 8 offers a tense look at the “cat and mouse game” Michelle and Dave (Egerton) find themselves in. Even though the former knows Dave is guilty of the crimes he is investigating, proving that fact is easier said than done. Smollett confirms that Dave uses his knowledge of Michelle’s past to throw her off his scent, while her rebuttal about his “sick ways” allows her to believe that she still has the upper hand in that department.
“Hurt people hurt people. This scene is part of a larger sequence of events in which Michelle and Dave are in this cat and mouse game. They’re trying to break each other down. It’s a verbal tennis match. Both know he’s guilty, and both know that will be next to impossible for Michelle to prove- he’s trying to use knowledge of her past trauma to disarm Michelle. Leaving hints that he knows about her traumatic experience with her mother and insulting her to throw her off his trail. She feels like she has one upped him by saying ‘I don’t burn dogs alive,’ which informs him that she has gotten secret information about his sick ways from Ezra, his arch nemesis."
Still, as Smollett details, Michelle is visibly thrown off by Dave using her tragic history against her. She is used to talking to sociopathic criminals, but getting personal is a whole other story that becomes “unfamiliar territory” for Michelle.
“It’s a pissing contest they’re in. She’s used to interrogating criminals, and sociopaths. She’s accustomed to working in male-dominated spaces and is familiar with this type of power struggle. What she is not entirely familiar with is someone weaponizing her past against her or even knowing much about her. She is very guarded so for him to even know about her past is unfamiliar territory.”
Viewers will find out ifSmokewill ultimately come down to a fiery conclusion when Episode 8 arrives on August 8 and the season finale on August 15.
