Although I have done it, albeit rarely, I’m not a fan of binge-watching streaming series. I think that the extended length of many of the fictional streaming shows that are tossed at us is absurd. A creatively mundane eight-episode show is ridiculous. Ten episodes for anything less than a masterpiece is nuts.
I did partially binge-watch “Ripley” on Netflix. I write “partially” because I watched the eight-part series in two separate sittings of four episodes each. It is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which is about the ultimate murderous con artist. With its brilliant main performance from Andrew Scott, shimmering black and white cinematography, and stylish mid-century modern Italian design, “Ripley” flows like a great novel you don’t want to put down.
I also binged “Crisis In Six Scenes,” which is from writer-director Woody Allen. The six episodes were only 25 minutes each, and especially because I am a long-time fan of Allen, the comedic experience was enjoyable.
The new streaming version of “The Day Of The Jackal,” which is loosely based on Frederick Forsyth’s superb novel as well as the classic 1973 movie, lumbers along with 10 ridiculously overextended episodes and diminishes everything that is important in the book and subsequent film. Eddie Redmayne as the assassin is woefully miscast. The original motion picture runs 142 minutes. The bloated series from Peacock runs more than 500 minutes. I can’t imagine anyone watching all of the episodes in one sitting.
Now we have “Hostage,” which recently arrived on Netflix at the perfect length for an original narrative thriller. The miniseries runs five episodes at an average of 44 minutes each. A fellow arts critic I trust recommended the show. On a recent afternoon, I decided to watch the first episode. Imagine my own surprise when I never stopped watching it. I let each episode flow from the end of one into the beginning of the next. I was binging without thinking. Five episodes were the perfect length for what turned out to be an enticing political thriller that is quite well-made. Importantly, there is more going on with the jam-packed storyline than just rough-edged politics and threats to national security.
In “Hostage,” on the eve of a historic international summit between the British Prime Minister and the French President, an unexpected challenge derails what was supposed to be a series of smooth and pleasant meetings that had a number of essential goals. In Great Britain, specific life-saving cancer medicines are in short supply, and liberal PM Abigail Dalton is prepared to work out a deal with Vivienne Toussaint, France’s conservative President, for her nation’s excess supply of drugs.
Both women are fighting for their political survival. They realize that they actually need each other in order to stay in their respective offices. One problem that plays into things is that Dalton was overheard on an open mic saying something unkind about Toussaint. Another issue is that the French President is cagey about her true political leanings and is adamant about what she wants from Great Britain. What she’s insisting on has everything to do with illegal immigration.
Dalton’s husband is a physician with Doctors Without Borders. He and some of his team are suddenly kidnapped in Africa, which strongly affects the summit. The kidnappings have taken place in a former French colony, and Dalton requests that President Toussaint approve a rescue mission. Everything seems fine until France must rethink the offer. Why? It involves something scandalous, which is all you’ll get from me. We recognize immediately that career politicians are masters at self-control and manipulation. When confronted with any form of bureaucracy or evil that threatens their power, they can and will turn away from their intense loyalties and verbal promises on a dime. They are masters at making decisions based on expediency.
“Hostage” then breezily rolls through its episodes in classic potboiler style. It’s fast-paced, breezily plotted, and sharply attuned to how some government representatives delight in political gamesmanship. A couple of thinly structured plot developments aside, the show is never less than watchable. The two major characters have their public life – the one that the world sees – and also their private life, which offers situations that can deliver shocks to the system. There is a multi-layered mystery about who the kidnappers are, and why they are carrying out the ever-expanding crimes they’re committing. There are also deep reservoirs of mistrust once we learn that traitors are lurking in the shadows in both governments. The strong-willed female leaders are forced to put their rivalry aside and attempt to work together to uncover the truth behind what’s actually going on. Dangerous things happen and answers are hidden in the shadows.
Fast-paced, with good production values, “Hostage” is well-acted, especially by Suranne Jones as Dalton, Julie Delpy as Toussaint, Lucian Msamati as the PM’s chief of staff, and Corey Mylchreest as the President’s stepson. A talented Matt Charman wrote the scripts. His ability to keep the show’s many mysteries front and center as the chaos keeps increasing is a positive. Two women directors were involved with the series, which is primarily about women in power who are in conflict with each other, as much as it is about the many very good action sequences. Isobel Sieb directed episodes 1 through 3, and Amy Neil directed 4 and 5. They both helped create a propulsive thriller that kept me watching. The result is occasionally ragged – would Dalton really be able to drive herself to a country manor, regardless of when it happens? Would her daughter have access to the 10 Downing Street equivalent of the Situation Room? However, these caveats aside, the overall result regarding “Hostage” is that it is always entertaining. The series is a satisfying way to spend less than five hours with a good-looking, well-edited, and very fulfilling adventure story.