The saying goes that where there is smoke, there is fire—a simple adage, and one that proves itself time and time again. When we’re talking about actors, where there’s smoke, there’s often Taron Egerton. This is not a perfect metaphor, but the point is that Egerton is on fire. He has talent and charisma for days, and his recent performances in series like Black Bird and films like Carry-On have only cemented him as a solid leading man. His latest project, Smoke, should only reinforce this reputation, even if the series around him is more than a little uneven.
Smoke is an adaptation of a popular podcast called Firebug, and it chronicles an arson case with Egerton’s fire investigator Dave Gudsen joining cop Michell Calderon (Jurnee Smollett) in the Pacific Northwest. They’re thrown together at the start of the series: he, a lone wolf with a brilliant smile and easy confidence, and she, an ex-marine with a chip on her shoulder thanks to childhood trauma.
The case of two partners at odds makes for a good setup, and when you have two strong actors to embody them, it sings. Both Egerton and Smollett inhabit their characters with ease, and their chemistry is honest and relatable. They’ve each got grudging respect but bristle at each other’s styles and personality–a fine line to walk, but they both pull it off. They have a ton of help as well, with Greg Kinnear and Rafe Spall appearing as their bosses, John Leguizamo and Erin Karpluk showing up later in the series as figures from Dave’s past, and Anna Chlumsky as a federal agent they have to interact with. In short, the cast is absolutely stacked with talent.
Outside of the performances, though, the series itself feels very shaky. Even with only nine episodes, there isn’t enough material to fill the series. At the same time, it feels padded with an underdeveloped backstory and occasional bits of magical realism in which Dave plays out fantasies or narrates the book he’s writing during the investigation. Some of these sequences are fun, but none of them feels complete, nor do they appear frequently enough to give one twist that comes late in the season the weight it deserves.
There’s also a question of who to root for, since almost every character is not only flawed but morally questionable. Egerton’s Dave slowly reveals himself to be a narcissist, which lets Egerton weaponise his winning smile for both good and evil, but he’s not a character you’ll cheer for. Smollett’s Calderon, too, starts out well-meaning but with a hair trigger and poor decision-making skills. The late act of the series asks the audience to give her way too much grace.
The real standout of the series, though, is Freddy Fasano, played by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. Freddy is revealed very early on as one of the two arsonists, and his backstory is full of pain and suffering. His childhood is depicted as a stark critique of the foster care system. While he’s murdering innocent, happy people, it’s hard to keep your heart from breaking for a character so utterly abandoned by institutions. Mwine’s performance is haunting, as Freddy is burning houses as a means to take back control of his life, and there are times when his eyes will pierce into your soul. His story also provides several of the most visually stunning sequences in the series –and the series also has some spectacular fires, both practical and CG.
What’s frustrating is that Smoke isn’t bad, it’s just that it’s only fine. There are too many digressions, threads that are pulled but never resolved, and big choices that don’t really make sense. But the handsome production values and strong performances make it highly watchable, and especially through the middle episodes, it’s very compelling. Egerton is a great actor at the centre of a great cast, and that makes Smoke worth your time. But you’d be easily forgiven for saving this one up to binge on a rainy day.
