Smoke Episode 3 Recap: Weird Milk

With the cat already out of the bag, Apple TV+’s ‘Smoke‘ dedicates its third episode, titled ‘Weird Milk,’ to fleshing out its characters and adding an additional dimension to its narrative pyrotechnics. The previous episode ends with the jaw-dropping reveal that arson investigator Dave Gudsen is himself the infamous Divide and Conquer Arsonist. Meanwhile, the Milk-Jug Arsonist, Freddy Fasano, eyes the managerial position as a way out of his depressive life. Elsewhere, Michelle‘s obsession with catching the criminal and proving herself leads her down Arch Stanton’s private bunker, which she misinterprets to be a trap, ultimately shooting him in the ground. However, her errors lead her down the right path, as now she redirects her attention to who she thinks the real culprit is. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Michelle and Dave Unload Their Frustrations

The episode begins with Michelle dealing with the fallout from shooting Fireman Arch Stanton. During her psychiatric evaluation, she has a hard time considering her actions as traumatic, citing her lack of an emotional bond with him. The exchange prompts the therapist to bring up Michelle’s background as a former undercover agent working for Vice. Her claims that the cop has made a habit of deception and putting up walls finally manage to crack her tough demeanor. Welling up, she discusses how her job is the only thing that she is good at, and that she will bind herself to it, knowing that it will burn her out sooner rather than later. While Michelle gets her psychological clearance, the conversation fails to have any therapeutic effect on her; it serves as an index to map out the future of her character.

Elsewhere, Dave Gudsen, arsonist and investigator in one, decides to take the morning off to help out at home and mend his connections with his family. This change of heart comes following his argument with Emmett about his biological father, and Dave’s subsequent stress-busting act of arson. In a conversation with Ashley, he recounts his dominating father, and then in a sharp contrast, asks for his family’s forgiveness. At the same time, Emmett argues with his father, Gerald, over his decision to leave the town because of a promotion. Gerald tries to explain the importance of this opportunity, going as far as equating his job to an astronaut’s journey to the moon; however, his son remains heartbroken, stuck in the midst of his family’s breakdown.

Dave tries to fill in the gap left by Emmett’s father. Unbeknownst to him, Michelle’s private investigations lurk very close to the truth. A pinboard can be seen in her house, labelling Dave as a suspect for the recent string of sophisticated fire accidents. With all her leads confirmed to be dead ends, the police officer decides to start from scratch. As such, Dave’s absence comes as a boon, freeing her up for a private search and investigation, this time looking through fire accidents which are reported as false alarms.

Freddy, Dave, and Michelle Bring Up Their A-Game

Michelle’s goal is to recover unused or faulty ignition devices, a likely cause for these premature fires. The approach she chooses is simple but exhaustive: canvassing large patches of ground, and sometimes the entire forest, to look for something as tiny as a cigarette bud. Unsurprisingly, her search comes up empty-handed. However, inspiration strikes while waiting at a stop sign, when she suddenly realizes the convenience of simply dropping the device out of the car window. Taking a gamble on her instincts, she narrows her search to the roadside shrubs, getting her hands dirty in quest of the truth. Her efforts are soon rewarded, as she manages to find one ignition device lying in the middle of half-burnt vegetation, becoming the key to cracking the case.

Meanwhile, Freddy, sporting a fresh haircut and a clean pair of clothes, works harder than ever at Coop’s. His goal is to be noticed by the company seniors and, hopefully, be scouted for a managerial position. Meanwhile, his colleague Lee desperately tries to dissuade him, claiming that the hierarchy is controlled in advance. Whether his coworker comes from a place of caring or jealousy isn’t confirmed, but Freddy hardly cares. Instead, he continues to diligently scrub the stove till he overdoes it and accidentally triggers a fire. The scene of leaping flames enraptures the man, nearly making him lose his composure and attack Lee; however, he manages to regain his senses and walks out of the restaurant in a dazed state.

The scene then returns to Dave, who settles on an ingenious method for his investigations. Trying to figure out the nitty-gritty of the milk jug arsonist’s modus operandi, he renacts possible scenes from the firesetter’s process on his laptop, scrapping away the parts he finds improbable. His process of narrativization helps him visualize the possible errors in the arsonist’s approach and how he avoids making them. Ultimately, Dave concludes that the milk jug arsonist likely buys his jugs in advance, drains them of milk and pours gasoline in, before hiding the jug in a bag to avoid suspicious eyes. Elsewhere, Michelle receives the bad news that her submitted evidence is denied a forensic evaluation, as the crime itself is technically unprosecutable.

Freddy Finds Himself Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Dave invites Michelle into the evidence room to show her his recent discoveries. Here, she lies about her ongoing investigation into the D&C killer, while Dave walks her into seeing the milk-jug arsons in a different light. The back of all retrieved milk jugs has one thing in common: burnt plastic residue sticking to them. A quick investigation informs the protagonist that the plastic is actually black in colour, an unusual choice that is only made by two shops in the entire town. Trying to be discreet, the duo plans to attach metal QR codes to both the shops’ products and wait for the next opportunity to strike, hoping to catch the arsonist red-handed. However, they are immediately rebuffed by their boss, Harvey, who cites the team’s limited budget as the reason.

Meanwhile, Freddy makes his way into Coop’s main office and writes his application for the post of manager amidst stiff competition, following which he is escorted to a preliminary interview with Roger Tillman. Freddy’s restrained manner of speech comes to his detriment; while he manages to express his ambitions to have a more meaningful life, he is unable to express how he is a good fit for a position that is proactive and customer-oriented. As such, his interview is cut short. Later, he sits at his restaurant, waiting for a notification about his second round of interview. Lee returns with an apology, recounting how his father squashed down his wishes, and how Freddy deserves to give it a go. However, reality is harsh, and as night approaches, it becomes evident that Freddy has not been selected.

Michelle Refuses to Make Peace With Her Mother

The narrative then proceeds to a flashback scene from Michelle’s childhood, in which she is locked inside a closet while her mother walks away after lighting the whole room on fire. The scene then cuts to the parole of Michelle’s mother, following a priest’s encouraging account of the prisoner’s change of heart. The young police officer makes her entrance, immediately rejecting that narrative. She claims that, unlike her siblings, she has first-hand experience of the inhumanity her mother is capable of, and thus, she deserves to stay in prison till she has had her share of penance.

When the priest asks what Michelle wants, she replies, initially demanding an apology letter. The priest continues to push back, reminding Michelle that her mother was under the influence of drugs when she made those decisions, and truly believed she was protecting her daughter, and thus, owed no apology. This reminder seems to have affected Michelle on a deeper level, as she purses her lips, unable to outpour grief and anger, before rushing out of the facility. The scene then shifts completely to a montage of a lady washing and cleaning a beautiful BMW Convertible, till a bell rings at her front door.

While she heads out to receive it, an arsonist throws a Molotov cocktail into her car, burning its insides beyond repair. The scene is visited by the arson investigating duo, who raise eyebrows upon learning that the suspect’s physical description has a remarkable resemblance to D&C’s. Michelle probes deeper, but is surprised to notice the slight shift in Dave’s demeanour, as he seems to be flirting with the arson victim. Later, the duo discusses the possibility of D&C’s involvement, but Dave rejects that idea, citing different MOs.

Michelle Reaches an Emotional Breaking Point

Later that night, Michelle attends the birthday party of her beloved niece, Sophie. As everyone celebrates the moment, she appears to be lost in thought. Her mother’s return looms over her head, and visuals of Sophie’s cake candles trigger more flashbacks for Michelle’s past, continuing where the previous ones left off. When all hope seems lost, someone seemingly opens the closet, and someone is shot, suggesting that a lot went down at the motel that night, where, according to present-day reports, people died.

Following the party, she has an argument with Benji, Sophie’s father, about the return of the arsonist and murderer into the family. Michelle heads to her car and finally breaks down, with all the taunts and remarks she has had to endure for the first three episodes flowing back into her mind, threatening to break it. The episode ends on a sombre note, providing more depth to the characters, particularly Michelle, while showcasing the detectives’ intellectual prowess through their strides on the two arsonists’ cases.

The next episode will likely continue Freddy’s frustration with his life reaching a critical point, with his rejection at the center of it. There is also Michelle’s mysterious past and Dave’s equally mysterious present, the juxtaposition of which is soon to lead to the ultimate cat-and-mouse chase. The truth about the officer’s mother, alongside the future trajectory of Dave’s married life, are the things to look out for with the car-burning arsonist potentially being a disruptive wild-card entry, or simply another one of Dave’s antics. As such, the intersection of many concepts and plotlines in the following episodes is inevitable.