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etflix’s Hostage is presented as a political thriller spread over five episodes. It features Suranne Jones as British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton and Julie Delpy as French President Vivienne Toussaint.
The series opens with Dalton’s husband, Alex, kidnapped while working in French Guiana. At the same time, Toussaint is targeted with a blackmail threat linked to her personal life. The two leaders are drawn together under pressure, forced to manage the crisis while balancing national responsibilities with their personal vulnerabilities.
The premise suggests high stakes and complex diplomacy, but the show quickly loses its grip on credibility. From the very beginning, the prime minister’s husband travels abroad without a security detail, an unlikely scenario. His abduction drives the story, yet the way it is staged feels careless. This early misstep sets the tone for what follows.
The series often sacrifices realism to push the plot forward. Dalton’s teenage daughter has unimpeded access to secure government meetings. Several advisors are shown using personal phones in supposedly restricted rooms. Dalton’s elderly father, despite being linked to the central family, is left completely unguarded. These choices undermine the atmosphere the show tries to create.
To a degree, performances hold the production together. Jones conveys Dalton’s determination and strain under pressure. Delpy gives Toussaint a conflicted edge. Their exchanges, however, are written as heated arguments rather than careful political maneuvering. Instead of highlighting the difficulty of cooperation between allies, the dialogue comes across as unrealistic bickering.
The premise suggests high stakes and complex diplomacy, but the show quickly loses its grip on credibility.
While the sets convincingly recreate Downing Street, careless details undermine the atmosphere and remind the viewer of the show’s limits. Attention to detail slips in ways that stand out, especially in scenes meant to build tension. One example is a military sequence that shows the wrong type of helicopter, a choice that looks careless and distracts from the moment. These lapses are not big enough to stop the story from unfolding, yet they do chip away at the credibility of the world being portrayed. Over time, repeated mistakes of this kind prove that the series was put together without much concern for consistency.
Secondary characters rarely receive development. Advisors, aides and security figures are written as interchangeable voices with little impact. The result is a story that rests entirely on Dalton and Toussaint, leaving little space for the wider political or social implications that could have added depth to the story.
As the plot develops, a military figure motivated by opposition to government cuts, emerges as the mastermind behind the kidnapping. The explanation is thin and the final stretch depends on dramatic confrontations rather than careful resolution. Dalton’s daughter becomes central to the climax, which feels forced and unconvincing. By the time the conspiracy is exposed, the outcome matters less than the number of unrealistic events required to reach it.
Hostage gestures toward themes of leadership, responsibility and the personal cost of a political life. The show misses an opportunity to handle these with care. Instead, they remain surface-level,overshadowed by improbable twists and plot devices.
The show moves fast enough with each episode ending on a hook, so the viewer remains attentive throughout. This pacing makes it easy to watch in one sitting, but the momentum cannot disguise the problems. Each episode introduces new decisions and scenarios that, instead of pulling the viewer deeper into the story, push them away.
Hostage gestures toward themes of leadership, responsibility and the personal cost of political life. The show misses an opportunity to handle these with care. Instead, they remain surface-level, overshadowed by improbable twists and plot devices. The show is neither grounded enough to be taken seriously, nor light enough to be enjoyed as escapist entertainment.
There are brief moments when the cast lifts the material, but those are isolated rather than consistent. The overall impression is one of a production with strong actors but weak writing. With each episode, the gap between ambition and delivery grows.
By the end, the series has little impact. The conclusion is rushed, character arcs are unresolved and credibility has long since collapsed. Potential for a serious political story is undermined by an overreliance on melodrama and contrived plotlines.
For casual viewing, Hostage might be passable background noise. Anyone hoping for a gripping or credible drama will not find it here. Strong acting is not enough to overcome weak writing, inconsistent production and a disregard for realism.
Verdict: On balance, Hostage earns a rating of 1.5 out of 5. It is not unwatchable, but it is absolutely unconvincing.
The writer is afreelance contributor