Smoke Episode 6 Recap: Manhood

The sixth episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Smoke,’ titled ‘Manhood,’ is marked by a series of juxtapositions building up to a rousing climax. In the previous episode, Dave Gudsen is hit in a car accident, while Michelle Calderon makes a breakthrough in her investigations into him. His audiobook details many of the crimes he committed as an arsonist, which aligns with the suspicions of his previous partner, Ezra Esposito. This episode takes on this thread and explores how Dave’s shades of gray leave an imprint on both his personal and professional life. Meanwhile, Freddy Fasano makes some decisive actions in his desperation to break free of the traumatic life he has endured thus far. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Dave and Michelle Dig Deeper Into the Serial Arsons

The episode begins with Dave at the hospital following his accident, with his wife Ashley standing by his bed. She informs him that his injuries are minor: a strain in his leg along with a concussion. While he seems relieved, the same can’t be said about his wife, who refuses to hug him even after his repeated encouragement. Instead, she drops a bombshell, that Dave’s past mistakes have finally caught up to him, with Ashley demanding a divorce. While he initially rejects the idea, the final nail in the coffin comes with her admitting that her first thought upon his accident was wishing him death. With this, his demeanor changes in a flash, and he scornfully asks her to get out. What follows is an enigmatic hallucinatory segment, where Dave sees an older version of himself in the mirror.

This hallucination is likely a result of his deep-seated insecurities about not accomplishing anything truly remarkable, both as an arsonist and arson investigator. The next scene substantiates this, where he imagines himself heroically refusing bed rest and returning to the investigation. In reality, he is unceremoniously discharged from the hospital, citing a scarcity of available beds. Following this, Dave rents a new car and decides to head back into the field. Back in Umberland, Chief Harvey brings Michelle up to speed about the Milk Jug Arsonist’s latest spree, one involving six jugs at once. He further adds that one of the victims was a doctor, and the chief suspect is a patient who is engaged in a lawsuit with her. This leads Michelle to believe that it is likely the work of a copycat killer with a personal agenda, taking the heat off her division.

However, Dave has a different idea and makes his way to the site of the incident. A quick conversation with Leighton’s police tells him that they are confident about their suspect, and in doing so, have ignored a crucial detail in the case. Dave soon learns that the doctor’s husband, who also died in the fire, was a manager at Coop’s, which catches his eye. In earlier episodes, he suspected that the Milk Jug Arsonist likely worked in a job where he regularly saw people come and go, and Coop’s seems to be a perfect fit. That, coupled with the personal agenda that Dave suspects, leads him to delve deeper into the case. Meanwhile, Freddy is nowhere to be seen at Coop’s, which prompts his friend Lee to call him. Freddy responds by inviting him to Paragon Park, an abandoned amusement park, later that day.

Harvey is Confronted With the Truth

Elsewhere, Ezra storms into Harvey’s office, proclaiming once again that Dave Gudsen is the arsonist he has been chasing all along. The commotion draws Michelle’s attention, and she joins the discourse, secretly supporting Ezra’s claims. The latter explains that Dave’s return journey was marked by a string of arsons on the highway, which conveniently stopped right after his accident. While Harvey claims that his former colleague is simply spewing paranoid conspiracies, his confidence is shaken when Michelle finally joins the fray. She reiterates that Dave is almost certainly the D&C arsonist, an epiphany she only recently confirmed thanks to Dave’s book. She further urges the Chief not to alert the protagonist in any way, and he ultimately relents.

Meanwhile, Dave gets lost in another one of his fantasies, this time dominating Leighton’s evidence supervisor into letting him have a peek. Reality, however, is harsh, and Dave has to cough up a bribe to get in. However, his decision soon bears fruit, as he manages to find a black polythene with one of the bird tags he installed earlier. Elsewhere, Michelle, Ezra, and Harvey set up a bullpen and are joined by Steven Burke and special agent Dawn Hudsen from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. She adds the necessary scope and manpower to the team, and they soon get going. However, just then, Dave rings up Harvey, and the latter has to feign normalcy. His cover is almost given away when Ezra’s phone rings, forcing Michelle to improvise and intervene in the conversation.

Dave Continues His Independent Investigation Into the Milk Jug Arsonist

However, Dave gets suspicious and decides to hold back from telling his team about the advances he has made in the case. Following this, he traces the bird tag to Halal Grocery Mart, where CCTV footage gives him his first real glimpse at the Milk Jug Arsonist. The scene then returns to Michelle’s investigation, where the group discusses how every lead, ranging from the book to the suspicious coincidences, can all be chalked up to circumstantial occurrences instead of grounds for incrimination. Burke brings up the cigarette device that Michelle found in the woods, which, while inadmissible, can point to Dave’s definite involvement in the case. Hearing this, Dawn expedites its forensics. Additionally, the team decides to contact the Leighton police for footage of all the fire incidents on the road the previous day.

At Paragon Park, Freddy Fasano carefully creates a pyre for all his important belongings: cash, Coop’s records, and his birth and foster care certificates, before setting it all on fire. This seemingly liberates him of his previous identity and he appears to be in great joy about it. Elsewhere, Dave closes in on his culprit, making his way to Coop’s main office. Here, he finally gets a name: Freddy Fasano, and learns of his connection with Tillman, the murdered manager who took his interview. On the other hand, Michelle’s team makes its own progress, managing to track Dave at every single arson on the road connecting Leighton and Umberland. While the argument is compelling, it has no practical evidence, something that Harvey repeatedly points out.

Freddy Lets Go of His Past

Lee finally makes it to Paragon Park, where he finds Freddy all alone. The two then take a walk, and Freddy displays his impressive knowledge about each and every amusement ride in the place. We are told that he came here as a child and felt happy, which led to him growing attached to the place. In the same breath, he explains his disillusionment with Coop’s, and Lee supports him, expressing frustration about the new manager. At this point, the conversation takes a chilling turn, with Fredd suggesting that Lee burn the manager to death, before revealing his address. Lee, aware of Tillman’s death, quickly connects the dots, but is too scared to move. On the other end of the investigation, bad news strikes yet again, as Michelle’s collected sample turns out to have inconclusive results.

With this, Harvey reaches his boiling point, aggressively claiming that Michelle and Ezra are simply desperate to pin the blame on someone, even if there is no evidence to support. Just when he prepares to aggressively storm out, he hears a strange detail in Dave’s audiobook, which has been going on in the background this entire time. Upon rewinding it, we once again hear Dave’s account of the fire at Old Sully’s, where he describes how a child nicknamed Pistachio is soon to have a cruel fate. Harvey’s face goes pale as he explains that he heard of the nickname only during a one-on-one interview with the child’s grandfather, and Dave should have no way of accessing that information. Naturally, this leads to a harsh conclusion: Dave was at Sully’s before the fire began.

At Paragon Park, Freddy and Lee’s conversation reaches a climax, with Freddy revealing that he had only been to this amusement park once in his life, and that visit alone left an indelible mark on his psyche. Things then take a dark turn, with Freddy demanding his friend’s phone and car keys. While he throws the former away, he keeps the latter, giving Lee a head start and the route to escape the compound. With this, their paths separate once again, and the Coop’s young employee flees for his life. Elsewhere, Dave tracks down Freddy’s foster history and learns that he had been in and out of at least 30 foster homes before ultimately setting his last one on fire. That night, Harvey sits at his home, frustrated by his friend’s betrayal and haunted by the death of the child.

Freddy’s Reign of Terror Comes to an End

Dave sneaks his way into Freddy’s house and finds a closet full of pre-prepared milk jugs and a connection to Brenda, his hairstylist. Meanwhile, Michelle makes her way home and finds Benji, who excitedly announces that their mother is coming back home. The news causes her to break down, as she is still clearly traumatized by her past. The scene then shifts to Brenda, who finds that Freddy has made his way into her house and is carrying a jug full of gasoline. Without missing a beat, he quickly douses the entire house with it and begins to threaten Brenda, referring to her as his last foster parent. He then expresses his frustration with the cycle of abandonment inflicted on him and how his life has not improved one bit since he had to leave home at age 19.

The conversation soon takes a darker turn, with Freddy dousing his own surroundings with gasoline, ready to self-immolate and take out Brenda in the process. As she begs for her life, he assures her that this is the only way to meet God. Just then, Dave makes his way to the house and finally has his hero moment. Seeing the intensity of the situation, he acts quickly, distracting Freddy with his gun before grabbing a fire extinguisher. The protagonist narrowly manages to use it on Freddy just before he sets himself on fire, and with this, the disaster is avoided. Freddy and Brenda watch as Dave gets an erection, elated at his victory. He then turns back to reassure Brenda that the trouble is over, and she is safe, which echoes how Harvey remembers Dave comforting Pistachio’s mother.