Smoke on Apple TV+: the new thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett that's setting the temperature high this summer.

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Available since June 27, 2025, Smoke is a nine-episode miniseries created by Dennis Lehane. It follows Dave Gudsen, played by Taron Egerton, an arson investigator. In the field, he teams up with Michelle Calderon, a tenacious police officer played by Jurnee Smollett. Together, they attempt to apprehend two arsonists who have been wreaking havoc in the Pacific Northwest region for several years. The series takes viewers into an atmosphere that is both oppressive and captivating.

Fire according to Lehane: between chaos and retrospection

Denis Lehane decided to make fire the central element of the series. Unpredictable and omnipresent, it plays the role of a character that structures the story and reflects the desires, wounds, and fears of the protagonists.

In the first episode, Dave is immediately thrown into the heart of the chaos: surrounded by flames. The use of close-ups, the emphasis on Dave's ragged breathing, and the blurred images reflect Dave's helplessness in the face of the situation. His voiceover only reinforces this idea: fire makes no distinctions, and man is nothing more than prey.

Following the incident, the flames symbolize an internal struggle for Dave. He is adamant about demonstrating that he has complete control over fire, manipulating it according to his own desires. For example, during his conferences, he sets objects on fire and immediately extinguishes them to prove his flawless control. For him, fire represents both an instrument of domination and control, while also mirroring his own demons.

For Michelle, the fire is a driving force. Abandoned by her mother in a burning building when she was just a child, Michelle was forged by the tragedy. This traumatic experience made her a strong-willed person, for whom every arsonist tracked down, every fire brought under control, becomes a way to rewrite her personal story and regain control. It is the quest for justice that drives her, even if it means crossing some boundaries.

For Freddie, fire becomes a means of social protest. Indeed, he does not act randomly: he targets what he perceives as unjust: money, power, happy people. In short, everything that society has denied him. For him, fire becomes a political act, his only means of expression.

Through these representations, Lehane uses a metaphor in which fire simultaneously embodies powerlessness, determination, and the illusion of control.

Smoke: When reality fuels fiction

Smoke finds its strength in a true story, the one of John Leonard Orr, a former arson investigator who became an arsonist. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was convicted of several arson attacks in Los Angeles. His novel Points of Origin, in which an investigator named Phil tracks down a firefighter turned arsonist, played a key role in his trial. The details in the book provided major clues to solving the arson cases he had worked on.

Lehane tells Dave's story, while introducing some nuances compared to the real event. He decides to merge the two characters, investigator Orr and his pyromaniac alter ego Aaron, into Dave. This complex figure defies expectations and draws the viewer into a spiral where truth and illusion intertwine.

Dave initially appears as a charismatic, brilliant hero who is loved by everyone, but this mask gradually crumbles. As the series progresses, he is perceived as unstable, violent, and exhibiting inappropriate behavior. Like Orr, he writes a book in which Donald, a charismatic investigator, solves arson cases similar to the one shown in the series. This causes the viewer to begin to have doubts.

The latest revelation in the series marks a major turning point: Dave is actually a creation, an alternate personality created by Donald. His confrontation with Michelle acts as a real wake-up call. Dave finally claims to know his true identity: a man who has nothing to do with the one who was initially presented to viewers.

Conclusion

Inspired by a true story, Smoke weaves a gripping narrative that combines psychological thriller and intimate drama. The series questions our mental foundations and our ability to lie to ourselves in order to survive.

Although a second season has not yet been announced, the ending remains open. Michelle commits a murder that she chooses to conceal, while her brother appears to have compromising evidence. As for Dave, he remains an unstable character, haunted by unresolved psychological issues. Smoke may not have said its last word yet.