On Screen: “Hostage”

Hostage

If you like to binge-watch an entire enthralling series, find “Hostage” on Netflix.

Just eight months after her election, British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) is no stranger to controversy. Attempting to fix the faltering economy, she’s severely cut the military budget.

And while Dalton ran on a platform that put the National Health Service first, severe shortages of cancer and other critical drugs are provoking turmoil across the UK as pharmacy shelves are bare.

So Dalton is looking to Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), the right-leaning French president, for assistance. As the two strong female leaders come face-to-face in London at an Anglo-French summit at 10 Downing Street, both their political futures are at stake.

Then there’s a crisis. Dalton’s husband — Dr. Alex Anderson (Ashley Thomas) and his Doctors Without Borders team — are kidnapped in French Guiana while — at the same time — Toussaint is being blackmailed over a spicy personal scandal that could cost her the upcoming election.

So can these two world leaders with opposing political beliefs somehow come together to uncover who is responsible and — in doing so — ensure their political futures?

Created and scripted by Matt Charman, it’s a fast-paced political thriller, albeit with some melodramatic interludes, since both women — duly elected heads of state — are constantly maligned and undermined because of inherent misogyny and what is perceived as their vulnerability.

In Dalton’s case, that’s personified by the resentment that erupts with her sulky teenage daughter (Isobel Akuwudike). In Toussaint’s situation, it’s her stepson (Corey Mylchreest) and his girlfriend (Sophie Robertson).

While it’s billed as a limited series, its instant popularity and Charman’s willingness “to tell more of the story” has led to speculation about a second season. He has indicated that he’d like to delve deeper into the word “hostage” and what it means to be under someone else’s control.