Hostages 1.10

Best episode so far. Possibly the first time the show has delivered an episode with a real palpable conspiracy feel to it, with many exciting events in play and the tension of a ticking clock running underneath everything. This is much closer to 24 than they have ever come before. Plus the father-daughter conversation about being hostages and helping their captors was perfect, and adds much needed depth to the show. Hopefully more of this in future episodes. This may have been the best use of the Brian character so far. 10/10

Hostages 1.9

Jeremy Bobb, Paul Calderon. Lots of tension as the baddies try to save a life (for a change!), further blurring the lines between good and evil. The previous episode’s cliffhanger is frustratingly disregarded and most of the screentime is give to minor characters. It’s still a good episode, and it does answer one more key piece of the overall puzzle, but it’s frustrating when the show builds up to something and then side-steps it. 9/10

Hostages 1.6

Nina Arianda. Sometimes the show veers dangerously close to being farcical. The “wacky sister” plot could be from a sitcom, and some of the early scenes are unintentionally amusing, but the cleverly-foreshadowed twist ending is quite shocking. And keeps the series’ grim tone intact.

The robbery b-story is another example of the show painting the hostage-takers in a sympathetic light: one of them has a kid, etc. I’ve never seen a show so eager to keep everyone likeable. 9/10