It’s been coming for weeks. In fact, it’s been coming all season. Dave (Taron Egerton) and Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) don’t see the world the same, but they’re more alike than she’d like to admit. They’ve been cruising toward a showdown for a while.
Now, in the season finale of Smoke, titled “Mirror Mirror,” we finally get that showdown. And it’s everything we could have hoped to see. Let’s dive in, SPOILERS BELOW.
Justice for Steven
We start where we ended—with Steven’s (Rafe Spall) house in ashes. His body is found, and the police captain (Amy Carlson) on the case believes Dave did it. Ezra (John Leguizamo) and Agent Hudson (Anna Chlumsky) share that Dave was with Reba (Erin Karplunk) all night, but the captain won’t hear it. She disbanded the task force and is taking over the case, putting Dave in the crosshairs. That’s especially true when investigators find the perfectly preserved glove that Calderone planted.
Meanwhile, Calderone is called to the scene. She tries to play it cool and clueless, but she spots a camera on the neighbor’s house. She knows that could be her undoing, so she turns to Benji (Mishka Thebaud) for help. When he retrieves the footage, he sees what she did and can’t help but laugh. For all her bluster and all she’s said about her mother, Calderone has gone down the same path.
Dave, meanwhile, sees the news and suspects the finger will point at him. He turns to Reba for his alibi, but she’s less than helpful. Somewhat spurned, Dave heads to work. He turns to Harvey (Greg Kinnear), trying to plead his case. But Harvey is bitter and ready to see Dave brought to justice. Even the threat of Dave sharing his misdeeds doesn’t sway Harvey.
With nowhere else to turn, Dave heads to his office. Calderone arrives and doesn’t even try to hide her disdain for her partner. But before they can get into it, they’re called to a fire scene.
A partnership dissolves
The case proves to be a clear arson. But as a bigger fire breaks out, Dave urges his partner to check it out. While on the drive, he provokes her again. They share some verbal barbs, but as Dave recklessly speeds toward a raging fire, Calderone loses her cool. She draws a gun and blows out the driver’s window. In turn, Dave slams into a rock, throwing her through the windshield.
In the aftermath, amid the fire and ash, it’s unclear if she survived. But soon, Calderone rises. She pulls back her hair and, as Dave watches amazed, she draws her weapon and unloads on the car and Dave. He tries to escape, but he can’t. She tracks him down and beats him savagely. It’s clear Calderone is close to losing control. She shoves the barrel of her gun in Dave’s mouth. She stares up into the sky as the rain begins to fall, dousing the flames. She pulls the gun out and slaps the cuffs on.
The DNA is back, and it’s Dave’s glove. Now, she adds attempted murder for the car accident. But do they have enough?
As Calderone heads into the box to get a confession from Dave, Ezra and Agent Hudson go to work. They search Dave’s car—the one he wrecked first. There, they find the evidence that ties him to all the arsons. Armed with the photos from Ezra, Calderone is able to break down Dave’s defenses. As the episode ends, he continues to protest that he’s not that guy, even as all pretense of innocence begins to fade.
Thoughts on the season
This season was a trip. The show we got in the pilot was decidedly not the show we got all season. I really loved the performances of the leads, including Ntare Mwine, whose Freddy met his end earlier in the season. His character might have been the most honest of the group. I have mixed feelings about the ending. It’s hard to feel good about Calderone nailing Dave when we know that she committed the murder that sped up the investigation and planted the evidence tying him to the crime. Still, the fiery performances from Egerton and Smollett were among the best on the small screen this year.
This was billed as a limited series, and it’s certainly possible this is the end. But we’ve seen limited series get a pickup for more if they’re well-received enough. Now, it’s up to the viewers. I enjoyed the wild ride, and while I’m satisfied, I wouldn’t mind seeing this series play out in a season 2.
That’s a wrap on the season of Smoke. All nine episodes are recapped right here on Show Snob! You can catch up with the entire series streaming now on Apple TV+.