Every so often, Netflix drops a drama so over-the-top that you can’t decide whether to grab the popcorn or bury your face in your hands.
Their latest political thriller, Hostage, falls squarely into that category.
Packed with high-stakes chaos, improbable twists, and a Labour prime minister at the heart of the madness, it’s a series that demands suspension of disbelief — and then some.
The Premise: A PM in Crisis
Suranne Jones takes on the role of Britain’s Labour prime minister, juggling not just the future of the NHS but also a looming confrontation with France.
The French president, played with icy flair by Julie Delpy, is a neo-Fascist leader determined to station troops on British soil.
As if that wasn’t enough, a group of African asylum seekers arrive seeking refuge — only to bring with them an outbreak of ebola.
And then comes the ultimate gut punch: masked gunmen kidnap the PM’s husband, Dr Alex (Ashley Thomas), while he’s volunteering with Médecins Sans Frontières in South America.
One moment he’s delivering vaccines to grateful families, the next he’s a hostage, forced to record a chilling video demanding his wife resign within 24 hours — or innocent lives will be lost.
Suranne Jones in Her Element
If there’s one thing Jones is known for, it’s diving headfirst into melodrama.
From Doctor Foster to Vigil, she’s built a career on portraying women under impossible pressure.
Here, she injects grit and credibility into a storyline that often veers into the absurd.
Whether orchestrating a last-minute rescue mission or apologising to military leaders for acting on instinct, she grounds the chaos with a steely presence.
A Rescue Attempt That Doesn’t Quite Land
Unfortunately, the so-called “rescue mission” leaves much to be desired.
Instead of a squad of elite special forces, Britain appears to have a one-man army: Thomas, a weathered veteran armed with little more than a pistol and a bargain-bin telescopic camera.
The image of him fumbling around with what looks like a gadget from a Sunday newspaper catalogue is unintentionally comic — as though he ordered it alongside a pair of orthopaedic sandals.
Complications Across the Channel
While the British PM scrambles to save her husband, France’s President Vivienne Toussaint is dealing with her own scandal.
She’s caught in a dangerous affair, and a blackmailer is threatening to release compromising footage.
This subplot adds another layer of drama, though it’s hard to take seriously when her family conversations sound like outtakes from ’Allo ’Allo! — English dialogue delivered with exaggerated French accents.
Believability Thrown Out the Window
If the twists sound wild, that’s because they are. From ebola outbreaks to hostage ultimatums, Hostage piles on crisis after crisis until reality feels like a distant memory.
The show even pokes fun at itself, suggesting that only in such a fictional universe could Labour elect a female leader.
Final Thoughts
Hostage isn’t going to win any awards for realism, but it does succeed in delivering unfiltered, high-octane drama.
It’s a ride that asks viewers to stop questioning plausibility and simply embrace the madness.
Suranne Jones keeps the story afloat, even when the script threatens to sink it with nuclear-grade hokum.
