Apple TV+’s Smoke was promoted as a limited series, but the finale might set the show up for more seasons after a chilling reveal.
During the Friday, August 15, episode, Dave (Taron Egerton) faced off with Michelle (Jurnee Smollett) after he could no longer hide his identity as a serial arsonist. They had a showdown that nearly turned deadly, but Michelle survived, and Dave was apprehended.
Smoke ended with an interrogation scene, during which Dave still tried to deny he was the one setting the fires. After some pushing from Michelle, however, he came to a startling realization.
While viewers saw Dave as Egerton, 35, the character’s true reflection revealed a different identity. Despite believing he was a traditionally handsome guy, Dave actually isn’t as cool and appealing.
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Costars John Leguizamo and Anna Chlumsky exclusively broke down the shocking twist for Us Weekly.
“I honestly think about this in my day-to-day life as I’m just walking about. I’m like, ‘Where are our characters going to go?’” Chlumsky, 44, who played Special Agent Dawn Hudson, shared. “I think that honestly, it’s all open for exploration. I really do.”
Chlumsky noted that Dawn’s story has yet to be fully explored, adding, “There’s a lot to Dawn that we don’t even really know yet. We get some glimpses, but she’s very walled up, and I think she in the first season meets somebody who can chip away at the paint.”
The actress was referring to Leguizamo’s Ezra, who flirted with Dawn throughout the first season. While Dawn and Ezra helped find the evidence that connected Dave to the fires, their futures were left up in the air.
“I think something’s going to happen because opposites attract,” Leguizamo, 65, told Us. “It’s going to be sick no matter what the relationship is. It’s going to be a sick romance.”
Chlumsky complimented creator Dennis Lehane for not pushing Ezra and Dawn together in the first season.
“Something we know about Dennis is that he will give it the respect that he gives all of his dynamics and all of his characters, which is that it will be honest and intelligent. It will serve the plot,” she said, while Leguizamo joked, “It won’t be gratuitous sex. It’ll be sex for a reason.”
Chlumsky and Leguizamo both showed their support for the series to explore their characters in more seasons.
“I think Dennis planned it for that,” Leguizamo teased. “It’s planned to go on [for more episodes]. So watch it. You can and see what happens.”
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Inspired by the “Firebug” podcast, Smoke starred Egerton, Smollett, Rafe Spall and Greg Kinnear and told the story of notorious California arsonist John Leonard Orr, a fire captain and arson investigator who was convicted of serial arson and four counts of murder. He is believed to have set nearly 2,000 fires in a 30-year span, which makes him the most prolific serial arsonist in American history. He has maintained his innocence but reached a plea agreement that resulted in him being paroled in 2002.
“I knew about John — or the original guy who set the fires in the ’90s. He was the preeminent arson investigator,” Leguizamo told Us. “It ended up being that he was the expert only because he set the fires, killed dozens of people, burned millions of dollars worth of property and would never have stopped if he hadn’t been caught.”
Leguizamo credited Dennis for elevating the real-life story on screen in Smoke.
“It’s a fascinating story and what Dennis did, it’s even better because he used that as a springboard,” he continued. “But I think what he’s done with it is even more exciting and more interesting. He brings all these complex characters that he throws into the mix. It’s so fun.”
Smoke is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
