Hostage to a potboiler served cold

It is touted as a political thriller but unfolds like a potboiler. The very first scene and the dialogue, “I trust you will make the right choice”, is a precursor and portender that impossible choices will soon beset this happy family. The scene shifts to UK’s Parliament. Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) is the British Prime Minister facing a volley of barbs from the Opposition leader. As she prepares to meet her French counterpart, President Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), again an indomitable woman of substance, something sinister is brewing alongside.

Abigail’s husband Alex Anderson (Ashley Thomas), a doctor, is abducted along with other medical professionals. The ransom demand is no less than her resignation.

What happens thereafter is a turn of predictable and unpredictable events in which these two women, heads of their respective countries, stand out and up against their enemies. Julie Delpy has the necessary chutzpah and verve to carry her part where she often stumps the British PM in the game of one-upwomanship. Suranne Jones as Abigail Dalton is equanimity personified, befitting her stature. Will she make the right call, considering what she is facing is actually a Hobson’s choice? Though exceptionally competent, Suranne is not able to make us dig deep into the emotional depth of her “unusual” decision.

What is remarkable, however, is that the show, created and written by Matt Charman, is primarily driven by two fine women actors whose characters are at once competitors and allies.

As these two women leaders try to navigate their way out of thorny predicaments, this forms a major part of the dramatic narrative. To spice things up, a sex scandal is thrown into the political mix of moles, blackmail and terrorists.

As it is, Britain is shown to be facing a national health crisis and a shortage of cancer drugs which France is meant to fill in. Does the antagonist Chagan (steely Martin McCann), who is determined to create chaos to force Abigail to step down, possibly have an account to settle with her on that count? A cue tells us he had a daughter. However, his real motivations are revealed through a backstory, again hovering on difficult choices which those in power often have to make.

Choices have consequences… we all know that, and when the mighty make these choices, these have grave ramifications for others too. Since the actual name of the person behind the manouverings may come as a spoiler, we won’t reveal who the actual bad guy is, but it is about time writers and makers stopped taking a cue from the confession scene of ‘A Few Good Men’.

Here, good actors are very many. For inclusion’s sake, not only do we have actors of colour like Ashley Thomas as Alex Anderson and Lucian Msamati as Dalton’s key adviser Kofi Adomako, but half-Bengali, half-Scottish actress Hiftu Quasem plays Ayesha and Jamaican actress Sara Powell also fits the pieces of the puzzle.

Expectedly, with several members of the staff in the pool and Vivienne’s stepson Matheo Lewis (Corey Mylchreest) and his girlfriend Kathy MacIntyre (Sara Powell) around, red herrings abound and keep the guessing game alive.

But, there is no real or biting tension in the show and except for one solid exit of a key player, you kind of know who will live and who will die. The bit about the need for politicians to be transparent, too, does not sound more than a homily. In comparison, Julie Delpy uttering lines about the love-hate relationship between England and France has more sauce.

Production values, as expected from a Netflix outing, are top-notch. Overall, the five-episode series may not be a gripping affair, yet with fair momentum, it is fairly watchable. With limited run-time spread over limited episodes and a brisk pace where much is happening all the time, it’s not yawn-inducing either.

But ‘Hostage’, which is not just about people being kidnapped, rather drives home how politicians are held hostage to unenviable circumstances. It will not make your jaws drop.

“Follow the path of least resistance” — the makers have taken their own advice too seriously.