Hostage: This Netflix thriller shows the struggles of modern working mothers, here’s how

Hostage is Netflix’s latest political thriller that has topped the charts since its release in August 2025. The show is about UK Prime Minister Abigail Dalton, played by Suranne Jones. Her life turns upside down when her husband Alex, who's a doctor working overseas, is kidnapped. She also has to manage the country and handle a shortage of medicines. Julie Delpy plays French President Vivienne Toussaint. She gets caught up in the political and personal drama as the story progresses.

The series has a lot of suspense and tension. It also focuses on the human side of power. It shows how personal life and professional life clash. Abigail is a working mother. The series shows the challenges she faces in maintaining her leadership with family responsibilities. Her daughter, Sylvie, becomes an important part of the story. We see how Abigail struggles to maintain trust and connection with her as she figures out the political crisis.

Hostage is a series that's full of tension. But emotion is also a big part of it. It explores themes like responsibility, sacrifice, and trust. It highlights the unusual pressures faced by women in positions of power. So, let's get right into how Hostage portrays the struggles of modern working mothers.

Hostage: The challenges of modern working mothers

Hostage does a great job of showing the reality of being a working mother in a high-pressure job. Abigail Dalton is the Prime Minister. But she is also a wife and a mother. The series explores how these roles clash. When her husband is kidnapped, she keeps it a secret to avoid political fallout. That's a difficult choice, and it only tells us how women in power often have to make such decisions. At the same time, she has to maintain her responsibilities to the country. So, there's constant tension and pressure.

Another way the series highlights motherhood is through Abigail’s relationship with her daughter, Sylvie. The daughter is smart and aware. She wants her father to return home safe and sound. Sylvie’s reactions make it even harder for Abigail to balance her duties. It shows how doing everything at once can be strenuous and in this case, emotionally draining too. Because of these elements, it feels very real and relatable for working mothers watching the series.

The plot also uses certain events to show how Abigail manages the political opposition’s attacks with grace, and also deals with a national drug shortage. Abigail’s professional life is demanding. The personal crisis of her husband being kidnapped only makes these challenges more difficult. The series does not shy away from showing her sleepless nights and the emotional toll it all takes on her. Leadership, hence, is not just about power but also comes with managing constant stress as you care for your loved ones.

At one point, Abigail is left completely alone without any help. Vivienne decides to pull the plug on the rescue mission. So Dalton has no choice and no backup. She doesn’t know how to save her husband anymore. But she has to. For herself, for her daughter, for her family. Just because she is running the country doesn’t mean she can step away from her personal responsibilities. She cannot compromise on her husband’s safety. So she has to figure it out and also keep the nation running. On top of that, people are dying because of the drug shortage. Even with all of this crumbling tension, she stays calm and collected. She never allows herself a breakdown or a pause from her work. Every decision is critical here, and that makes the drama in Hostage feel so real.

The series also shows that these struggles are not small. They are important to the story. The kidnapping, the blackmail involving Vivienne Toussaint, and the opposition’s pressure intersect with Abigail’s role as a mother. The series intentionally makes this political drama also about family responsibility to give us a nuanced look at the modern working mother. Fans of political drama and character-driven storytelling can appreciate how Hostage shows the emotional and professional balancing act women face in real life.

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