Smoke: Tracce di fuoco

After 2 episodes I'm in. This is easily one of my favorites shows of the year so far, unless the rest of the season goes off the rails. The characters are interesting, the dialog realistic (I'm no expert on the subject but it all feels legit), and the story has me completely hooked.

I don't understand the poor reviews especially after only 2 episodes. Cliche'? Maybe to some, but I haven't seen any other shows executed with this level of style and edginess in a while. The characters are just beginning to develop and boy are they a puzzle. After the plot twist at the end of episode 2, I can't wait to see where this goes.

I was excited to see Jurnee Smollett and Taran Egerton star together in this show, and the plot sounded very interesting too. The first episode was really difficult to watch with how slow and uneventful it was. I decided to continue giving it one more shot, and the second half of episode 2 is when things finally pick up and get interesting. From there, it became a great watch and was able binge the next episodes because the pacing improved and the story got more engaging. So, I recommend sticking around for a bit to give it a proper try.

Novelist, Dennis Lehane, creates an intelligent series that deals with the demented mind of pyromaniacs, all disguised as a mystery melodrama with edgy characters. Taron Egerton delivers an engaging - and sometimes uneasy performance - playing Dave Gudsen, an arson forensic for the fire department who draws you into the mystic power of the uncontrollable force of fire, a most powerful drug addiction to some. Jurnee Smollett matches it with a brutal portrayal as detective Calderone, forced to partner with Gudsen in order to track down the sick arsonists. The biggest surprise is Greg Kinnear as the fire chief, that brings the right balance to the yin and yang of the two main characters. A series well handled by the creative technical team that really gets into the psyche of the troubled minds who worship the power of the fire and its devastating effects.

I love this show. It starts rather slow, but builds beautifully, by ep. 03 you can't wait for the next twist. Acting is superb and the dialogues are really good too. Setting is perfect imo too, in some rather gloomy American back country with maybe 20% of the time in a wonderfully grotesque chicken fast food restaurant (that has "moth..fu.. good!" poster , its almost dystopian, you could have it in the Fallout series!) . The show is a slow burner but its rewarding and def. Speaks to adult audience with themes 40+ will appreciate like failed marriage, stress issues, middle age crisis and such. So its not about arsonists. A deep conversation on humanity wrapped in a plastic of procedural that is melting await with fire that burns inside ready to burst out in your face.

Smoke is definitely a show that's worth watching. Apple TV is easily the best streaming platform there is right now and it's not particularly close either. Everything they put out is terrific and gets great reviews by both critics and the audience. It reminds me of when HBO was at their peak. Well, Smoke is another hit for them. Every episode is exciting and keeps the plot moving forward. The only negative is that we have to wait a week between episodes, I like it better when they drop the entire season at the same time so we can binge watch it. Taron Egerton gives another great performance and a big reason why this series is as good as it is. Egerton is a big name that should attract people to this show so hopefully it does well enough to get another season.