On Call: Smokey's Role With East Barrio & Connection To Officer Harmon Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for On Call.

Smokey's connection with East Barrio and Officer Harmon triggers the primary conflict in On Call, paving the way for the show's exploration of themes surrounding loyalty, revenge, and justice. Created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, On Call focuses on the crime-solving endeavors of two police officers, Harmon and Diaz, who have a mentor-trainee relationship. Throughout the Amazon Prime Video detective show's runtime, Harmon and Diaz find themselves dealing with myriad criminal activities, forcing them to navigate the murky waters of upholding the law and confronting complex moral decisions.

Although On Call walks through a new set of side stories in each episode, it has an overarching storyline, driven by Harmon's ties with a former convict named Smokey. The more the show progresses, the more it becomes evident that Harmon's connection with Smokey is a complicated and dangerous entanglement for both parties. In On Call's ending arc, the relationship between the two characters reaches a tipping point where Harmon is forced to make a tough decision while Smokey suffers the consequences of his previous actions.

Smokey's Role With East Barrio Explained In On Call

Smokey Serves As A Mediator Between The Police & The Gang

Although On Call does not specify Smokey's role in the East Barrio gang, he seems to carry out international drug trades for them by having one of his men work at the airport. At the same time, it is also Smokey's responsibility to ensure that the East Barrio gang keeps functioning in the neighborhood without any interference from the police. He and Officer Harmon happen to be on good terms, ensuring that the police and the gang maintain a peaceful relationship.

As long as the gang does not harm innocent citizens and police officers, an unspoken agreement exists between Smokey and Harmon. The two characters mutually agree to maintain a delicate balance of power. However, things take a dark turn when Officer Delgado gets murdered by Maniac, the son of one of the biggest shot-callers in the gang. After the police officer's death, Harmon expects Smokey to help her arrest Maniac. To her dismay, Smokey tells her that Maniac is untouchable and warns her to back off before the gang members come for her.

Why Officer Harmon Has An "In" With Smokey

She Seemingly Made A Deal With Him

The Dick Wolf police procedural series does not reveal how Smokey and Harmon first became allies. However, it seems likely that when Smokey was imprisoned for the first time, Harmon offered him a deal: he could shorten his sentence if he agreed to help the Long Beach police department. Smokey likely agreed, explaining why he tells Harmon that he does not want to go back to prison in On Call's ending moments. Smokey also seems to hold up his side of the deal until the Delgado murder happens.

After realizing that Harmon and the police would want to arrest Maniac for murdering Delgado, Smokey attempts to de-escalate the situation by getting Maniac's driver killed. Harmon finds the driver's body parts in a public park before Smokey explains that he was a peace offering for the police. However, since Maniac shot Delgado, Harmon decides to go against Smokey and traces down Maniac to ensure justice is served. Harmon's defiance lands Smokey in some serious trouble, leading to internal conflicts in the East Barrio gang.

Why East Barrio Turns On Smokey In On Call

He Fails To Protect Maniac From The Police

Since Smokey is supposed to be a mediator between the East Barrio gang and the police, the gang's members expect him to ensure that the police do not target Maniac for killing Delgado. He even warns Harmon that Maniac cannot be touched and asks her to stay away from him. However, when he refuses to help Harmon find Maniac, Harmon takes it upon herself to track down the killer.

Using unethical means, which later gets her promotion canceled, Harmon eventually manages to find Maniac's whereabouts and arrests him. Maniac's arrest leads to trust issues between the members of the gang and Smokey because Smokey fails to protect the influential killer from the police. As a result, a massive internal war breaks loose between the people of the gang in On Call's final arc, forcing the police to resort to extreme measures.