Hostage

Having read a 4* review by Lucy Mangan in The Guardian, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Save yourself the time: it's soap opera territory, with more holes than a piece of swiss cheese.

I like Suranne Jones, but the plot and the script are so lightweight, and spectacularly predictable.

I really struggled to stay awake.

I'm a fan of the lead actress Suranne Jones. I have liked pretty much everything she's been in. Intrigued by British accent of the French President's French husband. Hmmm lots of confusing plot twists. Honestly Netflix has way worse shows.

This last bit is on length required for reviews. Why 300 words?

Did it reinvent the wheel, no, was it meant to..... no!

Was it entertaining for a few hours to just sit down and switch your brain off after a long, yes!

I think people have forgotten the art of just relaxing, and just putting on some fluff to pass a few hours, and if everyone thinks that everything has to be high art these days, or written perfectly to meet your unrealistic expectations, you'll never be happy.

I rewatched Avengers Endgame recently, and is dumber than a bag of spiders, but thats just what I wanted that night, and that's one of the highest grossing movies ever made..... this was less dumb, perfect no, completely unrealistic yes, but why does every movie/show now have to meet a bunch of armchair critics expectations or else its "terrible writing", "unrealistic", "worst thing I've ever seen".

You all need to start chilling out, and if something passes sometime for a few hours, you should be grateful people are making anything to help you pass the time in your little lives, this certainly was not the worst thing I've seen, and I appreciate the effort the makers/actors/and esp the crew put in to give you something to make time passing a little less boring.

What to say about this, sounds good on paper but so poor in execution.

Many, many 'surely that's not the way that would be done' moments but the standout for me by far was the team of French Special Forces apparently being transported in an Apache AH64...clearly a 2 seater helicopter...which the French don't use. Just lazy production.

Hostage kicks off with a high-stakes premise and rarely lets up, moving at a relentless pace that mixes political maneuvering with personal peril.

The story occasionally stretches credibility - there are moments that make you think, "no way this could actually happen" especially in the first couple of episodes. But if you lean into the heightened reality, the series delivers a tense, absorbing ride.

At the centre is Suranne Jones, outstanding as Prime Minister Abigail Dalton. She brings a mix of steel and humanity that makes the wildest twists feel grounded. Julie Delpy is her perfect foil as French President Vivienne Toussaint - cool, enigmatic, and always hinting at deeper motives. Their on-screen push and pull is the show's real power play.

The series looks great, too. Directors Isabelle Sieb and Amy Neil keep the action tight and urgent, while Jeff Russo's score hums with understated menace. It's bingeable television in the truest sense: five hours of fast politics, high drama, and personal stakes colliding.

Yes, some plotting relies on convenience, and a few resolutions arrive too neatly wrapped. But the energy, the performances, and the sheer audacity keep it entertaining throughout.

Not prestige realism, but an unapologetic political potboiler with flair.

Overall: 8/10 - tense, stylish, and far more fun than it has any right to be.