Hostage season 1, which premiered on August 21, 2025, in the UK, is a political thriller that looks into a conspiracy unfolding within the corridors of power. At its core, the Netflix series revolves around Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones), the Prime Minister of the UK, who becomes embroiled in a deadly game of political manipulation and survival.With a possible terrorist attack as the backdrop, the show quickly turns into a web of personal betrayals, long-buried secrets, and a fight for political power. As the drama intensifies, the characters face tough moral choices, and every choice they make puts them in more danger.At first, it seems like there is a plan to terrorize Abigail. Soon, the story quickly turns into something more complicated and personal. The incidents of the story change Abigail's political future and the future of her family.Shagan, a former soldier with deep ties to Abigail's past, is revealed to be behind the kidnapping and the terror plot against the Prime Minister.Hostage season 1: The kidnapper revealedHostage season 1 (Image via Netflix)Martin McCann plays Shagan, a soldier who served in Belize and experienced a terrible event that changed his life. His mental health problems and depression caused him to be medically downgraded, which is what made him lose hope.Shagan feels angry and betrayed because of a choice Abigail made many years ago. As a junior minister, she told British troops to leave, but she left behind local allies who were sure to die. One of those left behind was Shagan's fiancée, a translator, who was killed in battle.When Shagan comes into the story, he goes from being a simple bad guy to a man trying to figure out what he did wrong. It is certainly a smart move when he decides to hold Abigail's family hostage. He also strongly feels that justice should be served.The original plan for Shagan was to blow up Downing Street, but when he finds out that Abigail is still alive, his plan changes.The kidnapping: A turning point in Hostage season 1The involvement of the kidnapper is important to the plot of Hostage season 1. Shagan holds Abigail's family hostage, making her reflect on the choices she made in the past. Shagan makes things worse by telling Abigail to come to the house where he is holding her family members hostage with knives.Abigail's daughter, Sylvie, is the one he picks on, which starts a heated emotional conflict that ends with Sylvie killing Shagan. A shocking event builds up the tension to a peak, bringing home the personal stakes of the political drama and giving the show its climax.The fallout of Shagan's actionsA still from Hostage season 1 (Image via Netflix)Shagan's role in the larger plot is about power, loyalty, and making sacrifices. The betrayal is linked to a bigger political plan through his relationship with General Livingstone (Mark Lewis Jones), a military officer.Livingstone was angry that Abigail was cutting the military budget, so he had been planning her downfall for months, using Shagan as a pawn in his game. However, Shagan's actions are more than just political manipulation, though. They are deeply personal and a result of years of unresolved pain. The main idea of the play is that small grudges can lead to bigger political problems.The last few minutes of Shagan's life are both sad and freeing. Both the characters and the audience will remember his death for a long time. Sylvie shoots him after he makes fun of her about her grandfather's death.Hostage season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.