A bunch of characters were introduced to us in the first two episodes of AppleTV+ original, Smoke. These characters were dealing with their own traumas; they had their own set of motivations and sensibilities. So let’s find out who these characters were and what role they had to play in the scheme of things.
Dave Gudsen
Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton), the arson investigator from the Umberland Fire Department, seemed to be the kind of man who had a flair for the dramatic, who liked imagining himself as the hero in all situations, and who definitely didn’t like people stealing his thunder. In the first two episodes of Smoke, it became clear that the man wanted to do something great in his life. He was a very insecure man who always feared that somebody else would overshadow him and take all his credit. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Dave was a narcissist of the highest order, though he tried really hard to not let people see it. He pretended to know it all, and he liked when people acknowledged his expertise in his own field. There were times when Dave found it really hard to not give in to his impulses and do what he really felt like. He probably knew the kind of consequences the things he did could have on his personal and professional life. Obviously the man had a lot of repressed feelings, and we did see at the end of Smoke episode 2 what he did to vent them. It would be interesting to delve deeper into his psyche and find out what really went through his mind in those moments of desolation and loneliness.
Detective Michelle Calderon
Detective Michelle Calderon (Jurnee Smollett) joined Dave Gudsen to investigate the case of the serial arsonist. She was a woman who was dealing with her own trauma, as a lot had happened in the past with which she still hadn’t been able to make peace. Through those blurred visions that she had in episodes 1 and 2, we got to know that her mother had committed arson, and a lot of innocent people ended up losing their lives. Though her mother was put behind bars, Michelle lived under the constant fear that one day she would be released. Michelle had an affair with her senior, Steven Burk, which didn’t end well for her, as she refused to commit to a long-term relationship with the man. She knew that the consequences of upsetting a man like Steve could have a massive impact on her professional life, and that’s what happened. She was transferred to the arson department, and the irony was that after whatever had happened with her mother, she had developed a phobia of fire. But still, Michelle was not somebody who surrendered to her circumstances so easily, and in the subsequent episodes, we might very well see her finding the serial arsonist and putting him behind bars.
Harvey Englehart
Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear) was Dave’s superior at the Umberland Fire Department, and he was overseeing the serial arsonist case. He was dealing with all the pressure from the higher-ups, which was why we saw him losing his temper on Dave and Mitchelle in one of the scenes. Harvey was an observant man, and though he didn’t say it out loud, he knew the kind of man Dave was. He knew how Dave never liked celebrating others, and he didn’t go to any office parties unless it was about him. Harvey has a daughter, who I believe will get involved in the chaos, since her character was introduced out of nowhere in the first couple of episodes. I believe Harvey, too, will have a crucial role to play once he gets to know what Dave is up to, though it won’t be easy for him to take down one of his own.
Freddy Fasano
Freddy Fasano (Ntare Mwine), who worked at a fast food joint named Coop’s Fried Chicken, was dealing with his own circumstances. He was clearly not happy with the kind of life he led, and very strangely, I found a certain resemblance between his and Dave’s characters, even though they had totally different lives. Just like Dave, there was a side of Freddy’s personality that nobody knew about. There was a rage within him, and he had to find ways to express all his repressed feelings. He was the man who probably set a young married couple’s house on fire, and torturing others gave him an unparalleled sadistic pleasure.
Brenda Cephus
Though Brenda Cephus (Adina Porter) was just a customer who often came to Coop’s Fried Chicken, she seemed to have a fondness for Freddy, and she never failed to check up on him. Whenever she came, she asked him to drop by her salon so that she could give him a free haircut. She always encouraged him, something that his own colleagues and people didn’t. One time, when Freddy did drop by at the salon, she told him that her son had passed away sometime back. We never got to know what happened to him, but we realized that behind that jolly and loud exterior, there were wounds that Brenda hid from everybody. She felt that the society owed it to her and her community, and she was of the opinion that if one isn’t given what they deserve, they need to go out there and give it back to the people who denied them equal status.
Emmett and Ashley Gudsen
Ashley Gudsen (Hannah Emily Anderson) was Dave’s wife, whereas Emmett was her son from her first marriage. Ashley made sure to validate Dave, even if deep down she didn’t have much faith in his abilities. Ashley never even once told Dave that he was being foolish for trying to write a novel, even though she’d read a few chapters and knew he was not very good at it. But then again, there was a kind of rift between Dave and Ashley, and I got the impression that the latter felt that Dave didn’t understand the complications that came with her first marriage. I think she also thought Dave to be a narcissistic person, though she refrained from saying it out loud until it got on her nerves. Emmett, on the other hand, didn’t have a lot of respect for Dave. At times it felt like he didn’t even acknowledge his existence, even though Dave tried his best to be on good terms with him. Probably Dave got to be a bit too much for him, and Emmett knew that beneath all that hospitable behavior, Dave really despised him.
Arch Stanton
Arch Stanton (David James Lewis), together with Scotty Bucyk, was one of those people who were absent from duty on all the days the arson attacks happened. Though I believe neither of them had anything to do with the arson incidents, it came to be known that Arch Stanton had built a bunker, his own man cave of sorts, which was loaded with illegal firearms and also had a room where he probably found unique ways to satiate his carnal desires. Arch’s bunker was found by Michelle, who at the time believed the former to be the serial arsonist. But at the end, Michelle figured out that the man had some really twisted sensibilities; he was not her guy.
