Line of Fire Season 1 Episode 5 “Cul-De-Sac” saw the unfortunate end of one ship while the mystery of Jack just gets keeps getting juicier. Because of course these aren’t random killings. But I can’t believe it took me this long to realize that Jack wants his family to follow the breadcrumbs he’s laying out. And with what happened to the ex-President in those flashbacks, could that be tied to this?
Whatever is coming next for Line of Fire I’m invested in these characters. I want to know what makes them tick, what they care about, and who they’re willing to put everything on the line for. That’s not to say that everything was perfect about this episode. And yes, I’m talking about that undercover mission. But again, I’m invested in these characters. And I expect some bumps along the way.
Let’s talk Line of Fire Season 1 Episode 5 “Cul-De-Sac”!
MORE: Need a refresher of the previous episode? Read our review for Line of Fire Season 1 Episode 4 “Paper Trail.”
The End of Jane and Mike
The hardest part of Line of Fire “Cul-De-Sac” was watching the true end of Jane and Mike’s marriage. Because they’ve been separated for a while. But the connection has stayed strong, and not just for their children. They’re consistently flirting with each other, seek each other out for comfort, and are actively sleeping with each other. And just for a moment, I thought that they would get back together, especially when Mike went to the house to clear things up. But I think we might be done done now.
What happened with Jack broke Jane’s trust in Mike. And it’s unfair. Jack is his own person and he made a decision. He was just hoping his parents would validate him. That’s why he asked. And we don’t know specifically what Jane said when Jack asked, but she clearly feels like Mike saying yes is the reason why Jack accepted the assignment, why they lost him, and why he eventually “died.” That’s why I also think that Jane is also within her right to blame Mike. They were supposed to be a team. But they were clearly on different pages. And that led to loss of life of someone precious to both of them.
Keeping that all in mind, I don’t know what’s going to happen when it’s revealed that Jack is alive. Because Line of Fire is stacking up all of these little puzzle pieces on how Jack’s death changed the Hollingsworth family. There will come a point in this show when it’ll be revealed that he’s alive and maybe the dynamic between Jane and Mike will turn romantic again. But right now, it’s done, with me feeling super bad for Mike because he was willing to put it all on the line to try again with someone he is still deeply in love with. But within that love, that Jane probably feels as well, if she says this is the end, he’s going to respect her choice.
Will this make everything complicated from here on out when it comes to Line of Fire? Absolutely. But I think that love that they share for each other isn’t going to go away. It’s just changing. And if it changed before, who’s to say it won’t change again?
Oh This Mystery is Getting Juicy
At this point in Line of Fire Season 1, I still don’t know what Jack is up to. But Line of Fire is doing a really good job at building up this mystery in a way that feels earned but also easily understood. Even better, this mystery is leaving me wanting more. I want to know everything that Jack is doing, why he’s doing it, and where he’s going next. Also I’m invested in how this mystery will eventually lead to Jack and family reuniting. Until then, I want to talk about how Jack’s been moving.
Jack has been so slick. And even though he doesn’t talk much, everything he’s been doing has been intentional. He went to a support group to go and talk to someone and get a job in a dentist office that just so happened to be next to the place that is investigating him. That led him to information about the agent in charge of the investigation. And if these little silver cranes are all connected to Jack, he’s cleaning up somebody else’s mess on a mission that someone is desperately trying to hide.
But what if Jack is leaving the cranes as a clue to the one person he knew would look into this aka Jane?
Truly, let’s think about it. Because he’s a seasoned professional. And if you truly want to keep something underwraps, why would you leave little calling cards everywhere? He’s purposely setting a breadcrumb trail and hoping his family will find him. Or at least hoping that they will connect the dots and start asking questions. Basically, I’m saying that Line of Fire is being really methodical with Jack. Because this doesn’t come off as a villain arc. It comes off as someone doing their job, and doing it really effectively if that shooting in the undercover office is anything to say bye. And he doesn’t make mistakes.
Additional thoughts about Line of Fire Season 1 Episode 5:
- That undercover mission. I don’t know. It just didn’t work for me and I feel like we could’ve gotten this information in a way that felt less clunky.
- And I know I’ve talked a lot about the chemistry between characters and how seamless it is. It was not seamless between Clare and her undercover partner Raul. In fact, sometimes it felt like they were on two different wavelengths. Not for me.
- But I did love the fake relationship during a mission trope. Oh, how many things I’ve watched/read with that trope in mind…
- Tyler Posey as Brandon Hayes was a welcome addition. And not just because Teen Wolf was my showwwww!
- With the way that Russ was trying to make sure he looked put together for Brandon… there’s a real history there. A history born through brotherhood during a difficult time in both of their lives.
- Knowing that Posey is going to be around for multiple episodes makes me wonder what we’re going to learn about Russ. Because we’ve only known him through the eyes of his family and maybe his boss.
- But his boss doesn’t know him.
- Brandon does.
- Even though I’m devastated by the end of Jane and Mike, I love how she felt comfortable enough to set her boundaries.
- I also love that he listened to her.
- And I also love that he was open to flirting with that lady at the coffee shop. Because remember, they’ve been with other people while they’ve been sneaking around together. He’s not moving on too fast. He’s just open to the possibility of something other. Just like Jane is.
- After the conflict between Russ and Micah in Line of Fire Episode 4, it’s nice to see them working together on the one case that their dad was obsessed with. Goes to show you that no matter what, they’re family.
- Also, them trying to give Mike peace of mind to only find out dad was right. Oh messy messy!
Line of Fire airs new episodes on Mondays at 10/9c on NBC, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
