Episode 7 of "Smoke" unfolds with Michelle consumed by anxiety over her mother's impending release. She reaches out to the Captain, whose words about malevolent individuals fabricating narratives to distance themselves from their wicked deeds strike a chord, given Dave's recent revelations. However, Michelle remains the centerpiece of this narrative, haunted by the ghastly visions of the room engulfed in flames. Her mother's unpardonable actions have resurfaced the overwhelming sensations of helplessness and panic, shrouding her in a dark cloud.
The specter of her mother's toxic influence looms large in Michelle's mind, fueling her fears that Sophie might suffer a similar fate of poisoning. Meanwhile, Dave basks in the limelight, conducting television interviews about his daring rescue of Brenda from Freddy's clutches. Amidst the adulation, he reveals plans to pen a book, prompting Ms. Boswell's publishing house, which initially rejected him, to hastily seek reconciliation.
At the precinct, Freddy remains stone-silent, declining to converse with anyone but Dave Gudsen. Michelle, eager to accompany Gudsen for the pivotal interview, secures his reluctant assent by appealing to his vanity. As Gudsen enters the station, Freddy, with the perspicacity of one arsonist recognizing another, pierces through Gudsen's arrogant mask. He persistently probes about "who gave him the hole," and when inquiries about "she" eventually converge on Dave's mother, it becomes evident that this is the key to unlocking the depths of Dave's darkness.
The conversation chilled to the bone, an eerie spectacle that utterly mesmerized all who witnessed it. Freddy dismissed Gudsen's excuses with a mocking laugh, dancing deftly around the truth as if it were a dangerous snake. Eventually, Freddy unveiled his true feelings, labeling Gudsen a "whitewashed tomb" — a beautiful facade concealing a rotten core. The barb hit Gudsen so hard that he retched violently on his car outside.
Meanwhile, Boswell dialed the station, eager to converse with Dave. However, fate saw fit to grant the group an unexpected opportunity. They schemed to ensnare Gudsen, but the cunning publicist demanded a steep price: unfettered access to their case files and exclusive rights to the story. Reluctantly, they agreed.
Their concession came at an opportune moment, as Gudsen was still reeling from the prison ordeal. He arrived at the publicist's meeting, where Boswell was being coached on how to disarm his defenses.
Unfortunately, Boswell's abrasive demeanor and accusations of racial privilege only served to shut Dave down completely.
Michelle fared better, however, when she deliberately bumped into Ashley at the gym. She cut through the bs and bluntly mentioned her suspicion that Dave was their arsonist.
Ashley confessed that she had indulged in some of Dave's fantasies, which included rough sex. One particularly disturbing fantasy involved raping her in a burning building while filming it. Fortunately, they had never acted on it, but the revelation sparked an idea in Michelle's mind.
She confided in Ezra about Dave's fantasies, who then brought up his ex-wife, Reba. Reba was well-versed in Dave's dark desires and had even cheated on him in the past.
Unbeknownst to Michelle, Reba remained loyal to Dave. That night, as Dave hosted his party, Reba called him to warn him about Michelle and her compatriots' machinations.
After Steven labels Dave a loser in a tone dripping with contempt at the bar and delivers a swift, unprovoked punch, Dave completely loses his composure. In a fit of rage, he drives like a lunatic, managing to evade the tracker on his vehicle. To add insult to injury, he discovers that even Ezra has turned against him. As the episode draws to a close, Freddy, waiting patiently for the first light of dawn, prepares to end his life by hanging himself in his desolate cell.
