Hostage, the 5-part Netflix political thriller, introduced us to an array of characters that played a crucial role in the life of Prime Minister Abigail Dalton. Their actions had a huge impact not only on the lives of the British nationals but also on the diplomatic ties between the U.K. and France. So let’s get to know these characters and the roles they played in the grand scheme of things.
Spoiler Alert
Abigail Dalton
Prime Minister Dalton was a force of nature. She was an ambitious woman, a protective mother, and an extremely affectionate and caring wife. She was aware why her people had made her the leader of the nation, and she knew that it was her responsibility to live up to their expectations. She got stuck in an impossible situation; her husband got kidnapped, the nation was facing a pharmaceutical supply shortage, and the opposition was seizing the opportunity and branding her an unfit leader. But the way Abigail tackled the situation spoke volumes about the kind of person she was. She prioritized her country even when she knew that it would put the life of her husband in jeopardy. A no-confidence motion was passed against Abigail, but later she was reinstated to her position as her cabinet realized that they had gravely misjudged her. Abigail shocked the nation at the end of season 1 by calling for general elections, as she wanted to seek a fresh mandate and give the citizens an opportunity to remove her from her position if they didn’t think she was worthy to lead.
Vivienne Toussaint
Toussaint, the French president, had become a puppet in the hands of a few power brokers. The people had shown faith in her because they believed in her ideology, but over a period of time she got influenced by the far right. She knew that she didn’t want to be that kind of leader, but because of the pressure put on by her husband, a powerful media mogul, she felt compelled to do as he said. But the official trip to the U.K. made Toussaint realize that she needed to cut ties with such people and give her countrymen what they deserved: the truth. Toussaint, unfortunately, was killed at the end of Season 1, and we saw that Abigail had put up a portrait of her inside Downing Street: a tribute to the fierce leader she had been and the kind of support she had given to the United Kingdom.
Kofi Adomako
Abigail, after she became the PM, had a hard time understanding the kind of man Kofi was, and at times she doubted his allegiances. Kofi had served many prime ministers, and so Abigail didn’t know if he would be able to adapt to her way of doing things. But eventually Abigail realized that Kofi was a patriot, a strong ally who would never betray her or the nation. Kofi was the one who found out that Adrienne, Toussaint’s chief secretary, was leaking information to the kidnappers, and that gave the nation a much-needed breakthrough. Had Kofi not found out about Adrienne, I don’t think Dalton and her team would have been able to find John Shagan, the leader of the kidnappers. I believe if Dalton gets elected to a second term, she’ll want to have Kofi standing alongside her at all costs.
Matheo Lewis
Matheo was a sensitive man, and he prioritized his nation above his personal interests. Matheo was Toussaint’s stepson, and his relationship with her turned into a major scandal when his private video was leaked by the kidnappers to the media. I think he actually liked her, and had she not changed and gotten influenced by her husband, probably he wouldn’t have ended things with her. Matheo fell in love with a girl named Saskia, who he later realized was working with the kidnappers. Matheo loved Saskia, and he knew she too reciprocated his feelings. He appealed to her conscience and told her that she was not the person that she believed herself to be. I think if there is a season 2, Matheo and Saskia will cross paths again, and it would be interesting to see if they are able to mend their relationship.
Alex Anderson and Max Dalton
I wanted to talk about Dalton’s husband and her father together because of the contrasting views they held about her. On one end, Alex trusted his wife with his life, and he knew no matter how difficult the situation was, she would make the right call. Max, on the other hand, didn’t trust daughter that much. He thought that Abigail had become selfish and greedy and that she was making a huge mistake by making the decision to prioritize the nation over the family. Abigail and Max had a heated argument where it came to be known that there were a few unresolved issues between them. Tragically, Max was killed by the kidnappers in season 1, and he was not there to witness his daughter overpowering her enemies.
John Shagan
Shagan was shaken after his family and his wife, who was a Belizean local, were killed by the Guatemalan army. He blamed Dalton for his loss, and from that day onwards he wanted to take revenge on her. He got the opportunity to do so when General Livingston asked him to help remove Dalton from power. Shagan disobeyed Livingston’s orders, and he tried to kill Dalton. Bombing Downing Street had its consequences, and Livingston knew. Shagan, by doing so, had signed his death warrant, and probably knew that deep down. Shagan was killed at the end of season 1 by Abigail’s daughter, Sylvie, which he felt was a victory in itself, believing that he had burdened her with lifelong trauma, since he knew that taking a life changed a person forever.
Sylvie Anderson
Sylvie was Abigail Dalton’s daughter, and she was really not happy with her mother’s approach after her father was kidnapped by Shagan and the others. Sylvie always felt that Abigail was not doing enough to save her father, to the extent that she started having trust issues with her. Sylvie even went and asked her grandfather if he thought that her mother was dependable. But at the end of season 1, Sylvie realized what her mother had been through, with the tough decisions she’d had to make, and I believe that brought both of them close to each other.
Saskia Morgan
Saskia was working with Shagan; she had lost her job due to military budget cuts, and she had a lot of resentment against the regime. But Saskia was not engulfed by hate like her co-conspirators. I believe that, though coming close to Matheo was a part of her mission, it didn’t stop there. She fell in love with him, but she kept telling herself that if he had known the real her, then probably he wouldn’t have loved her in that manner. But Matheo told her that it was not so, and Saskia knew that he was not lying, just by looking into his eyes. Saskia didn’t kill Matheo in the end, and he too let her escape. This tells us that they still had a lot of love for each other, and probably, if fate allows, their paths will cross again.
Adrienne Pelletier
Adrienne was the chief secretary of Toussaint, and she was the one who was leaking information to Shagan. Adrienne was somebody who believed in Toussaint ideologically, and she knew that France needed leaders like her. But over the period of time, she saw her drifting towards the far right: I believe her take on the refugee crisis that France was facing deeply enraged her. Adrienne believed that she was doing a service to her nation by plotting Toussaint’s downfall. She had no clue that the people she was conspiring with had different aims and motives and that they were not concerned about the welfare of the French people. Adrienne was sent back to Paris, and I believe a trial will be initiated against her for leaking sensitive information and betraying the trust of her leader.
Elias Vernier
A male chauvinist of the highest order, who believed that he could dictate terms to his wife, President Toussaint, and make her work to his benefit, Elias wanted to be in control of the narrative, and he made it very clear that the French people would see what he wanted them to see. Elias was shocked when Toussaint told him that she was going to divorce him, and I am quite sure that his fragile male ego would have been shattered into a million pieces after that.
General Livingston and Dan Ogilvy
General Livingston believed in the supremacy of the military, and he didn’t like the fact that Dalton had redirected funds from the military budget to the NHS. Moreover, I felt that he had problems taking orders from a female leader. He presumed that Dalton didn’t know what sacrifice meant, what true patriotism was, and what it meant to safeguard the interests of the nation. But he was a delusional man whose insecurity made him take certain steps that he later regretted. Dan Ogilvy, on the other hand, was one of the members of Dalton’s cabinet. Livingston’s plan was that if he handed over the post of prime minister to Dan, then he would return the favor by increasing the military budget. Dan had his differences with Dalton, but he wasn’t a traitor, and once he got to know what Livingston was up to, he put the general behind bars and made sure that Dalton got her position back.
