Smoke Recap ‘Pilot’: Two serial arsonists in the city

In the Pilot episode of Smoke, now streaming on Apple TV+, an arson investigator and a detective team up to go after two serial arsonists.

Smoke Season 1 Episode 1 Recap and Review

Serial arsonists, Investigator Dave Gudsen explained to Detective Michelle Calderone, tend to feel powerless in their own lives. As if to underline that point, we were introduced to one of the two serial arsonists they were pursuing, Freddy Fasano, a middle-aged man who worked at a fast food restaurant where he was routinely bullied by his younger co-workers. He came home to a sad apartment, to more oily food and some pron. He targeted people who were happy – a guy who was just promoted, a couple who got engaged that night, a lady who just found out she was pregnant, and, his most recent victims, a couple who went out for the first time since they had their baby. It was one of this Pilot's most memorable visuals (and there were plenty, this is a beautifully-shot episode), the image of Freddy surrounded by a gentle rain of fire. His face, lined by a hard life if not by age, looked at peace, almost happy. The fiery dots fell over him softly, almost romantically, in stark contrast to the reality of the inferno he unleashed on that young couple’s home. 

Did that visual work? Sure, but it was also emblematic of this pilot episode that tried. You could feel its effort, from lines like ‘Nothing. Not “no thing” but nothing. As a defining characteristic of the universe.’ to the auditory callbacks of Detective Calderone in bed with her Captain. In many ways it was a fitting pilot to a story whose main character was trying to write his first novel. There was eagerness and some clumsiness, but also, sheer talent that powered the narrative. 

Created by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone) and starring Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett, Smoke was inspired by Firebug, a podcast that discussed the crimes of arsonist John Leonard Orr. If you don’t want spoilers and would prefer to enjoy the show as it reveals its secrets with each episode, I would urge you not to read up too much on the podcast’s subject, at least until you’ve seen the second episode (we will cover this in a separate post). 

A rising star previously assigned to the Robbery Division, Calderone found herself working with Gudsen after breaking off her relationship with her Captain. It was a move to bury her career, with the clearance rate of arson being lower than the clearance rate of auto theft. And, despite Gudsen being the clear arson expert that he was, he had not been able to crack either of the two cases he was investigating, one that had been going for a year, another for six months.

The first was an arsonist he and the other firefighters have taken to calling D&C, Divide and Conquer. This arsonist usually set fires in the potato chip aisles of grocery stores, then set another one elsewhere on time delay to spread the fire department thin. He used a cigarette to light his fires. He wore sunglasses, a rainproof jacket, and a ball cap with no logo. He knew how to avoid cameras. He walked with a limp on his right leg. Gudsen thought he was a white male, and he had been looking through and clearing various suspects, including former firefighters.

The arrival of Calderone with her detective rank meant they could expand their investigation into active firemen. Each of them picked two names based on their absences which coincided with the fires. Gudsen chose Arch Stanton, who got away with his frequent absences because of his local connections and whom he described as ‘out of his effing mind’. Calderone zeroed in on Scotty Bucyk, whom Gudsen said was well liked but who was absent for almost every single one of the fires.

Clearing Bucyk was easy when they learned that he was promoted to engineer two years before; his absences were not absences, he was driving the fire truck. Questioning Stanton proved to be trickier, given his clear dislike of Calderone whom he called an ‘affirmative action hire’.

Gudsen made better progress with the second serial arsonist, Milk Jug, whom he profiled as a fastfood place worker because he used fryer oil as his accelerant. They also had his DNA off a glove he left at a past fire, so they just needed something to compare it to. When Gudsen found out where Milk Jug's latest victims were celebrating, he headed to the bar and laid a gentle threat of inspection so the bartender would cooperate. There was only one guy who was there alone that night, he wore sunglasses inside though he was not blind, and he only tipped eight percent. Gudsen finally had someone who could describe the arsonist who had, so far, killed three people. 

Along with laying out the two cases, the pilot also gave us a glimpse of the two leads’ home lives. Gudsen was married to a wife (Audrey) who doted on her son (Emmett) by a previous marriage. He used to be a firefighter who transitioned to being an investigator after he was trapped in a burning house. Based on his wife’s casual comment about getting his pill, he also seemed to suffer from erectile dysfunction. He was under pressure from his Captain, Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear), to solve at least one of the arsons. 

Calderone was a cop for four years before she joined the Marines. Her former lover Captain Steven Burke (Rafe Spall) was angry that he left his wife and children for her, only for her to break up with him. Not only was he messing with her career, he was also exhibiting disturbing stalkerish behaviour. He entered her new house which she was still working on, took her liquor, and waited for her to come home on her porch. Calderone took it calmly and expressed her confidence in clearing at least one of the arson cases, which would lessen the weight of Burke’s boot on her career.

The Pilot was a solid if sometimes meandering setup to the larger story, kept mesmerising by its strong leads in Mr. Egerton and Ms Smollett, and especially Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy Fasano. It is a beginning that requires faith in its creative team. It may not have delivered a narrative punch immediately, but you know it is coming. 

Rating: A-

Strays

🚒Word of the episode: creativity - bringing something into existence; producing through imaginative skill

🚒Gudsen taught arson investigation all over the state, he was a true expert. It took him a second to know that the burnt Land Rover was the work of its owner, who was either behind on his payments or who racked up too many miles on his lease. 

🚒Based on the flashbacks, Calderone was trapped in a fire as a kid. She also received a letter from a correctional centre.

🚒Gudsen did not react well when he heard that Calderone read his investigative reports, but the two of them later formed an easier partnership.

🚒Ashley Gudsen: ‘No one lives the life they dreamed of, even if the dream was small.’

🚒Gudsen had a little notebook where he would write his literary ideas. He had already told his wife about pursuing his literary dreams, and she was supportive.

🚒Gudsen showed Calderone the incendiary device that the D&C arsonist used. She said it was unreliable, that there could be dozens of devices lying around that did not ignite and could contain the suspect’s fingerprints or DNA.

🚒Calderone did not think the D&C arsonist’s limp was real. 

You can access Recap Lab’s coverage of Smoke via this link.

Episode Title: Pilot

Episode Writer: Dennis Lehane

Episode Director: Kari Skogland

Original Air Date: June 27, 2025

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