Line Of Fire - Pilot - Review : Everyone Is Harbouring A Secret

 

The Hollingsworth Family, aka the most chaotic family ever known. 

This was honestly one of the most chaotic episodes of television that I have ever watched, yet somehow it’s also one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever watched.  

I love when shows start with cases right from the jump, getting straight into the gritty storytelling, and that is exactly how Line of Fire starts.  

To have all five main characters be so concretely displayed in one episode, let alone the first episode of a season, is so impressive. We know so much, but what becomes apparent as the episode goes on is that we seriously have no idea who this family is, but that is what makes this such a great show to watch. I truly don’t remember a time where I was hooked into watching a show within the first five minutes.

The storytelling throughout this whole episode is just so impressive, and it left me with so many questions leading into the next episode, as I’m sure it will for every audience member. Their lives are so incredibly complicated that it’s actually funny. Even just Mike and Jane’s relationship is confusing. It’s like they are still together, but for some reason, they don’t want the kids or possibly someone else to know that they are together. 

It shouldn’t even be shocking that she lied about being with her boyfriend but was actually with her husband, but it is. Let alone the complicated story of them having a dead but not dead son.  

“Pilot ” – LINE OF FIRE. Pictured: Kat Cunning as Clare Hollingsworth, Hope Davis as Jane Hollingsworth Photo: Scott Gries/NBC ©2026 NBCUniversal

Right from the moment that we get Clare and Jane working together, you can see that there is a little bit of a rivalry between the two, and then with Junior and Mike too. Russell seems to be the outlier who outwardly gets on with everyone, but when alone with just his siblings seems a lot more relaxed than when around Mike and Clare. It’s very interesting to see all of their different relationships.  

Minutes into this episode, we get our first two big questions, which are: why is there a foil crane and why does Clare hide it? Later in the episode, we learn that it must be a trademark that Jack uses, but even so, it still makes no sense as to why he leaves it at both crime scenes. It has to be something so incredibly personal to Clare and Jack. 

“Pilot ” – LINE OF FIRE. Pictured: Pico Alexander as Logan Photo: Scott Gries/NBC ©2026 NBCUniversal

I feel like Logan’s death scene gave me so many questions. Why did Logan go back to the house? Obviously, based on Jack’s words, we know that Logan is not who he says he is, but what does that mean he is a bad person. What is it that he was expecting to find? Was he just to go back to reconcile with Clare, or was he there for an ulterior motive? Was he was going back there to purely look at the extended version of that photo, and if he was then did he know that Jack is alive? So many questions from a two-minute scene that I truly don’t think are going to be answered any time soon.  

The performances from every single actor in this first episode are impeccable, I could not tear my eyes away from the screen even if I wanted to, which I certainly didn't want to.

I have no idea what is going to happen in the second episode of this season because I didn’t even see the end of this episode coming, and that is exactly why this show is so gripping. I love to be surprised constantly, and I feel that is definitely what Line of Fire is going to bring.