SPOILER ALERT: The following piece contains plot details from the first two episodes of “Smoke,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Three years ago, crime writer Dennis Lehane and actor Taron Egerton teamed up for “Black Bird,” an Apple TV+ series that adapted the true story of undercover informant James Keene into a disturbing-yet-tender take on masculinity. “Black Bird” was well-received, earning critical praise and a trio of Emmy acting nominations, including a posthumous nod for Ray Liotta as Keene’s father. But while Egerton was excellent as a career criminal brought face-to-face with the ugly extreme of his own unquestioned machismo, the showier role went to Paul Walter Hauser, who
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