Netflix’s new miniseries, ‘Hostage’, certainly knows how to hold you captive. A political thriller that runs at a breathless pace right from the word go, it has an intriguing premise: UK Prime Minister Abigail Dalton’s (Suranne Jones) husband is kidnapped even as she is holding a high-stakes summit with her French counterpart Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), primarily to convince the unyielding French to provide emergency drug supplies for a crisis-hit NHS. The French President, though, is confronted with a blackmail crisis of her own. Thus, the stage is nicely set for the personal to clash with the political. Dalton has to do a whole lot of juggling while ensuring she is not voted out by her increasingly suspicious Cabinet of Ministers.
‘Hostage’’s biggest strengths are its high-wire tension and strong performances by a cast that understands how to bring emotional heft to political machinations. It is fast and furious and manages to squeeze in feminist undercurrents and social commentary. However, it is not without its faults. This is not a series to expect subtlety, and there is a lot of contrivance to keep the tension tight. Without giving anything away, there are plot points that are too pat, and the ending feels rather Bollywood-inspired. The motives of the villains are also hazy at best. Are they ideology-driven? Are they simply a frustrated lot? What is their end goal?
Still, this is addictive and good, careening fun. Quite the weekend binge if you want to convince yourself that Monday is still far away.