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Michelle Calderone’s main men are finally coming face to face in Smoke. And Decider’s got an exclusive first look at the tense back-and-forth that awaits.
Per Apple TV+, the official synopsis for Episode 5 of Dennis Lehane’s fiery new drama is as follows: “While Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) heads out of town for a conference, Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) tries to track down his old partner. Freddy seeks revenge.” Before Gudsen leaves the office behind for a few days, however, he gets a visit from Steven Burke (Rafe Spall), who questions him about his relationship with Calderone and keeps him on his toes in a way that few people can.
Before the episode, titled “Size Matters,” premieres on Friday, July 18, Decider’s got an exclusive minute-long look at Burke and Gudsen making stressful small talk.
As Burke gets comfortable at Calderone’s desk and starts snooping around, Gudsen brews a pot of coffee for them and says, “I got this Arson Investigator Conference out in Leighton. A little escape from the everyday.”
“Escape?” Burke asks, judgmentally. “From two arsonists burning your jurisdiction to the fucking ground?” He laughs, flashes a smile, and inquires about Calderone. “She’d be joining you?”
Gudsen explains that he’s flying solo to the conference, and in a power move, Burke takes Calderone’s chapstick from her desk and slowly applies it to his own lips.
Photo: Apple TV+“Great. Well, I mean, at least someone’s working,” he says, taking another jab at Gudsen.
Before the two have the chance to butt heads even more, Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear) walks in and cuts the tension. When he asks Captain Burke if they have a meeting in the books, Burke looks a bit caught off guard and replies, “No. I, uh, I was in the neighborhood.”
Harvey invites him down to his office, but before he leaves, Gudsen asks, “Wanna take this coffee to go, Captain?”
“I never touch the stuff,” Burke replies, leaving a surprised Gudsen, mug-in-hand, processing the peculiar, unexpectedly intense interaction in his office.
Last week, I wrote about how Smoke gives Egerton the complex material and space to deliver one of the most uniquely eerie, nuanced, unsettling performances of his career. But as a huge fan of Apple TV+’s British comedy Trying, which stars Spall as a wholesome husband and dad, his complex Smoke performance, range as actor, and American accent (!) are also worthy of serious praise.
Photo: Apple TV+Considering Calderone’s heavy suspicions about Gudsen, her recent interest in his former partner Esposito, and the fact that Steven cares deeply about her, we have a feeling we haven’t seen the final face-off between these two men.
Tune in to Smoke, Episode 5 on Friday, July 18 to see what else is in store, and be sure to check out Decider’s ongoing coverage of the series, including interviews with Dennis Lehane, Taron Egerton, Jurnee Smollett, and more.
New episodes of Smoke premiere Fridays on Apple TV+.
English (US)