Kissed By Fire
starring: MOLLY ANDERSON & FELIX MERBACK
Journalist Allison investigates Volt Electricity, is nearly killed, and betrayed by her husband. She’s saved by firefighter Louis - secretly Michael, Volt’s heir.
REVIEW
⭐⭐⭐
I have given this 3 stars rather than 4 because there is a massive problem with the sound quality. I don't know what happened, all the speech either has echo, reverb, or tinny issues. It is so bad it gave me a headache and I had to watch the vert on mute with subtitles. Really hoping someone can fix this as such a shame.
Right on to the review…
Well this is totally mad, a melodrama with a bit of everything: Mafia, firefighters, investigative journalism, characters getting bumped off with alarming frequency, several time jumps and multiple big bads.
It is totally carried / saves by the 2 leads who as you all know I am very fond of.
I love that Molly Anderson’s Allison has a bit more agency, she is an investigative journalist and would have loved to spend more time watching her do this with a variety of disguises rather than getting dragged into rubbish ex husband plot (please, Allison would never have gone for Neil). Cos Molly is awesome she makes us care for Allison, builds the bond with her mother and brings as much realness to the script as she can.
This feels like Felix Merback rebranding as action hero / calendar pin up and I'm not complaining. But the best thing about Felix has always been his acting, and he carries this script, look at his reaction when he realises he has a son, or his controlled fury when the water has been turned off.
There are some great scenes and ideas, esp. early on with the cupcake switch, but then it all goes a bit crazy. The whole murder charge on Louis seems to be purely there to reference that LM case, and only last an episode before it is all solved.
Personally not a fan of all the LM references in verts. It is too much. You could never do this in the UK when a court case is yet to happen, and it may pervert the course of justice.
I think if we had lost a few of the plot points & let other scenes breathe this would be a stronger vert - let Allison properly grieve her mother. That should be a massive impactful moment, but we rush on to the next death.
It feels a bit like somebody panicked and shoved a lot of ideas in rather than trusting in the stellar central pairing and letting them do their thing and shine.
💖 Top swoonworthy moment:
Louis and Allison have top chemistry which is to be expected given the casting. You all know I like a pine from college days, so appreciated that. And someone making this vertical decided that what the world needed was multiple Felix Merback workout scenes and him wandering around in a ‘wifebeater’ and fireman’s jacket. And I think the world thanks them.
🦹🏼♂️ Top villain award:
The Resnicks, Paul and apparently the entire American insurance system, which gets a kicking here with regards to both fire and medical cover. Seems to be villain of choice at the moment, and I feel I need to read up on it. P.S. turning off the water felt especially despicable.
😂 Comedy gold:
There is a moment when Louis smashed a Champagne bottle over Neil’s head, is then left with a stub in his hand, pulls a face and tosses it over his shoulder. THE MOST MEMABLE MOMENT I have seen for a long time. Someone clever please make this a meme ASAP.
🎺 Unsung hero:
Allison’s mum, who drops her preference for Neil when told he is cheating. Understandably has reservations about Louis given her husband’s death, but still welcomes him. Gets to see the proposal, AND THEN IS BUMPED OFF for a plot point, and doesn’t even get a proper funeral or mourning besides Allison getting a black and white photo printed.
✍🏼 DETAILS
Director Louise Monier | 2025
Available on Dramawave
