Abhiroop Das
Created by Joshua Safran, NBC’s ‘Line of Fire’ follows the Hollingsworths, a family that is deeply embedded in the mesh of federal agencies, be it the Secret Service, the US Marshal Service, or the FBI. While they are among the best in their respective fields, their internal lives prove to be a mess. With the Hollingsworths hardly being honest with each other, trouble seems to be looming at every corner, and ultimately does manifest in the form of a mystery assassin. Episode 1 of the action thriller show, named ‘Pilot,’ introduces us to all the pieces on the chessboard, as well as the conspiracy that brings them together and threatens to break them down. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Mysterious Death of a U.S. Marshal Stirs Things Into Action
‘Line of Fire’ episode 1 begins with U.S. Marshal Livy Farrell approaching the house of a man named Carlos, who seems to be connected to some crime we are not aware of. Sensing her arrival, Carlos tries to escape out a window and flee into the forest, forcing Livy to call for help and chase after him. Though she manages to eventually catch up to him, an even bigger surprise awaits. Out of nowhere, a bullet whizzes past her ear and lodges itself in Carlos’ neck, killing him, and as Livy tries to look for the shooter in the dark, the man slithers his way to her front, gunning her down as well. From there, he places his own gun in Carlos’ hand and picks up the stray bullets, finishing a perfectly gift-wrapped crime scene, before moving on.
The following morning, we are slowly introduced to the Hollingsworths, an esteemed family comprising high-level officials in several agencies. The patriarch,
Mike Hollingsworth, for instance, is a top-level Secret Service official looking forward to his retirement in less than a week. Despite that, he believes that there is more information to be uncovered in the last case he handled, which can mean a potential extension. Meanwhile, he also learns that his youngest son, Russ, has joined the Department of Justice, and doesn’t seem very interested in turning this into a family affair. We also meet Russ’s brother Micah, a Secret Service agent working under his father, no less, whose present job is to provide security detail for the president’s daughter.
Clare Finds Herself on the Cusp of a Major Discovery
As the story takes a break from the DHS and the DOJ and returns to the killing of Livy Farrell, we meet the remaining two members of the Hollingsworth family, Jane and her daughter, Clare. While the former is the head of the U.S. Marshals, she deems that Clare, an FBI agent, is a better fit for this investigation. This turns out to be a good decision, as Clare soon figures out that the established narrative, of Carlos and Livy shooting each other to death, is full of holes. While Livy’s call-in does indicate that Carlos was harmless, Clare only has 12 hours to prove her claim, and that means spending even less time with the love of her life, Logan.
Though Logan and Clare’s relationship seems to be going steady, he is constantly irked by how little she shares about her family, not just for professional, but also personal reasons. Without Clare present for dinner, he can do little but share the meal with his friend, Trevor, who seems excited to meet her. Elsewhere, we learn that Micah and the first daughter are secretly in a sexual relationship, but trouble arises when Micah discovers a camera in the apartment where they had sex. Figuring out who the owner is and where the footage might be, all the while dodging his father, might be effectively impossible, but he has to try.
The Family Reunion Unravels as Quickly as it Begins
After looking through the crime scene all through the night, Clare finally discovers the clue that she needed, in the form of a small, bullet-shaped dent on the ground with no casing around. While this is enough to warrant suspicion, she still needs more time to get some firm evidence in, and Jane only agrees to that on one condition: inviting Logan to the upcoming family dinner. Though hesitant, Clare ultimately concedes, and Logan soon gets introduced to a family full of secretive agents who don’t seem to be in sync with each other.
Mike and Jane, as it turns out, haven’t been together for years, but still maintain friendly relations, only for Jane to later reveal that her new boyfriend is soon moving into the house. Meanwhile, Russ tries to avoid his father due to the fact that he has insider information that can prove Mike’s hunch about his last job was right, and thus postpone his retirement, which neither of the brothers wants. Clare, meanwhile, finds out that Livy had terminal cancer, and that lab reports spotted treatments that aren’t available in the US, and can only be accessed in Mexico.
A Lost Member of the Hollingsworth Family Seemingly Comes Back From the Dead
As the plot thickens all around, the family sits down for dinner, only for the discussion to then turn to Jack, the half-brother of Clare, Micah, and Russ, who passed away a few years ago. Clare didn’t tell Logan about this part of her life at all, and that seems to be his breaking point. As he abruptly leaves the house in anger, however, Clare and Jane still have work to do, and the investigation leads her to Livy’s husband, who finally spills the beans. Livy had been colluding with Carlos’ cartel in order to get her experimental cancer treatment. However, when the initial effects wore off, she wanted more and chased Carlos down. Clare believes that someone higher up in the cartel took out both Livy and Carlos, but the case still seems to have a few pieces missing.
At home, Micah receives good news that the camera was a fake, just as Mike and Russ reconcile, and the trio decides to head out for pizza. What they could not have anticipated, however, is that Logan actually returns to their house later that night, only to find the door open, and a photograph with Jack, the dead Hollingsworth brother. Except the person in the photo is none other than Logan’s friend Trevor, who then sweeps in from behind and stabs him in the stomach. When the family eventually returns home, and Logan is hospitalized, the full extent of the conspiracy is laid out at last. Turns out, a solo assassin has been killing federal officials for some time now, including Livy, but his ultimate goal seems to be the Hollingsworths. What’s worse, Mike and Jane find an origami bird at their house, the same one that Jack used to make, which all but confirms who they are up against.
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