Yes, we have already had one child abduction thriller in the last couple of months with All Her Fault, but TV is evidently intent on terrorising parents because there’s already another one on the box.
Based on Hollie Overton’s novel Baby Doll, the new Paramount Plus drama Girl Taken stars Alfie Allen as a thoroughly creepy teacher, wearing the standard-issue serial killer glasses (think Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones), who kidnaps one half of the local Riser twins.
Schoolgirl Lily Riser (played by Tallulah Evans) is abducted aged 17, leaving her twin Abby (Tallulah’s real-life sister Delphi) with devastating unanswered questions.
The Riser family, which includes Jill Halfpenny as the mourning matriarch, and the small town they live in are consumed with the search for Lily. But years pass.
Then, five years later, Lily makes a miraculous escape from captivity and returns home, albeit having been completely changed by her horrific ordeal.
The identity of Lily’s captor is revealed to be Rick Hansen (Game of Thrones star Allen), shocking the town, given that he had been a backbone of the community. They might now know who was responsible for the abduction, but he’s still at large somewhere.
The show currently holds an 80 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with write-ups praising Allen’s low-key performance in particular.
The six-parter has also been met with a selection of rave reviews from the general TV-watching public, with all episodes already available to gulp in one go.
There might be a few naysayers who weren’t happy with the lack of plausibility, but the fans have drowned out the haters over on IMDb.
@Aoiremacaonra described the drama as a ‘terrifying’ watch, adding: ‘Alfie Allen makes my blood crawl and the actress playing the girl taken is excellent too.
What other thrillers can you stream?
- All Her Fault. A couple’s life is knocked sideways when their young son Milo is abducted.
- His & Hers. The show stars Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson as a pair of estranged spouses who are both trying to solve a murder where they believe the other is the prime suspect.
- Red Eye. DS Hana is called upon to investigate the shady murder of an American diplomatic courier at Heathrow. The case soon takes her to the US Embassy, where the special relationship is going sour.
- The Night Manager. Tom Hiddleston returns as Jonathan Pine in the BBC series after 10 years. Well worth the wait.
‘Episode 2 and 3 will stick with me for a long time – very dark but also very engrossing. The supporting cast is very good across the board also.’
Meanwhile, @BrianE-43 wrote: ‘If you like psychological thrillers with emotional weight and compelling acting rather than high-octane plot gimmicks, Girl Taken is worth watching.
‘It’s unsettling and thoughtful – intense but more reflective than formulaic.’
They added: ‘The show has strong performances, particularly from Alfie Allen as the kidnapper and the twin leads (Evans girls) grounding the intense material with depth and realism. Nice to see some new, young British talent emerging!’
Is Girl Taken one for your watchlist?
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Definitely
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Sounds too creepy for me
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I'm undecided
Girl Taken is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
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