Hostage on Netflix was a clever and engaging political thriller, with an ending that left us wanting more – here’s what happened, and news on a possible series 2.

The Netflix political thriller, from Bridge of Spies and Treason writer Matt Charman, introduced Suranne Jones as the recently-elected UK Prime Minister Abigail Dalton – a politician with good intentions. The opening episode focused on an international summit welcoming the UK PM and Vivienne Toussaint, the first female French President campaigning for re-election.

However, the summit went seriously wrong when masked men kidnapped Dalton’s husband in French Guiana where he’d been offering free vaccines. The same men subsequently blackmailed Toussaint. The two political leaders were faced with an unimaginable choice.

So who was targeting them both, and why? Here’s our rundown of what happened in the Hostage ending on Netflix.

***Warning: contains spoilers from the ending of Hostage on Netflix***

Hostage ending explained on Netflix: What happened in final episode?

At the beginning of the final episode of Hostage, Abigail Dalton had survived the bomb blast at number 10. However, Vivienne Toussaint was dead.

We learnt exactly who John Shagan was, and why he had targeted Abigail Dalton. Crucially, viewers also discovered who John had been working with – General Joseph Livingston (Shagan’s Commanding Officer in Belize). But it became abundantly clear that John had gone rogue. While Livingston didn’t want the PM dead, just “out of the way”, John had other ideas.

Of course, by this point, Abigail was no longer Prime Minister of the UK. She’d lost the confidence motion by 22 votes, with Secretary of Defence Dan Ogilvy replacing her as interim PM. His first act? Declaring a state of emergency in the country.

The army banished press as “normal rule of law was suspended”. And Abigail soon saw it for what it was – a coup – and gathered her loyal staff to help her expose the wrongdoers. With the military in control, she had her work cut out trying to find out who was behind the plot against her.

Who were the masked abductors, and what did they want?

The masked men were British. A crucial clue in episode 2 revealed that the leader John Shagan (played by Blue Lights actor Martin McCann) had lost a daughter. So what led him to abduct the doctors, leaving two dead?

He wanted the country “to burn”. John continued to agitate hate against the UK PM after Dalton’s husband was saved. He dressed as a policeman and broke up a peaceful protest to incite unrest. His actions subsequently led to riots on the streets, and on fatality.

As episode 4 began, public protests against Abigail Dalton intensified as backlash surrounding the NHS drugs crisis continued. Disturbances surged nationwide. In the middle of it all, John was shouting the loudest “get Abigail Dalton out”. A rowdy crowd dragged the Home Secretary from his car, and fractured his skull.

John and his loyalists were orchestrating the unrest to force her out. And it was working… As her own cabinet wanted her to leave.

In the midst of this, Abigail was grieving her dead dad – and the guilt of their hostile final encounter. Of course, she later discovered that the military group had murdered him as part of the plot against her.

Who was John Shagan?

John Shagan was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Highland Guards, as was Corporal Saskia Morgan. The unit was shut down in the MOD budget cuts and all military were discharged.

Trained military, they were far from stupid – even tricking Matheo into unknowingly taking an explosive device into number 10 Downing Street. I mean, why else would Saskia have left incriminating evidence on a laptop before fleeing?! Nope, we didn’t guess either! Sadly, French President Vivienne Toussaint died in the explosion.

We discovered that, before Abigail was PM, she was called to make a crucial decision when a situation endangering troops happened in Belize. The Foreign Secretary wasn’t available, making junior minister Abi “the most senior minister available”. The Guatemalan army invaded Belize, taking the capital, and the troops needed to be evacuated. With everyone ready to leave, Abigail had to give clearance to leave behind the Belizean locals who had assisted them. These included drivers and translators.

Of course, Abigail knew that this came with a risk – that they might be executed by those who judged them as enemy collaborators. Facing an impossible decision, Abigail made the call to get the planes in the air and save those she could. She saved British troops, but she also left local people to die.

Captain John Michael Shagan was sent on a mission to French Guiana, where he met a local girl who was a translator and became the love of his life. They got pregnant and he finally saw a future for himself. Unfortunately, the British government made the decision to pull all troops out of the area and he had to leave them behind. Then the very worst thing happened – his new love and unborn baby were shot dead on the runway. John’s fiancée was six months pregnant when she was shot, and he believed Abigail had “sentenced them both to death”.

Suffering from PTSD, depression and feeling very angry, he turned the training he’d had against those he believed were responsible.

John Shahan was ‘guilty of doing a lot of wrong things for the right reasons’

Talking about the complicated character of former soldier John Shagan, writer Matt Charman agreed with the adage that “a drama is only as good as its villain”.

He said: “In a thriller, there’s nowhere to hide if your antagonist isn’t strong. If their agenda doesn’t add up, and if you don’t believe in what they’re doing, then it falls apart. Martin McCann is fantastic as our antagonist, Shagan. With just tiny moments and gestures he slowly brings to life his pain and the reasons why he is doing what he does.

Talking about his character, actor Martin McCann added: “It’s a lot of fun to go against the grain. I enjoyed giving him some more human, redeemable qualities as well. He’s someone who’s been damaged and so his outlook is completely skewed. But, in his mind, he fully believes that his moral compass is in check. And, being a soldier, he doesn’t mind some collateral damage.”

Admitting that his character is guilty of doing a lot of ‘wrong’ things for the ‘right’ reasons, Martin admitted the moral ambiguity was fun to play around with.

He said: “When I watch a villain on TV, what really captures me is when you see someone living so recklessly that they’re risking it all. They are people who are prepared to do something that maybe we wouldn’t have the courage to do.

“The very things that made him an admirable soldier – his loyalty, his cleverness, his willingness to die for a cause – also make him dangerous. It’s the classic villain trope – something that could have been used for good has been damaged and is now being used for bad. You want to see them fall, but we don’t want to see them fall too early.”

What was General Joseph Livingstone’s motives?

General Joseph Livingstone believed it was his duty to prepare the country for a future war. He told Abigail: “Your budget cuts have shredded our military capability. In a dangerous world, you left us exposed and vulnerable. This country needs protecting – from you.”

His aim? An increase in the military budget. But first, to get the country on its knees so that suddenly everyone became “very grateful” for their intervention. Abigail guessed that Livingstone would ask for a 3% increase – which would be enough to reverse her cuts, and “safeguard the armed forces for the next 25 years”.

She called Livingstone “a traitor to your country”. While he fired back: “I’m more of a patriot than anyone in this room.”

Of course, let’s not forget that he did NOT give the order to bomb Downing Street, which led to the death of the French President. When confronted, Livingstone shouted: “I would never give that order. I wouldn’t have been so stupid to put a bomb in a laptop.”

Of course, in the heat of the moment, he gave himself away. As no one had revealed the explosive was in a laptop. General Livingstone was taking into police custody where he belonged.

Emergency powers were subsequently lifted. And the confidence motion against Abigail was void because the ministers weren’t in possession of the full facts when they voted. Abigail was Prime Minister again.

What happened to John Shagan in the Hostage ending on Netflix?

After General Livingstone was dealt with, John Shagan and his dangerous gang of former military were still on the loose. And it wasn’t long before they discovered where Abigail’s husband and daughter were staying, along with Vivienne’s stepson. Having used a tracking device, they discovered the secluded house they were taking refuge in.

Saskia quickly took down security although, rather stupidly, there’d only been one sole guard. Seeing Matheo and Sylvie in the kitchen, John told Saskia: “Kill them if you have to.”

However, if was becoming obvious that Saskia was having doubts of her own about John’s actions. And let’s not forget her former relationship with Matheo… Would she change sides?

It was Abigail that John wanted. But, of course, she wasn’t there. She was still trying to save the country. With Abi’s family now hostages, John used Alex’s phone to call Abigail, threatening her husband and daughter. He demanded she come to the house – alone.

As Abigail arrived at the house, Matheo had been able to make a silent 999 call to the police. An armed unit was dispatched. Having realised what he’d done, Saskia attacked Matheo – but she’d lost her willingness to fight. Instead, he allowed her to flee.

During a tense confrontation, John – holding a knife to Abi’s neck – told her: “I’m glad the bomb didn’t kill you Abigail. Because I’m going to gut you like you gutted me.”

As they talked, police cars surrounded the building. When John noticed, he vowed to kill everyone including himself – and he started by taking a pop at Alex who tried to overwhelm him.

Hearing shouts, a very brave Sylvie – now armed with Saskia’s gun, found her parents in the house. After John taunted her about her grandad’s murder, she pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest. A pretty good shot for a teenager with no training!

Did he die? We don’t know. But we know for sure he wouldn’t pose a problem for Abigail again.

Should Abigail have stood down in the first place?

John Shagan wanted Abigail to stand down as PM. If she had, perhaps Toussaint would never have died. So why didn’t she?

Talking to her daughter, Abigail said: “They want me to stand down. They took Alex because they think that I will give in if it comes down to a choice between this job and my family. But they don’t know who I am, who we are.

“Your dad was with me every step of the way to get here. He wouldn’t want me to surrender. Not until we were out of options.”

In response, Sylvie shot back: “You can put any kind of spin on it you want. But if anything happens to Dad, I’ll never forgive you.”

Ultimately, Abigail decided to “fight back” for her country. In a public address to the nation, she said: “My loyalties are to this country. I will not allow it to be held ransom.”

In parliament, she said: “My priority remains the safety of the British people.”

So was she right putting public service over personal interest? Well, it was a lose/lose situation whichever way you looked at it. Similarly to her choices in Belize.

Meanwhile, French President Vivienne Toussaint wasn’t about to back down either. She believed that her enemies would win if she let them “take her down”. Sadly, her decision to pull support in France resulted in her death later down the line.

Hostage on Netflix ending explained: Who was the mole leaking information to the kidnappers?

In episode 2, it became clear that the French President’s chief of staff Adrienne Pelletier was involved. She was the mole working with the masked abductors. But why?

And she was one of many “loyal” and “dedicated” people working with John Shagan. Saskia Morgan, the girlfriend of Matheo, was also in on it. In shocking scenes, she murdered Abigail’s dad Max as he lay in a hospital bed, already frail.

Although the doctor said Max had died of “complications”, the subsequent autopsy showed that someone had murdered him

Of course, it was also Saskia who leaked the incriminating footage of Vivienne and stepson Matheo in bed together. Later, John ordered “Corporal” Saskia to murder Pelletier at the French embassy, before she was able to talk. But she missed and hit a bodyguard instead.

However, when Saskia was the last remaining soldier, her conscience got the better of her. She left John to fight his battle alone.

What happened to Abigail Dalton’s chief of staff Kofi Adomako?

Kofi Adomako was suspended for having an off-shore bank account. Through his contacts at the Treasury, he received a three-day advance warning of a tax loophole that was about to vanish before the Budget was presented to the house. He made £72,000, which he used to pay for respite care during his late wife Titi’s illness.

He said after being confronted: “It was illegal, unethical, the worst decision of my life. And I’d do it all again.

At the end of Hostage, Kofi had been reinstated and was working with Abigail Dalton again.

What else happened in the Hostage ending on Netflix?

Three months after the shoot out that resulted in John’s arrest, Abigail was still PM and about to make a public address outside Downing Street. She called a general election, and promised to deliver “a radical new mandate”.

In short, she vowed to be a different sort of leader – honest.

Is there a series 2 of Hostage?

Netflix has not confirmed a series 2 of Hostage. And we think this series works perfectly as a standalone drama. Everything was wrapped up nicely at the end of series 1.

However, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love to see Suranne Jones reprise her role as Prime Minister Abigail Dalton… There’s plenty of scope for a series about a senior politician steering the country through stormy waters.

And although John Shagan had been taken down, he don’t know if he survived or not. There’s also the small matter of Saskia running free.

One thing’s for sure – if there IS a series 2 of Hostage, we’ll be watching it!

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Hostage is currently available to watch on Netflix.