Episode 9 of *Smoke* kicks off its thrilling finale with Michelle at home, lost in contemplation over her recent actions. The fire that ravaged Steven’s house has left it in absolute ruins. Steven himself lies charred beyond recognition, while a chaotic throng from the arson investigation team waits outside. Pearson, the no-nonsense supervisor in charge, immediately singles out Ezra as "the fuck-up." All their investigative materials are being handed over to Pearson, who is poised to take the reins from this point forward.
Michelle arrives at the scene, her sunglasses strategically perched to conceal her eyes. When Harvey breaks the grim news about Steven, she feigns shock, but a far more pressing issue looms large. It turns out Michelle overlooked a crucial detail: a camera trained directly on the Captain’s house.
Pearson, driven by a relentless determination to pin down the perpetrator of this fire, sends chills down Michelle’s spine. She frantically calls Benji, pleading for his assistance in dealing with the looming camera dilemma.
One individual glued to the news, utterly stunned by the turn of events, is Dave. He quickly realizes he’s on the brink of being framed for the arson attack and frantically begs Reba to cover for him. However, she stands her ground and refuses, leaving Dave scrambling for a solution.
Dave storms into Harvey’s presence, demanding the return of his car. He vehemently denies any involvement in Burk’s house fire, but his pleas fall on deaf ears with Englehart. Englehart knows full well about Dave’s role in the Old Sullys incident and remains unswayed by Dave’s threats, which include a chilling promise that Englehart will go down too.
But Englehart’s resolve only strengthens, especially after his candid confession to his daughter in the previous episode. When Michelle makes her entrance, the tension only escalates, particularly when reports of a massive fire breaking out in the vicinity start pouring in.
This is the catastrophic domino effect of Michelle’s hasty arson attempt, which quickly spirals out of control, wreaking havoc. The primary culprit is the sawmill, which catches fire and unleashes absolute devastation, captured in stunningly visceral detail through a single, unbroken tracking shot.
Does Michelle take Dave's life? Seizing what he perceives as a chance to be the hero, Dave speeds towards the scene, Michelle in tow. Along the journey, Dave's mind wanders back to the first fire he witnessed at the tender age of 12, finding a perverse beauty amidst the chaos. Michelle, too, has been shaped by fire's touch, though her view lacks the grandeur of Gudsen's, she does not harbor animosity towards it. Dave presses his foot onto the accelerator, hurtling into the very heart of the forest inferno.
Michelle, her nerves steel, draws her gun, commanding Dave to halt. He obeys, but only by the force of a catastrophic crash. Michelle emerges from the wreckage, standing defiantly before the car, her shots wild and erratic as Dave skillfully dodges each bullet.
Consumed by fury, Michelle pummels Dave with a few blows, her finger poised on the trigger, ready to end his life with a shot to the mouth. Yet, just as the heavens unleash their fury in a downpour, she hesitates, ultimately opting to arrest him for reckless driving and endangerment instead, as the entire police station watches Gudsen being escorted in for his arrest.
Does Gudsen divulge any secrets during the interrogations? The police have also secured a flawless match for a glove Michelle inadvertently left at Burk’s residence, an act that incriminates Dave and casts Michelle in the guise of a hero, all while the entire station bears witness to Gudsen's impending detention.
The sole individual Dave Gudsen is willing to confide in is Michelle, perhaps because he glimpses a shard of that same darkness within her. It's as if an unspoken pact exists among arsonists or those who have danced with pain, recognizing the inner demon that resides within. We witnessed this phenomenon with Freddy before, and it serves as a poignant thread weaving through the narrative.
Michelle teeters on the brink of collapse, haunted by visions of Steven's specter. During the police interrogation, Dave Gudsen remains unyielding, puncturing holes in Michelle's account. He exposes the fire from her past, the erratic behavior she exhibits, and the flimsy evidence in the form of a glove left behind at the property's rear.
Does the group uncover any evidence to use against Gudsen? The Hancock fire seems to be the decisive piece of evidence that Michelle wields here. Now, Gudsen did indeed investigate that fire, but he labeled the cause as inconclusive. His actual investigative method is elaborated upon in his book, and it aligns perfectly with the independent inquiry conducted by Hancock’s private investigators at the time.
Dave, however, brushes it off with a laugh and continues to cling to his claim of innocence, pointing out flaws in the entire narrative and questioning those who might have otherwise revealed the truth. As things start to get a bit too personal, Dave swiftly turns the tables, poking fun at Michelle’s past, including the harrowing incident where her mother attempted to burn her alive.
Meanwhile, amidst this chaos, Benji manages to get his hands on the video footage from Steven’s house. He copies it onto a thumb drive before promptly deleting the original files.
Ezra is relentless in his pursuit to pin Gudsen down, and their search pays off when they stumble upon the incriminating evidence in his car. There, they find the hat, sunglasses, and trench coat that were used in the arson attacks.
How does "Smoke" conclude?
Presented with this damning evidence, Dave’s confident, albeit thin, smile begins to falter. The scene then cuts back, revealing how Dave has twisted and reframed the entire situation to fit his own narrative. From his perspective, he’s a hero, tirelessly working to apprehend the arsonist in a sort of surreal, out-of-body experience.
But the realization finally hits him; he’s far from innocent. He gazes into the mirror and sees his true reflection—no longer the suave, attractive man he once perceived himself to be, but a balding, middle-aged individual. As he locks eyes with Michelle, he confesses, “I know who I am,” and the two stare each other down as the season draws to a dramatic close.
