*** Contains spoilers on Netflix's Hostage ***
Suranne Jones' brand new thriller, Hostage, only dropped on Netflix yesterday (21st August), but many fans (us included) have already binged all five episodes.
The drama-packed series follows the British Prime Minister, Abigail Dalton, (played by Jones) in the midst of high-stakes negotiations with visiting French President Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy) when her husband, Dr. Alex Anderson (Ashley Thomas), is abducted - and the price for his release is nothing less than her resignation.
Meanwhile, President Toussaint faces her own secret threat as she becomes the target of blackmail. Despite clashing agendas and the pressure to protect their political futures, Dalton and Toussaint are forced into an uneasy alliance as they race to uncover the truth and save her husband before it’s too late.
Dalton manages to save her husband by episode three, but the drama doesn't end there as she's later removed from office, a bomb goes off in 10 Downing Street leading to a shocking death, and one last hostage crisis takes place.
So, how did it all wrap up? Who was responsible for the kidnapping? And what happened to Abigail Dalton after the whole ordeal?
Here's a detailed breakdown.
Hostage ending explained: Who was behind the kidnapping?
The Hostage finale opens with a revealing flashback to a young Abigail Dalton, then a junior minister, faced with a harrowing decision: evacuate British troops from Belize amid a Guatemalan assault, knowing there wasn’t time to save the local allies who had supported them. She chose to save the soldiers, condemning the Belizeans to near-certain death - a decision that would come back to haunt her.
Years later, that choice fueled the revenge plot led by ex-British soldier Michael John Shagan (Martin McCann), who kidnapped Dr. Alex Anderson and other aid workers in French Guiana. Behind the scenes, Saskia Morgan (Sophie Robertson) manipulated her relationship with Matheo Lewis (Corey Mylchreest), the stepson of President Toussaint, to get closer to both Dalton and Toussaint. She was working in tandem with Shagan and General Livingston (Mark Lewis Jones).
What was the motive behind the kidnapping?
Disillusioned former military figures Shagan, Saskia, and General Livingston were united by their resentment towards Prime Minister Dalton, whose defense budget cuts had cost them their careers.
Together, the trio orchestrated a national crisis to justify a military resurgence - hoping to push interim PM Dan Ogilvy into reversing Dalton’s reforms and restoring the armed forces to their former strength.
For Shagan, the mission was deeply personal. Years earlier, he had been among the troops evacuated from Belize under Dalton’s orders, a decision that left his pregnant fiancé - a Belizean translator - stranded and ultimately killed. Haunted by the loss of his unborn daughter, Shagan blamed Dalton, leading him to kidnap her husband, Dr. Alex Anderson, and later threaten Dalton’s family.
What happened to Vivienne Toussaint?
Following the press conference - where Toussaint and Dalton struck a deal regarding medication - they returned to 10 Downing Street, where Toussaint’s stepson and former lover, Lewis, revealed a laptop left by his ex-girlfriend Saskia, confirming her involvement in the kidnapping.
Dalton then questioned why Saskia would leave behind an incriminating laptop, at which point, a bomb (concealed in the laptop) went off, leading to the death of Toussaint.
Who died in Hostage?
As well as Toussaint, Shagan was killed by Dalton's daughter Sylvie (Isobel Akuwudike).
During a tense standoff, Shagan threatened her parents while her mother begged her not to shoot, knowing the police were close by. But when Shagan taunted Sylvie by admitting he was responsible for her grandfather Max’s (James Cosmo) death, her anger took over - and she pulled the trigger.
Speaking about the shocking moment, Jones said: "When you get to the very end, what happens with Sylvie is shocking because the cost of what Abigail and her family have had to go through for what she wants to achieve for the country and to not stand up to terrorists is huge. But she didn’t give in, she’s a fighter.
She added to RadioTimes: "I think we will judge her because she’s a woman and the choices that she makes in this, but I also think that’s really interesting."
There were some earlier deaths in the series, including Max’s, which saw Saskia sneaking into the hospital and injecting a lethal substance into an IV line connected to his arm, making it look like a natural deterioration.
Several hostages were killed during the earlier kidnapping, as was a young boy in Leeds leading to a protest that was stopped by Shagan, posing as a police officer.
What happened to Abigail Dalton? Final scenes
Hostage ends three months after the standoff with Shagan, with Dalton back at 10 Downing Street with Sylvie and Anderson.
Before stepping out to address the nation from, Dalton seeks a moment of comfort from her husband and daughter. With their support, she faces the cameras to announce a forthcoming general election - a move aimed at restoring trust, rebuilding the country, and establishing a fresh relationship with the people.
Hostage is available to stream on Netflix.
