Smoke Season 1 Episode 5 Gives Us Nothing New — Review

Smoke Season 1 Episode 5 marks a turning point in the narrative. Dave is out in the open, and Michelle has him figured out.

He’s an incredibly messed-up man who tries to make up for his complexes by inflating his qualities, sometimes inventing some. While that’s not inherently bad, people suffer when Dave is not indulged.

The episode offers another in-depth look at the characters, but it doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know or suspect.

We follow Dave at a fire convention, where he’s forced to confront himself away from the comfort of his office, where he does nothing.

Elsewhere, Calderon focuses on filling in some gaps about Dave.

Her instincts have been screaming at her that he’s an arsonist, but instincts don’t stand up in court. She needs unimpeachable evidence that Dave has been terrorizing the people of Umberland even when he’s supposed to be their protector.

A recurring thought I’ve had throughout Smoke Season 1, after discovering that Dave is the arsonist, is how truly screwed we sometimes are.

We delegate serious responsibilities to others, and they often abuse this trust for personal gain. For example, voters choose a representative, hoping that they’ll represent them, but instead, they focus on enriching themselves.

In Dave’s case, it’s even worse because he’s supposed to be protecting the people, but he’s the one hurting them.

This is a tough situation for me to see his side of the story, granted that he was abused in the past. Sometimes a person can do such depraved things that they eclipse anything bad that has ever happened to them.

Whack Him Again!

For my fellow Dave haters, this episode is a pleasure.

Dave keeps catching strays from every corner, and it’s therapeutic in ways I can’t explain. I guess I derive pleasure from seeing losers and posers exposed and being forced to confront who they truly are.

Dave’s idea of himself is so overblown that it doesn’t take much to burst his bubble. He tries to put up his show from Smoke Season 1 Episode 4, and an actual smart person calls his bullshit before he has the opportunity to bask in his glory.

That affects his confidence on levels deeper than he could have known and leads to sexual underperformance.

Many people would have shaken that off and moved on with their day, but the misogynist in him couldn’t let it stand. The woman he hooks up with doesn’t disappoint, once again knocking him two pegs down.

Such beautiful things to see!

Michelle Searches for Missing Pieces

Elsewhere, Calderon spends the day and night with a former version of herself. Esposito is what happens after Dave is done with someone.

He offers more profound insights into working with Dave, and everything falls into place for Calderon.

What she’d written off as something different turns out to be everything she’d ignored. Dave is the other arsonist.

Despite initial denial, it doesn’t surprise Calderon. Anyone paying a little attention can tell that there is something wrong with the guy. His swagger cannot hide that he’s weird – like Freddy-level weirdness.

Speaking of Freddy, the other shoe drops.

He’s dealt a blow when he finds out that Coop’s has hired a different person for the managerial position.

What happens next is not surprising, as it’s what we expected. A happy couple is dead, and some unlucky children are orphaned.

However, in his distress, he makes mistakes, and that might be the only way to catch him. Brenda can smell the evil he was about to commit from afar.

Freddy’s case is a puzzle that cannot be solved in one day. Many characters on Smoke are a puzzle so complicated that it would take a lifetime to solve.

While I don’t like to count people out too early, I’m unsure if Freddy can be saved. He’s too far gone for anyone to reach him. If Brenda can’t, who can?

“Size Matters” advances the story, but it is somewhat redundant in details.

It ends on a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t feel all that important. If Smoke is looking to give Dave an out by killing him off, what are we doing here then?

It will be interesting to see how the accident factors into the rest of the story.

Stray Thoughts

• We didn’t get any good Emmett content in this one. However, in that short interaction with Calderon, they would make great partners if one weren’t a child and the other a grown woman.

• What is Umberland’s water that makes everyone a sex-weird prick with an awful attitude? Everyone is truly depraved, especially the men.

• The look of sheer glee and admiration on Dave’s face when he learns that Freddy has set another fire is horrifying. That’s not the kind of inspiration we talk about!

• The scene with the lady who caused the accident is a nice touch. Even though it doesn’t fit within the general narrative, it elevates the accident. What could have possibly been going on with her? We’ll never know.

Over to you, Smoke Fanatics. What did you think of the episode? Do you think Dave will survive? 

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