Hostage episode 4 recap: who is assassinated? (Spoilers)

Hostage, a brand-new political thriller on Netflix, sees Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) swept into a plot of kidnapping and blackmail that threatens her role as Prime Minister as she meets with the French President, Toussaint.

As the two women head into political battle, it appears the threat is far greater than each other. During the French President's visit to Downing Street, the pair become embroiled in a terrifying plot that could destroy everything they've worked so hard to build.

As Abigail's husband, Alex, is kidnapped, Toussaint finds herself blackmailed into a stalemate that leaves each head of state faltering.

But, can they unravel the truth before it jeopardises their entire careers, their loved ones and even themselves? Spoilers to follow.

Here's a recap of everything that happened in Hostage episode 4.

The penultimate episode opens on several news reports on the growing protests across the country against Abigail and the NHS crisis. The protests want Abigail out of office and say she’s been distracted by saving her husband. The protests are violent with fights breaking out, riot police and fires burning. The Home Secretary is being driven through the streets at night and comes across a protest led by the masked gunman in civilian clothing. They swarm his car, stopping him from escaping. They smash the windows and drag him out of the car, beating him violently on the floor as they chant: “Dalton out!”

Meanwhile, Abigail is at the mortuary to identify her father’s body. She cries and apologises to him. Sylvie helps her pack away his things. Abigail tells Ayesha that she wants to stay at the hospital for a while, but Ayesha tells her the Home Secretary has been attacked. At a Cabinet meeting, the MPs discuss what has happened and tell Abigail the Home Secretary has a bleed on the brain. Dan argues that order has gone and the public fear they’re being put at risk because Abigail won’t resign. Another MP argues that Abigail is protected, but no one else is. Even Dan says that while Abigail has recovered her husband, the country has suffered. He tells her the Cabinet all agree that she should step down.

Abigail tells them they don’t know what they’re dealing with and that many things are unresolved, like who the men were that posed as police at Attaf’s vigil. She tells them all that everything they’re doing is to force her out like kidnapping Alex, blackmailing Toussaint, and, she admits, she thinks they murdered her father. She calls them terrorists and says they can’t let them win. Again, she refuses to go. The other MPs say they support Dan for interim PM. Abigail says to Dan if they want her to leave, she’ll have to be dragged out.

After, Ayesha shows Abigail the news as reports are now circulating with the video of Toussaint and her stepson, Matheo, in bed together. Abigail says she needs the car and Ayesha tells her Alex will be arriving soon, but Abigail says she’ll be there. Meanwhile, Matheo wakes up with the press gathering outside his home. He has multiple messages and missed calls. Matheo reads the news and packs a bag, escaping out onto the roof. The masked gunman follows him when he reaches the street below.

Elsewhere, Toussaint arrives to find her husband, Elias, who has gathered his team. He wants to leave and asks why she doesn’t have her luggage, to which Toussaint says she can’t go until she has answers from Pelletier. Elias says they need to save her campaign. He instructs his VP of Media, April, to ask his wife questions. She begins by asking if Toussaint ever bought Matheo gifts, paid for by her office. She answers, no. April then asks if Toussaint could be pregnant with Matheo’s child and she’s angry at Elias, saying she doesn’t want to play his games. She says the real story is that her and Abigail are being targeted and they should be finding those people. Elias isn’t interested.

Toussaint dismisses Elias’s team and he sarcastically suggests they form a coalition with Desmaris. Instead, she tells him it’s over between them and she wants a divorce. Elias tells her Matheo isn’t worth throwing everything away for and she says it’s not about him. He tells her she wouldn’t even be President if it wasn’t for him and she defends herself. Instead, she says, she’s going to find out the truth. Elias is angry as Toussaint walks away.

Kofi is gardening and listening to the news on the radio about Toussaint’s affair. Suddenly, Abigail arrives at his home. He wants to know what she’s doing there, so she tells him that MI5 has finished their report on him. She tells him she knows about the tax loophole he used that his friends at the Treasury told him about, which made him £72,000. She asks him what he spent it on, to which he reveals he used it on his wife, Titi’s, respite care when she was ill.

He says while it was the worst decision of his life, he’d do it again. Abigail asks for his help and explains that Dan Ogilvy is trying to replace her with the Cabinet’s support. She thinks there’s a link and explains the kidnappers were British. She wonders if they’re ex-military and with Dan being the Secretary of Defence, it could be him. She asks Kofi to look into it. He agrees. Abigail receives a call that Alex’s plane has just landed.

At an RAF base, Alex is getting a medical examination. Abigail and Sylvie arrive for an emotional reunion. Alex can see Abigail’s upset and asks what’s happened, to which Sylvie explains that her grandad died the previous night. He holds them and asks Sylvie if he can speak to Abigail alone. Abigail explains to Alex that there’ll be an autopsy, but she thinks it was the same people that kidnapped him that killed her father. She wants Alex to speak to the intelligence team as a man called her and said he knew of the rescue and that the country had to burn.

It cuts to the lead gunman still following Matheo. He watches him sit down on a bench and Matheo takes out Saskia’s laptop. He finds a file titled ‘Matheo’ and looks at surveillance photos, including the video of him with Toussaint. Meanwhile, Saskia is outside the French embassy as Toussaint arrives. She speaks through her earpiece to the gunman and tells him what’s happening. He tells her Toussaint is going to question Pelletier. Saskia says she won’t talk, but the gunman thinks Pelletier could hand over their names. He tells her she knows what she needs to do, to which she argues Pelletier's one of them. He tells her it’s an order and calls her Corporal. Saskia looks up at an open window to shoot from. Matheo continues on the move.

Inside the French embassy, Pelletier is being questioned, but she won't say anything. Toussaint enters and the woman stops the recording. She tells her Pelletier is not talking, apart from asking for coffee. Toussaint says she should get her a coffee then, dismissing her. Toussaint sits down alone with Pelletier and demands a name. Elsewhere, Abigail enters the situation room with Alex. General Livingston is there and wants to ask Alex some questions. Back with Pelletier, she still refuses to talk. Toussaint asks her when she started to betray the country, to which Pelletier replies that it’s Toussaint that is doing that. She calls her a fraud and says she doesn’t stand for anything anymore.

Alex listens to the phone call to Abigail. Again, he speaks of how Pelletier is one of many. Now, Pelletier is talking and angry. She tells Toussaint she won’t let her children grow up with corrupt politicians. When Livingston asks Alex if he recognises the voice, Alex is visibly upset. Abigail asks for a moment alone. Toussaint asks Pelletier for a name and says she won’t even be able to raise her kids if she doesn’t, or she’ll only see them in prison.

Meanwhile, Saskia readies her gun. Abigail asks Alex about the voice and he tells her it's the man who killed Jacobs, even though Alex begged him to stop and let them go. He explains that he told the man he had a daughter and the man replied: “So did I.” Again, Toussaint asks Pelletier for a name. This time, she says she will give her one if she can see her family. Toussaint and Pelletier leave with Pelletier in handcuffs, but Saskia has her in her line of sight. Saskia falters and shoots one of the bodyguards instead of Pelletier. Panicking, the rest of the bodyguards protect them and get them inside a car, driving off quickly. Again, Toussaint asks for a name.

At Downing Street, Abigail is on the phone demanding more time before they vote her out. Ayesha enters and tells her about the shots fired outside the French embassy. Toussaint is on her way there. She arrives to lots of press waiting outside and goes in to see Abigail. She immediately tells her of the attempted murder of Pelletier. She explains she’s sent her on a plane back to Paris, but not before she got a name from her, Shagan. She couldn't tell Toussaint who he was working for, but he didn’t want Abigail and Toussaint working together. She says she’ll give her the drugs, but they have to make a deal now before they lose control. Abigail says she’s losing support as they speak. Abigail says she’ll pull the negotiating team back in.

Toussaint answers a call from Matheo and he tells her about Saskia’s laptop and that she took surveillance photos of him before they even met. He says he needs to meet with her immediately to tell her more. But, Shagan is following him. At Downing Street, the deal is made and Abigail hands it to Zadie to get out immediately. She runs. Matheo arrives at Downing Street and Shagan looks through his many fake official badges using a press card to gain access. Abigail and Toussaint go out to speak to the press. She reveals they’ve signed an emergency NHS drug agreement for the supply of drugs, arriving in the next 24 hours. Ayesha leads Matheo up the stairs inside. Simon Kingsley, the reporter, wants to know what the French get in return, to which Toussaint replies nothing.

She reveals while she came seeking French guard on British soil, she was led to believe that’s what it would take for her to win the next election. But, she says she was listening to the wrong people and that she forgot who she was. Now, she wants to be truthful and she says the truth is that if Abigail is removed from office, the people targeting them will have won. Shagan moves through the crowd of press. Abigail pleads to anyone who has been violent to reconsider what they’re doing. As she speaks, Shagan reaches into his bag. He pulls out a camera and takes her photo. She says she wants to continue protecting her country and to continue with the agreement. They step back inside together.

Ayesha immediately brings Matheo to meet with them and tells Abigail that Kofi is on the phone. Toussaint tells Matheo she’s divorcing his father, so she can listen to herself. He shows her the laptop. Abigail speaks to Kofi who reveals he’s looked through the Ministry of Defence budget during Dan Ogilvy’s period, cutting spending, exactly as she asked. He can’t find any evidence it’s him behind this all. Ayesha interrupts to say the no-confidence ballot is being announced. Abigail tells Kofi to look for the name Shagan and find out what he can. He wishes her good luck.

Alex and Sylvie come to meet Abigail for the results of the ballot. Tristan listens on the phone. He stares at Abigail nervously. After, Abigail goes to Toussaint and reveals she lost the motion by 22 votes. She only has a few hours left in office. Toussaint apologises to her, but she still wants to find who’s doing this. Matheo reveals the laptop to Abigail. He explains while his girlfriend's name is Saskia Morgan, she said she’s not on social media. But, his friend found a deleted profile under Corporal Saskia Morgan, 3rd Battalion of the Highland Guards. They don’t know who she was messaging, but they have the messages instructing her to head to Abigail’s father’s hospital room.

Ayesha shows Abigail that the 3rd Battalion was shut down in the recent MOD cuts. But, the camera on the laptop is live and Shagan is watching. He starts to dial a code into his phone. Abigail asks Matheo why Saskia would leave the laptop behind. Shagan enters the code and detonates the bomb hidden inside the laptop. Toussaint pushes Matheo aside as the laptop explodes. The press and police officers scream outside and Alex and Sylvie run downstairs. Shagan simply stands there as the chaos unfolds.

Alex searches desperately for Abigail as Shagan walks calmly away. He finds Ayesha on the ground, but she doesn’t know where Abigail is. Alex finds her under rubble, unconscious. She’s still breathing and he manages to bring her round. The police enter Downing Street and start pulling out Matheo and Ayesha. Abigail climbs over to Toussaint, but she’s bleeding. Alex checks her pulse and she’s dead.

All episodes of Hostage are available to stream on Netflix.