'And now, Madame Prime Minister ... Madame President ... it's time to play The Weakest Link.' Photos: Handout
High-profile hostages, unwavering zealots, imperilled yet resolute leaders, blackmail, violence, explosions, moles (not the Austin Powers variety), cliffhangers or sharp swerves towards the end of every episode ... one might be forgiven for thinking we're talking about 24, the landmark show that wrote the manual on 21st-century counterterrorism tales on TV.
Not so. The topic of discussion this time is Hostage, a British miniseries from Matt Charman (who co-wrote the Steven Spielberg spy swap drama Bridge Of Spies).
It's cheesy, tabloidy, (only suggestively) sleazy, mostly well-paced, and – its Chunnel-size lapses and buckets of facepalm moments notwithstanding – is probably the one recent show I've watched that has come the closest to recapturing the wild, untameable spirit of 24.
Granted, it's 19 episodes shorter than a typical season of that series, and there is nary a Jack Bauer type in sight (possibly a Kim Bauer analogue, though), but darn it, my subconscious couldn't help superimposing a countdown clock on the screen at the end of each instalment.
Most of the action revolves around British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones, Coronation Street, ITV's Unforgiven), battling a public healthcare crisis and about to host a crucial summit meeting with French President Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy, the Before trilogy with Ethan Hawke).
'I'll never forget your advice: If you want to lead one day, learn how to follow. Where did you pick that up, Dad?'
It doesn't help that Abigail is being lambasted by the Opposition not just for the health issue but for apparently "gutting the military" with budget cuts. Vivienne, meanwhile, is facing a huge public relations crisis over a boatload of stranded refugees and far-right political rivals threatening to unseat her.
Just before the summit happens, Abigail's husband Alex (actor-rapper Bashy, aka Ashley Thomas, 24: Legacy – aha, there's a DNA trace right there!) is kidnapped in French Guiana while on a humanitarian mission for Doctors Without Borders.
Vivienne is in a position to help, but that's where the blackmail mentioned earlier comes into play.
A good part of this limited series' first half revolves around the two leaders' little dance as they try to collaborate while putting on a show for the kidnappers/blackmailers, leaving their inner circle frequently befuddled – chief among them 10 Downing Street's long-serving Chief of Staff Kofi Adomako (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency's Lucian Msamati), who is struggling to gain his new boss's trust.
Family drama comes along in the form of Abigail's ailing dad Max (James Cosmo) and her frantic teenage daughter, Sylvie (Isobel Akuwudike), and Vivienne's media mogul husband Elias (Vincent Perez) and her activist stepson Matheo (Corey Mylchreest).
There's some fuss over the leaders' growing suspicion that there is a mole (or several) in their ranks, though the audience gets clued in quickly enough. Menace is provided by Blue Lights' Martin McCann as Shagan, the leader of the kidnappers, who has a deep, bitter hatred for Abigail.
The various threads wind ever more tightly as the story progresses, some snapping now and then to give a little respite but without letting up on the overall sense of tension.
It's in the final two episodes that Charman lets things slip a little, requiring viewers to accept the huge lapses of security, protocol and common sense necessary for the various players in this game to converge. (But again, one may present Jack Bauer's storied exploits in mitigation.)
Before that, we get to savour Jones and Delpy's commanding turns as world leaders who just want to get on with the business of running their countries without making a big deal of their family issues (despite their foes' best efforts to put those front and centre).
So there it is: Hostage, a bright, brief binge with more than enough charisma and momentum to carry us over its many potholes. And not a mountain lion in sight ....
All five episodes of Hostage are available to stream on Netflix.
Summary:
The following takes place in unreal time.
