Smoke (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

1
["Dialing In" sung by Thom Yorke]
Telephone ♪
Calling me ♪
Who put all that shit in your head? ♪
Saying things ♪
Telling things ♪
Till you break ♪
Filthy water ♪
Bubbles up ♪
Who put all that shit in your head? ♪
[narrator] Every fire starts small.
Mmm Nah, wait. That's
That's bullshit. [inhales sharply]
At an average temperature
of 1,800 degrees, fire is
Nah. Fuck that.
[inhales sharply, clears throat]
[sighs, clears throat]
Who would you be in a fire?
[shouts, grunts]
- [grunts]
- [firefighter 1] Gudsen, report.
[Gudsen] You carry a gun?
Won't help.
- [firefighter 1] Gudsen. Report.
- [breathes heavily]
[Gudsen] Own a bigger
fucking machine gun?
Won't help you either.
[breathes heavily]
You work out? Good for you.
Eat well? Awesome.
Rich? Wonderful
for your rightful heirs.
[breathes heavily, grunts]
[shouts, exclaims]
[Gudsen] Fire doesn't give a fuck
about your wallet,
or the size of your gun,
or the size of the dick
you wish was the size of your gun.
[firefighter 2] We're losing the roof.
[breathing heavily]
[firefighter 1] Everyone's
out but Gudsen.
Gudsen, report now.
[grunts]
[Gudsen] Fire doesn't give
a shit if you're gorgeous,
how many followers you have,
what clothes you're wearing.
'Cause those clothes are gonna
burn straight through the flesh,
into the marrow.
[firefighter 3]
Heavy fire approaching our location.
[grunting]
[firefighter 3] Over here!
[Gudsen] Whatever you do,
whatever you know,
however much
lifetime wisdom you've accrued,
fire puts a lie to it all.
[screams]
- [breathing shakily]
- [siren wailing in distance]
Do you remember waking up?
Was I loud?
[sighs] We had hard-boiled eggs in here.
"Had."
- You didn't.
- I did.
Fucker.
You were just kinda moaning and,
I don't know, like, thrashing
- Does Emmett even eat eggs?
- They were for me.
I'll eat carrots.
Carrots are awesome.
So, the nightmare?
Dream.
So, the nightmare?
- [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
Remember when I got
trapped in that house,
thought my reflection
was another firefighter?
That was the dream.
Why do you still pack his lunch?
He's grown up, hon.
[sighs]
Hey.
I come in after the fire now.
I know.
I do.
[Gudsen] Just a nightmare.
A dream.
[chuckles, inhales sharply]
All right.
I'm driving him, right?
Same as every Tuesday, babe.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, aren't you forgetting something?
[Gudsen] Ah!
Emmett!
I got your snacks. Let's roll!
Hey, how was your dad's this weekend?
Good.
Got anything cool
going on at school today?
Yeah.
Some stuff.
[grunts]
[panting]
[exhales deeply]
[laughing]
[person 1] I did it.
[person 2] You did what?
Shit.
[person 2] I would never fucking do that.
[person 1] You will lose.
[panting]
I did it.
[chattering on radio]
[knocks to the rhythm of
"Shave and a Haircut"]
[chuckles] Investigator Gudsen.
[Gudsen] Gudsen.
[sighs] Detective Calderone.
[exhales sharply]
Your commander told me to wait in here.
I-I'm the one that was sent by Metro PD.
To do what?
Assist.
In?
[stammers] I've been told you could have
two serial arsonists working this area?
Well, we keep Metro district detectives
apprised in each of the cases.
Why send someone else?
[Calderone sighs]
Well, you've had one serial arsonist
setting fires for over a year,
another one for six months now,
and no significant leads on either.
[Gudsen] Have you studied
arson investigation?
No.
[stammers] And you know
I teach it all over the state?
Oh, yeah. [sighs]
Your reputation precedes you.
[Gudsen] And you preceded me too.
Into my own office.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry this is awkward.
But [exhales heavily]
I mean, wouldn't you like fresh eyes?
But you just said you don't know
anything about arson.
Yeah, but I know a shit ton
about crime scene analysis.
- Why send you?
- Excuse me?
Well, you seem smart.
You got a gold shield
at quite a young age
You can't network here.
You can't make the kind of flashy busts
you can make in Narcotics or Cyber Crime.
[scoffs]
[sighs] You got transferred to a box.
[sighs]
I don't look at it like that.
Let's head out.
[Calderone] All right. [sighs]
[Gudsen] So, we have four major
classifications for fire around here.
Natural, accidental,
undetermined and incendiary.
"Incendiary" means
someone set the motherfucker.
Why don't you take a look around
and tell me which one you think this is?
All right.
[phone chimes]
[shutter clicking]
- [owner] Hello?
- Reginald Irving?
- Yes?
- Yeah, this is Investigator Gudsen
- with the Umberland Arson Unit.
- [coughing]
Yeah, you reported your car stolen.
Yeah, we found it, sir.
Well, unfortunately,
I would describe it as a total loss.
You may want to come by, collect any
valuables that may have survived the fire.
Uh, no, there's nothing in there.
Nothing I remember.
Nothing in the glove compartment?
- In the trunk?
- No.
Nowhere?
Uh, no. I just washed the car,
so I'm pretty sure that, uh,
I didn't leave anything in there.
Okay.
Well, you seem certain, sir.
- We'll be in touch.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Glove compartment?
Nah. Burned-up
registration. Nothing else.
- Figures. Console?
- Empty.
But there is this, uh
this brick under the engine block.
[Gudsen] Duraflame log.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
Mr. Irving know that you think
he torched his own car?
Guy was either behind on his payments
or racked up too many miles on a lease.
[grunts]
Hey. My car is not a trash can.
[Gudsen] Hmm.
It's a little trashy.
I hate seat belts. [grunts]
I'm gonna take 'em out when I get back.
All right. So that guy is probably
not one of your serial arsonists.
One-off. How much do you know already?
- I know one arsonist likes potato chips.
- Yeah.
- Loves them.
- [engine starts]
["I Just Want to Celebrate" playing]
[music continues]
[music ends]
[Gudsen] You're probably
not done for the day.
[firefighter] Fucking D and C again?
- [chattering on radio]
- [Gudsen] Hmm. Be my guess.
[manager] What's "D and C"?
Someone out there
likes to set one fire like this,
and then another one somewhere else on a
time delay, to spread our department thin.
We call him "D and
C," Divide and Conquer.
[manager] And you think he did this?
He loves burning potato chips.
Wife leave him for
a bag of fucking Lay's or something?
You said you had some security footage?
[manager] Yeah,
I was just looking through it.
Any exterior cameras?
[manager] Yeah, it's not that helpful.
There's blind spots in the left
and right corners of the lot.
[Gudsen chuckles]
Which he clearly knew about.
Our second guy
operates exclusively in Trolley Town
and uses a jug of gasoline.
Slips it under a porch or in a doorway,
always at night, and lights it up.
What's the motive?
Serial arsonists tend to be
powerless in their own lives.
They want other people
to know what that feels like.
[sighs] Nothing makes you feel less
powerful than being trapped in a fire.
[breathing shakily]
So, uh
How'd you become an arson investigator?
[Gudsen] I was a fireman.
Got trapped in a burning house.
All alone.
Then this other fire jock showed up,
waved me toward him.
I ran to him.
Found out I was running to a mirror.
- [sighs]
- Uh-huh.
- Jesus.
- Yeah.
I made it out with maybe six or
seven seconds before the roof caved in.
I saw something in that fire.
[Calderone] What?
[Gudsen] Nothing.
Not "no thing," but
Nothing.
As a defining characteristic
of the universe.
You looked into the abyss,
and the abyss looked right back.
[Gudsen] What about you?
Tell me something.
[Calderone] Not much to tell.
Cop four years, did a tour of duty
in the Marines before that.
[Gudsen] Hmm.
Not many female Marines.
Seven percent.
[Gudsen] So what's the story?
Someone tell you you couldn't do it
so you proved the fucker wrong?
- [chuckles]
- [chuckles] Am I right?
You know, you find yourself
being strapped down
with 50 pounds of tactical gear
in 100-degree heat,
being shot at from all sides,
other voices really
aren't coming into play.
It's your own voice, honestly,
that's going,
"What the fuck are you doing?
You can't do this."
And then you got that other voice saying,
"Yeah, bitch, you can."
[Gudsen] Sounds like you saw action.
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Didn't much like it?
[chuckles]
Time of my life.
[Gudsen] The D and C arsonist
is a white male.
He wears a rainproof jacket
and a ball cap with no logo.
And he limps. Right leg.
He lit up this hillside
just six months ago.
You said in one of your reports you
suspect the guy's ex-fire department.
Why?
How many of my reports have you read?
Several.
Well, that doesn't feel invasive.
[chuckles] Uh I see. Okay.
You know, I'm really hoping to avoid
any power struggles with you,
but I do outrank you, so
I promise I'll swear your dick
is bigger than mine
if you admit I could chop it off.
In which case,
it doesn't really matter how big it is.
Not that big.
[Calderone] Hmm.
[Gudsen] Average.
Whoever blinks first has to give
the other one his Almond Joy?
That our game?
'Cause I'm down with it, Dave.
I'm king of this shit. Let's go.
- [Gudsen] Oh, you blinked.
- Fuck you I blinked.
- You just did it again.
- No, I didn't.
- I don't even fucking blink in my sleep.
- Oh.
Hey. Why is she here again?
Somebody up high in Metro Po-po
feeling the heat from all these fires.
[chuckles]
Yeah. Pun intended.
And having a babysitter
won't look bad on me?
You're one man,
dealing with a fucking fire plague.
Accept the help.
You know what division
she was in before us?
Robbery.
[whistles]
And now she's here?
[sighs]
Can't confirm she has an enemy,
but she isn't making the right friends,
that's for sure.
[grunts]
[Calderone panting]
[sighs]
[Calderone laughing]
[person 1] I did it.
[sighs]
[Calderone] You did what?
[person 1] The thing.
[engine starts]
[soft jazz playing]
You know, a lot of people? Their
marriages suck. Their kids hate 'em.
I hear it all the time at work.
No one lives the life they dreamed of,
even if the dream was small.
- Cheers.
- [glasses clink]
Can I use that?
What?
People not living the life they dreamed,
even if the dream was small.
Use it?
I started, uh
I don't know
writing.
[chuckles]
- What?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I don't know, I just
Lately, I started writing stuff down.
Ideas and things.
About fire and fire investigation.
- It's stupid.
- No. Oh, my God. I think it's cool.
Well, maybe there's a story
I could tell people wanna read.
You know?
What's the story?
Well, there's this arson investigator,
- and [chuckles]
- Like you?
- [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
And he gets in adventures
and solves crimes and
super handsome and strong
- and capable and
- [mutters] Oh. So he's modest?
Sure.
[breathes deeply] My husband.
A writer.
You like that?
Yeah. It's kind of a turn-on.
- We should order.
- [chuckles]
[horns honk]
[workers chattering]
[manager] Guys, let's hold on
the chicken. We need more fries.
[customer] Yo! I've been waitin' here
too damn long!
Where's my motherfuckin' food?
[honking continues]
[chattering]
[grunts]
[strains]
[laughing]
[groans]
[sighs]
I'll need you to open tomorrow.
Wait.
It's my day off.
[groans]
Brett can't make it in.
It's you.
You'll help us out, right?
Yeah.
[electricity humming]
[train horn honking]
[narrator] America is many things
to many people.
To a 17-year-old kid,
it's the malt shop on the corner.
It's the cracker-barrel philosophers
in Crabtree Corners
and it's the tycoons in Wall Street.
It's all races, creeds and religions.
It's freedom to work at the job you like,
freedom of speech
and to peaceably assemble.
[moaning on laptop] Oh, yeah. So big.
Harder. [moaning]
Give it to me. [moaning]
["Naw Naw" playing]
[panting]
[moans]
- [moaning]
- [music continues]
- Come here. Come here.
- [laughing]
Come here.
[Calderone] You want round two?
[person] I mean, in a minute.
[chuckles]
I, uh
[whispers] I did it.
[whispers] You did what?
The thing.
I, uh
I left her.
I left my wife.
It's done.
- It's done.
- Why would you leave her?
Huh?
Why?
Because we talked about it.
Okay, that's what
people do after sex, Steven.
They They talk.
[chuckles] You know, a pipe dream here,
a pipe dream there, but, I mean
I just left my fucking kids.
- What do you mean a "pipe dream"?
- Okay, I didn't
- What do you mean a fucking pipe dream?
- I didn't ask you to leave anyone, so
- Yes, you did.
- No, I did not.
I would never fucking do that.
- If you did that, that's on you.
- Are you fucking
Okay, look.
I, uh
I jumped the gun. All right?
And so I will, uh
Michelle.
I'll go back. Okay, baby?
And then maybe you
you and I, we can just, you know,
take some more time
in this relationship until
you know
All right?
What?
What?
Maybe we need to take a break. [sighs]
I don't know, take a step back.
Fucking what now?
You know, reassess the situation,
look at things objectively.
What, so you don't wanna fuck anymore
because I expressed
some inconvenient feelings?
- [scoffs]
- Is that what it is?
All right. Okay.
Okay.
But you know, when you pointed that out,
I don't bitch.
I adapt to your needs,
and you immediately
move the fucking goalpost,
and you say that you wanna,
uh, what was it?
"Reassess"?
"Take a little break"?
- Yeah?
- Sounds about right.
Okay. Fucking fine.
And all the, uh, benefits that you've
been reaping from this relationship
- [scoffs]
- You wanna keep those, I assume?
Benefits?
I didn't reap any goddamn benefits
Well, hell, if you've not been reaping any
benefits, then there's none to lose, huh?
[chuckles] You know, you flex against me,
and I flex against you.
- It's not gonna
- Then you will lose.
Even if you eventually win,
it will be a long runway of losing
- [chuckles]
- until that day.
Yeah, well,
you're gonna lose your marriage.
[sighs]
You weren't listening.
I already did.
I already fucking did.
[breathing heavily]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[sighs]
[panting]
["Smile" playing on PA]
[sniffs]
[customers clamoring]
- [customer 1] Fire!
- [customer 2] Oh, my God!
[whimpering]
[chattering on radio]
- [alarm blaring]
- [customers clamoring]
[grunts]
[song continues on PA]
- [customers clamoring, exclaiming]
- Help! Help!
[screams]
[screaming, whimpering]
[Gudsen] Brock Henry and Ken Maddox
had been partners for ten years,
but now that the fire had claimed Brock
in the line of duty,
- Ken was determined
- [dispatcher 1] Calling Ward 3.
Command 1, Rescue 1, Ladder 1,
and Engines 1 and 2,
respond to 904 at Craft Cubby.
226 Agnew.
[Gudsen] Ken was
determined to work alone
[dispatcher 2] All units respond
to 904 at Craft Cubby.
[Gudsen] Fate had other plans.
- [alarm blaring]
- [customer coughing]
[cries, groans]
[screams, groans]
[coughing]
[breathing shakily]
[whimpering]
- [firefighters chattering]
- [chattering on radio]
[sirens wailing]
Morning.
Was I supposed to follow my nose here?
My bad, my bad.
The call came in
before the shift started.
Yeah, and you declined to call me.
- You're right. My bad.
- Yeah.
[shutter clicking]
- [Gudsen] Hey.
- [Calderone] Yeah.
[Gudsen] Get over here.
[Calderone] What you got?
You see this? Burn pattern?
[Calderone] Uh-huh.
[Gudsen] Indicates the point of origin.
[Calderone sighs]
The fire gets so hot,
it burns the soot away.
Leaves a "V" shape,
and at the bottom of the V, sometimes,
we find a device.
Yeah, that's gonna be very helpful
in court.
- And it's all that's left.
- [chuckles]
It's just one little burnt rubber band.
We're lucky. Normally,
we don't find this much.
The fire was started in three locations,
just like the witness said,
all using the same kind
of incendiary device.
This is his preferred ID.
These are just mock-ups.
He lit the cigarette [smacks lips]
placed it in the foam there
over there, way over there.
By the time the cigarette coal
reaches the matches
long gone.
May I?
You may.
[chuckles]
All right. [chuckles]
What brand of cigarette?
Um
They're usually too burned
by the time we find them.
Tests indicate ammonia.
That's a quick burn.
You know your smokes.
[scoffs]
I quit, but me and nicotine go way back.
[Gudsen chuckles]
That's his trick.
It's so unreliable.
Working pretty well for him so far.
Ah, there's got to be
dozens of these devices
lying in places where they didn't ignite.
[sighs] Fingerprints.
With DNA.
[Calderone] Mmm.
[Gudsen whistling]
Starsky, Hutchinson, get in my office.
You Bernie Casey in this scenario?
It's actually Bernie Hamilton.
And yes, I very much motherfucking am.
Sit down, please.
[Gudsen] Bernie never said please.
Do you know who owns
Meadow Farms supermarket chain?
ABSG Ltd.
It's a global food conglomerate
with stakes in international trucking,
transatlantic shipping
and refrigeration R & D.
And why, perchance, do you think
I might have gotten a phone call
from their global VP of loss prevention
this morning?
[Calderone scoffs]
They're probably not happy that someone's
burning their chip displays here.
Which, among other outcomes, could
inspire copycats throughout the country
or the world.
How might they have expressed
their displeasure?
[sighs]
I mean, the easiest way would be
to assemble a budgetary commission,
question your competence.
Mine?
And ours, but, ultimately,
the dead dog with the fleas
is gonna be dumped at your doorstep.
See, this is the kind of
gimlet-eyed assessment
of the realities of this department
that, honestly,
I would have expected out of you, Dave.
Gimlet-eyed?
If I go, you go.
- Well, let's not Come on now.
- [plate clatters]
- If I go, you'll go.
- [plate clatters]
So here's how I see it, kids. All right?
There's two of you
against two arsonists now.
So we need to get one of them before
he burns down another Meadow Farms,
or the other one kills someone again.
Or get 'em both and be rock stars.
I don't care, but if you
don't get somebody quick,
well, there's not many floors
your elevator can descend, dear.
Think I've already clarified
myself to you, right?
Good.
Gotta have some suspects.
[Gudsen] For the Milk Jug arsons,
I've got the phone book for Trolley Town.
For the D and C fires, well
there are 37 files in here.
- [sighs]
- All closed.
Mostly ex-firemen, uh,
a couple of civilians,
including a deli manager at Meadow Farms,
a cashier.
All cleared.
What about active firemen?
No way.
Okay, I appreciate your sense of loyalty
and everything
It's not about that.
Union won't let me access the files.
- And we'd notice a fireman who limps.
- [scoffs]
I don't buy the limp.
- Why not?
- [sighs] Fuck.
Well, we never see his face,
but, oh, he makes sure we see
his physical defect? Yeah, bullshit.
- Want a coffee?
- Yeah.
I'll get us access to the files.
Union can't stop a detective rank
in an open investigation.
Do you know how many active firemen
we have in this county?
2,438. [sighs]
Yeah. And each of them work
an A, B or C shift schedule.
And minus, uh, vacation days,
sick days, Kelly days.
Which means you want to cross-check
each of their unique attendance records
- against 67 fires
- [sighs]
We are looking at
163,346 points of comparison.
Yeah, I don't want to see how much
further my elevator goes, Investigator.
[workers chattering]
[lightbulb explodes]
[phone buzzes]
What's this?
That's your PIN to access all active
personnel files in the department.
[typing]
[scoffs]
[no audible dialogue]
[crickets chirping]
[siren wailing in distance]
- Hey, check out the file I just sent you.
- Wait, hold on. I-I finally got someone.
Humor me.
[Calderone sighs]
You know this guy?
Arch Stanton. Dickhead.
Out of his fucking mind too.
Check out his attendance.
Mm-hmm. How does this guy keep his job?
Well, his sister's the comptroller,
he's got a brother on the city council.
[sighs] Jesus.
March 28th last year.
Absent.
- April 10th last year.
- Same.
- May 9th.
- Absent.
- July 12th.
- Absent.
- August 4th.
- Absent.
- September 17th.
- [scoffs] Absent.
[sighs]
Who do you got?
Scotty Bucyk. Uh, Ward 7.
He's, uh, been absent
for almost every single fire.
I know Scotty a bit.
Yeah, and?
[Gudsen] He's well-liked.
What do his fitness reports say?
Uh, top-notch.
I mean, he's got a few commendations too.
But a history of absenteeism
on the days of our fires.
Yeah, so definitely worth a chat.
[Gudsen] Mm-hmm.
Hello?
Anybody hiding out back here?
- Hey, Scotty. How are you, brother?
- Good, man. How are you?
- Good. This is Michelle Cal
- Detective Calderone.
All right.
Is this guy giving you trouble already?
- [chuckles] This guy? He's a softy.
- Ha!
Won't take up too much of your time, just
have a few questions to ask you. Uh
April 13th. There's, uh,
two calls made to Ward 7.
At 10:37 a.m. for a tree rescue.
And then one at 2:13 p.m.
for a car fire in Walsingham.
[Bucyk] Yeah, I know the one.
[Calderone] Our records show
you were absent.
Oh. Well, it must be a clerical issue.
We've had our computers from
the Bush administration. [chuckles]
So Wi-Fi only works two days a week.
[Calderone scoffs] I see. I see. Okay.
Um [smacks lips] the thing is,
is there seems to be a substantial
history of you not reporting in.
[sighs]
Do you know what an engineer does?
[Gudsen clears throat]
I I thought you were on the ladder.
Got promoted almost two years ago.
Congrats. I had no idea.
[Bucyk chuckles]
The engineer drives the truck.
So if I'm not there,
how's everyone getting to the fire?
Well, this was fun. You guys are great.
Don't go changing. [laughing]
- You never showed me the file.
- Really?
If I'd seen it, I would have caught it.
[sighing] Yeah, no, you're right.
That's on me.
I'm truly fucking sorry.
I never would have allowed you to
- Get my ass handed to me?
- Well, yeah.
[firefighter] Yeah, we split with Ward 8.
They got more guys but, you know,
a small team's a tight ship.
Mmm. Yeah, is Randy still over there?
[chuckles] Shit.
Randy'll be there till he's taken out
of this world.
[both chuckling]
Uh, Arch, we got indicators you've been
hard to find for six different fires.
Uh, June 7th, Palomar.
This was a fire your house covered.
Requesting EM
for several injured persons.
No "persons" were hurt.
Presbyterian medical records
would say otherwise.
Yeah, well,
hospitals milk insurance companies.
Way of the world.
No one can confirm you were there.
Well, anyone will lie to get a white hat.
Way of the world.
Your absences are confirmed
by incident reports.
Reports can be fucked with.
- All of 'em?
- Why not?
- Can you prove it?
- Prove they weren't?
March 28th last year.
April 10th last year.
May 9th. July 12th. August 4th.
September 27th.
July 4th. Christmas Eve. My birthday.
Your birthday.
- No, no, no, no. These are dates of
- Yeah, they are dates.
Dates of fires that Ward 3 responded to
that you were not at.
- So you say.
- [Calderone] So we've proved.
- Oh, you've proved?
- [Calderone] Yeah.
Oh, well, proof is relative.
Oh, no. Proof is just proof.
[Stanton] No, it's your proof.
It's our proof. Okay, so then tell us
where you were on those dates.
- What's it to you?
- It's my job, Mr. Stanton.
Job or agenda?
[Calderone] What kept you
from responding to those fires?
Are you filling out
some kind of quota, sweetie?
Just looking for some truth, Archie.
[clicks tongue] Well,
since we're talking about truth, um
Is it true you don't know
what an engineer is?
[sighs] And they gave you an office.
What's next? Your own holiday?
Arch, that's enough.
No. Your face on the $20 bill.
Fuck Andrew Jackson.
You've got my union rep's info.
Well, the next time you want to give
busywork to your affirmative action hire,
have her people call my people.
Oh, it just keeps getting better.
Okay. Good for you.
Bravo. That was incredible.
Did you hear him?
Affirmative action hire.
- See you next Tuesday.
- Yeah, yeah. See you on C Block.
You'll be walking a whole lot different.
[Stanton] Chow's up.
[Gudsen] Come on.
I'ma remember that face.
[Gudsen] Where'd you go?
My happy place.
- Is that where we kick Stanton's ass?
- [chuckles]
'Cause I'll go back and do it.
[Calderone] You had your shot.
He wiped the floor with us.
He wiped the floor with you. [chuckles]
[Calderone] So,
Milk Jug's fires killed three people?
[Gudsen] That we know of.
Guy who survived just got promoted.
Demo site back there
displaced this engaged couple.
The dude proposed
the same night of the fire.
Lady in there just found out
that she was pregnant.
[Calderone] Okay, so you think Milk Jug
saw his victims prior to the act?
- [Gudsen] Yeah.
- Well, if he knows them, let's
Didn't say he knows them.
He observed them.
And you think he works
at a fast food place?
Yeah, he uses fryer
oil in his accelerant.
- So why not just go and
- Interview every worker in every
- fast food restaurant in Trolley Town?
- Yeah.
[Gudsen] We don't know what our suspect
looks like, what he drives.
Or have any prints to match to him.
Do you know how many burger joints, fried
chicken joints, fried fish franchises,
say that three times fast,
there are in Trolley Town?
[sighs] So we have nothing.
We found a glove at a burn
he did last January.
There were hairs from his wrist
in that glove. So, we have his DNA.
It's just not in our system.
Yeah, but if we catch him
We can match it.
[typing]
[Gudsen] Of all the elements,
only fire retains a sense of mystery.
[typing continues]
[door opens]
Hi.
[Gudsen] What you reading?
Book Fair inventory.
I've got a book for you.
[chuckling] Oh, do tell.
Honey, I have written
three chapters in two days.
- What?
- I It's crazy.
I mean, what if this was what
I was meant to do my whole life?
You're quitting the day job?
- [Gudsen chuckles] No. Not quite yet.
- [chuckles]
You know, I'd have to sell it first.
But that is down the road.
I You know, I realized, you know, I
I've got all this knowledge.
You know,
all these case histories to draw from.
The guy who used to burn
church parking lots in the nude?
Oh, he's in there.
The woman who filled the dildo
With the lighter fluid?
I forgot about her.
You have to get her in.
[Gudsen] I will. Name her Ashley.
I will cut your throat.
Yeah.
What if
You know, what if you became,
like, a famous writer?
- I know.
- [sighs]
I never fucked a famous writer.
Get your pill.
[breathing shakily]
I don't need a pill.
[panting]
- We're trying to put it behind us.
- [person 2] Put it behind him.
Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about that.
It's rank.
I'm trying to explain to you.
It's fucking rank, right?
We've got the onesie open, Trey's laying
on the hatchback. I'm saying
Oh, yeah. Cars blasting by.
I can't hear anything.
- I'm passing him the old diaper.
- And that's when we hear the sound.
- It just goes like
- [blows raspberry]
Nah. See, that's what would take me out.
That's why we ain't having one.
- [person 1] You know?
- [person 2] Oh, come on now.
- [person 3] Hundred percent.
- [person 2] No.
- [person 3] Yeah.
- [person 1] Right up and all around.
- He didn't wanna help.
- [person 1] No, no.
I was trying to dodge that shit
like a missile.
[person 3] See, this is why we ain't
[distorted chattering, laughing]
- Who's got my wallet?
- We gotta pay the babysitter.
- You better have your wallet.
- Ah, it's on you tonight.
I ain't got nothing.
I ain't got nothing left. [chuckles]
Hold up, hold up. You know,
you gotta cut me some slack, baby.
[person 4 chuckling]
You're gonna get the door for me?
[person 1] Always. I'm a gentleman.
- Just like my mama taught me.
- [person 4] That you are.
[person 1] Mm-hmm. [kisses] I love you.
- [babysitter] Hello.
- [person 4] Hi.
- He was lovely. Sound asleep.
- [person 4] Yes.
- Yes.
- [babysitter] Yes.
- [person 4 sighs] This is for you.
- Thank you so much.
- [person 4] Thank you.
- Thanks. Have a good night.
- [person 4] Yes. You too. Bye.
- [babysitter] Bye.
[crickets chirping]
[engine starts]
[dog barking]
[siren wailing]
[firefighters speaking indistinctly]
- [coughing]
- [firefighter 2] Lock it up. Let's go.
[spouse] Baby, I'm right here!
[firefighter 2] Open your mouth.
[spouse] Please, help him. Please.
Oh, my God. Baby, you got this, honey.
- Stay with me.
- [groaning]
Daddy's going to be okay.
- [baby crying]
- [spouse] We're right here.
Please help him. Please. [crying]
[baby crying]
It's okay.
[sirens wailing]
[sighs]
[sighing]
[sighs]
[thuds]
[thuds]
[breathing shakily]
[Steven] Why would you buy this place?
[sighs] Fucking
Steven, you cannot come around like this.
[Steven] Well, you know, a man can do
anything he puts his mind to.
- [sighs]
- What you meant to say was I shouldn't.
I shouldn't come around like this.
This was in your cabinet, by the way.
Even in all this, you are well stocked.
How was work, pumpkin?
- It was fine.
- Good.
- [sighs] Fuck are you doing here, Steven?
- Captain.
[chuckles] Fuck are you
doing here, Captain?
[Steven] Checking up on my officer.
Ah. She's thriving.
[Steven] Job's what you make of it
and all that.
Precisely.
[Steven] Such a fine line
between optimism and delusion.
[both chuckle]
No, see. [chuckles] You got
two serial arsonists in the same city.
- Uh-huh.
- You fucking know me.
I'ma get one of them, if not both.
Just the clearance rate on arson is lower
than the clearance rate on auto theft.
Yeah, but if I clear
one of them, or both,
you still gonna have enough flex
to keep me down?
Such moxie.
Go home.
Yeah, okay.
[groans] Fuck.
[sighs]
[bottle cap clicks]
[sighs]
[firefighters, civilians
speaking indistinctly]
Hey!
Milk jug?
Got it from under the porch
before it collapsed.
And the family?
The father got all burned up
saving his baby.
It was the first night out
since the baby was born.
Old friends. Had a good time, they said.
Hmm. They were happy.
What?
They say where they went?
[cutlery clattering]
[blues playing on speakers]
[bartender] Yeah, we're closed, sir.
You had two couples in earlier?
Black couples? In their 30s?
- [Gudsen] Yeah.
- Yeah.
They were nice. Tipped well.
- [Gudsen] Where'd they sit?
- Right here.
You notice anyone watching them?
Nah, man.
What was the bar like tonight?
Quiet.
Fill in the fucking scene for me,
will you?
The cleanest restaurant in the world?
I can cite it at least ten times
before I reach the kitchen.
- I like vodka.
- [Gudsen] I like vodka.
- You looking at dinner time?
- Yep.
[bartender] Well, there was a guy
sitting here for a bit.
A couple of ex-con-looking guys
sitting over there.
Uh, old biddy nursing her highball,
she's a regular, sitting over there.
Three guys came in to watch
a quarter of the game.
And, uh, some working girls,
but that was later.
[Gudsen] But only one guy alone?
Yeah, some shithead
who wears sunglasses inside.
Not blind, just wore sunglasses
and tipped, like, 8%.
[Gudsen] Fire isn't just an element.
Fire is an organism.
It
Fire waits.
Fire watches.
[clicks]
Yeah. Yeah, that works.
- [engine starts]
- ["Left Hand Free" playing]