As we hit the halfway point of the series, The Smoke has explored its characters, but left more than enough room to grow. Focus on undeveloped characters and a subtle awareness of continuing plot threads provides some fantastic drama in this fourth episode, albeit one arguably littered with a little too much unnecessary humour.

Technically, it’s another very well crafted episode. The pyrotechnics remain excellent, while director Sam Donovan clearly relishes the chance to do something a little different, particularly with the Christine situation. The artful editing is also a credit to the episode, particularly in the scenes with everyone experiencing their respective nights out, expanding the characters with little dialogue and substituting it with pulsing energy and sharp visuals.

Ziggy (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is nicely expanded upon. Christine’s blunt reveal that Ziggy is a mother creates the necessary dramatic waves that ripple into her work life and Bennett-Warner approaches her character with subtle depth, creating dimensions for Ziggy in her maternal resistance and acceptance, shame, secrecy, kind heart and wilder spirit. It’s a lot to convey, but Bennett-Warner does it effortlessly (sometimes with little more than a look), making her a flawed but believable character.

The Smoke is proving each week that it enjoys embracing deeper, almost metaphorical, examples of very human themes. This episode’s key theme is children, and how they affect our lives. For Trish, it’s the loss of a child. For Kev, it’s the very real possibility that he may never have his own.

Ziggy’s children clearly mean something to her but, given that she was just a child herself when she had them, she struggles with her priorities. Dolly over indulges her daughter Christine and Asbo’s mum Kelly seeks external validation from Kev over her son, to justify that he is a good person.

It also treads a fine line in making us consider human indignities: being overweight, being scarred, being an outcast or being secretive. Sometimes because we have to be: more often because events shape that road for us.

Overall, the comical Christine rescue feels like the weakest link.  Yes, it endears with some poignant moments, but it feels very out of sync with the rest of the episode. The Smoke is at its best when it has subtle or darker moments peppered with humour, not coated with broad comedy. Lucy Kirkwood co-wrote the episode with Chloe Moss and Tim Price (Switch, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl) and I felt this kind of humour worked better in their previous material than here.

That aside, the quality continues in this breathlessly-paced series and this week provided enough developments to make us look forward to the remaining four episodes.

Aired at 9pm on Thursday 13 March 2014 on Sky1.

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