Smoke episode 5 recap: Dave’s past comes back to burn him

Halfway through Smoke's first season, the Apple TV+ crime drama hits a scorching stride with Episode 5, “Size Matters.” What starts as another twisty deep dive into the psyches of its central players quickly escalates into the show’s most explosive hour yet, both emotionally and literally. It’s a turning point for nearly every major character, and the show finally tightens its grip on the arson mystery that’s been slowly smoldering in the background.

The episode opens with a power play: Dave (Taron Egerton), now sleeping in his office after a brutal spat with Ashley, is ambushed by Captain Burke (Rafe Spall), who clearly has his eye on Michelle (Jurnee Smollett). It’s the kind of awkward, testosterone-laced tension that the show loves to simmer in. But while everyone plays chess above the table, the real action is underground—both literally and metaphorically. Enter Freddy, who’s about to take his darkest turn yet, and a mysterious new character from Dave’s past with serious dirt to spill.

Michelle, meanwhile, has had enough of waiting in the wings. A tip leads her to Esposito (John Leguizamo), Dave’s embittered former partner. Their encounter is uncomfortable, grimy, and—of course—loaded with revelations. This is the show leaning into its gritty procedural roots while sharpening the knife of psychological warfare. And Dave? He’s unraveling, ego-first.

Esposito uncorks the truth—and it’s ugly

John Leguizamo’s late arrival as Esposito is the jolt of energy the show didn’t know it needed. His character oozes resentment and dysfunction, running a borderline illegal “voyeur club” from a trailer and keeping tabs on couples like it’s his full-time job. But beneath the sleaze lies a bombshell: Esposito claims Dave set him up—because he knew Dave was the real arsonist. It’s a bold accusation, one Michelle doesn't dismiss as easily as Dave might hope.

Their scenes crackle with unease. Michelle listens skeptically at first, but when Esposito shows her a disturbing video of a house fire—one he claims Dave orchestrated—her expression shifts. If true, it means Dave is more than a broken man with an inferiority complex. It makes him a monster in a fireman’s uniform. But as Smoke so often reminds us, the truth is slippery, and everyone’s got a match in their pocket.

Freddy sets the night on fire in Smoke

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While Dave’s skeletons are being rattled, Freddy is busy becoming Smoke’s most terrifying wildcard. Rejected from a job and slipping further into isolation, he constructs a homemade bomb of milk jugs and oil—and chooses his former manager as the target. The fire sequence is brutal and cinematic, played over a haunting old tune and framed like a ritual. It’s not just murder—it’s vengeance, dressed as performance art.

The final moments of the episode are a gut punch. Dave, smug and singing after committing yet another arson, is blindsided by a truck. Behind the wheel? It’s Joy—the same woman he just victimized. It’s a collision both literal and symbolic, a devastating reminder that in Smoke, everyone’s past is out for revenge—and no one walks away clean.

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