Netflix has just released a new political thriller series that will surely grab your attention. It's called Hostage, and it stars Suranne Jones as British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton, who finds herself in a life-or-death situation when her husband is kidnapped.
Alongside her, Julie Delpy plays French President Vivienne Toussaint, who faces her own shocking blackmail. As the two leaders navigate a tense international crisis, they must confront impossible choices, fierce rivalries, and a conspiracy that could change everything.
In this article, we're going to break down what all happens in the first episode of the limited series. So if you’re avoiding spoilers, now’s the time to turn away and stop reading!
Major spoilers are ahead from Hostage episode 1!
Abigail faces a health care crisis in the UK
The series kicks off with Abigail and her husband, Alex, taking a walk through the woods, debating the advantages and drawbacks of her pursuing the role of British Prime Minister. She eventually secures the position, and at first, everything appears to be going smoothly. That's until the episode cuts to eight months later, where Abigail is grilled by the Leader of the Opposition (Oliver Bahrami) in a PMQ meeting.
Oliver is frustrated that Abigail hasn’t fulfilled her pledge to improve the NHS and social care system. She had promised to tackle these issues once elected, and Oliver points out that she had even made cuts in the military to redirect funds to healthcare. However, the healthcare system still struggles. Oliver states in the meeting that the NHS is facing an acute supply crisis of cancer drugs and other medications, which is putting a lot of people’s lives at risk.
He doesn't like that Abigail's current strategy is to ask the French government for help. But since that's what's going to happen, he wants to make sure that when she has the summit later with French President Vivienne Toussaint, everything goes smoothly and that Abigail can negotiate effectively without leaving any room for mistakes or missteps. Before the meeting wraps up, Abigail makes it clear that she's going to do what's right for her people and end the drug shortage.
Abigail meets Vivienne Toussaint
While Abigail gets ready for her meeting with Vivienne, her Chief of Staff, Kofi Adomako, briefs her on the latest developments with the SOS Mediterranee. The SOS Mediterranee is a vessel carrying numerous refugees, many of whom have fallen ill and are in urgent need of medical care. Kofi suggests to Abigail that they use this situation to their advantage by proposing to Vivienne that the ship be allowed to dock in the UK in exchange for the French government providing them with medication. Abigail doesn't agree with his plan, but she keeps it in mind as a potential bargaining tool.
Vivienne finally arrives at Downing Street, and they get straight to business. Abigail explains to Vivienne that the UK requires French support to address its NHS crisis, while France could use help managing its immigration challenges. However, Vivienne disagrees, arguing that France doesn’t need assistance from the UK. She believes that France’s immigration issues exist largely because the UK’s border security is too lenient. She then proposes that the UK permit French troops to be stationed on British soil to help monitor and secure the borders. She believes this will deter the flow of migrants.
But Abigail rejects her suggestion and instead states the deal that she's willing to be okay with. The deal is that if the French provides the British with a stable supply of cancer drugs and other medications, then they'll take in and treat the people on the SOS Mediterranee. However, Vivieene rejects this deal and they break for lunch.
Alex is abducted
While Abigail meets with Vivienne, her husband Alex and three other British doctors are in French Guiana offering free medical care to the local population. However, the situation takes a dark turn when a group of masked, armed men suddenly arrive and abduct them. Kofi finds out later what happened and informs Abigail.
He advises her to tell the Cabinet about the abduction, but Abigail wants only a select number of people to know. That includes people she works directly with, who are Ayesha, Zadie, and Tristan. She doesn't want Vivienne to know just yet because then it would put her in a weaker position for the negotiations if she asks for help. Although Kofi doesn't agree with Abigail's approach, he does what she tells him to do.
Abigail returns home later to tell her daughter, Sylvie, about Alex's abduction. While they're talking, Sylvie receives a text message from an unknown number. It's a video of Alex and the other doctors all tied up in an abandoned building. Abigail then hands over the phone to Ayesha and instructs her to give it to MI6 so they can review it. With this new video footage, Abigail now has no choice but to get Vivienne involved.
They convene at Downing Street, accompanied by their respective chiefs of staff. Vivienne’s chief of staff is named Adrienne Pelletier. The captors send a link to a live video of Alex and the other hostages. During the video, Alex is forced to read from something that the captors have written. He tells Abigail that if she doesn't resign from her position by 1:00 p.m. GMT the next day, then one of them is going to die. The live video then ends.
Abigail firmly tells Vivienne that she has no plans to resign and that she will need her support in deploying French troops to manage the crisis occurring on French soil. Vivienne consents to help, but sets her own terms. She informs Abigail that the only way she’ll assist in securing Alex’s return is if French troops are permitted to patrol the UK’s borders.
Back in French Guiana, one of the captors receives a text message informing them about Vivienne's rescue mission. Uh oh! It appears there's a mole. Who could it be? Meanwhile, Abigail and Vivienne attend a public event. Vivienne speaks with her step-son, Matheo, and his new girlfriend, Saskia. She pretty much gives Saskia the cold shoulder, though. Elsewhere at the event, Kofi informs Abigail that they've located Alex and the other doctors.
Vivienne backs out of the rescue mission
Vivienne, Abigail, and their respective staff find a place in the building to discuss the rescue mission. An MI6 agent is currently camped out near the abandoned compound where Alex and the other doctors are being held, while providing live video footage of what's going on. Meanwhile, French troops are nearing the building in a helicopter. They're just waiting to receive the order from Vivienne to launch the assault and extract the hostages safely.
The original plan was for Vivienne to give the order, but she suddenly withdraws after receiving a text from an unknown number containing a compromising video of her and Matheo in bed, kissing. The person who sent it tells her that if she doesn't stop the rescue mission then they'll leak the video.
Elections are coming up, and Vivienne wants to be reelected. If that video were to get out, it would basically ruin her chances of becoming President again. So, she gives the order to abort the rescue mission. But she doesn't give Abigail her reasoning for doing so. All she tells her is that she'll have to resign if she wants to get her husband back home safely. Elsewhere in French Guiana, the French troops leave while the MI6 agent chases after the captors who have taken away the hostages in their jeeps. The episode ends here.