'Captivated' Cautions: If It's 'Too Good To Be True'...

It’s time for another entry into the canon of psychological thrillers about single mothers with young sons (it’s a more common trope than you’d think). The latest take on the genre is Captivated, a four-part miniseries starring Kara Tointon (Mr. Selfridge) as Rachel, a young mother scraping by to care for her young son Liam, played by the adorable and exceptionally talented Charlie Hodson-Prior (Matilda: The Musical). Her life is turned upside down when a wealthy man offers her a well-paid position as his housekeeper. 

The series was titled Too Good to Be True on original broadcast in the UK, but even without that on-the-nose title, it’s evident that Rachel’s situation is indeed too good to be true. The first episode begins with a chilling cold opening of Rachel and her son Liam jumping into a car to flee a possible assailant shrouded in shadow. But we need to rewind before we can find out who they’re running from. 

Rachel can barely make ends meet while working multiple jobs for a cleaning agency. She brings her bright and shy young son, Liam, to work when she can’t find childcare. One day, at the hotel where she cleans, she runs into a strange man rescuing a kitten by the dumpster behind the hotel. Shortly after, a stylish and no-nonsense woman named Simone (Sara Powell) asks Rachel’s boss, Geoff (John Thomson), to hire Rachel as a cleaner for her wealthy client. Meanwhile, Rachel’s abusive ex (and Liam’s father) comes to her house, pushes her around, and shakes her down for money. 

Geoff tells Rachel about Simone’s proposition; both are suspicious Simone’s client might want more than just a housekeeper, but Geoff agrees to drive Rachel and Liam to the house. When they arrive, they discover a spotless mansion on sprawling grounds. After a tense exchange with Simone, Rachel decides this is genuine and takes the offer. The next day, Rachel explores an area of the house Simone warned her was off-limits. She discovers what appears to be a boy’s bedroom and a woman’s wardrobe full of beautiful gowns. 

Shots of Rachel wandering through the mansion are interspersed with abstract art of women’s naked bodies on display throughout the house. Not ominous at all! Even creepier, Rachel (unbeknownst to her) is being watched through a security camera. Finally, we meet Elliot, the owner of the house. He arrives home with a kitten in tow, and Rachel recognizes him as the man who rescued the kitten behind the hotel. Liam, tagging along with Rachel while on break from school, bonds with Elliot over the cat and Elliot’s vast collection of vintage cars. 

Elliot tells Rachel he was once married and has a stepson, which explains the rooms Rachel discovered. After Rachel leaves, Simone warns Elliot that Rachel has a dangerous ex and might be hiding something. If Rachel has something to hide, it can’t be worse than Elliot’s secret machinations. Rachel arrives home to find Elliot has gifted her an enormous TV and the ginger kitten. Little does she know Elliot is watching her and Liam through the TV.

The second episode continues much the same. Rachel snoops around Elliot’s house, discovering strange paperwork about mysterious burns and glimpsing Elliot in the shower. Rachel’s friend Jasmine (Taj Atwal) encourages her to make a move on Elliot. This series is not a comedy, but Jasmine and Rachel have a genuinely hilarious exchange about whether Rachel’s spying counts as sexual harassment in the workplace. Elliot invites Rachel to be his plus-one to a charity dinner party; Rachel feels awkward about not being “posh,” but Elliot talks her into saying yes. 

Their actions are careening toward the romantic, but they keep it professional at the dinner party. Then, the next day, Elliot gives Liam a car that Liam is way too young to drive. Liam is overwhelmed by the gesture, and Elliot talks him into accepting it. Are you seeing a pattern with smooth-talking Elliot yet? Every time he oversteps boundaries, whether financial or emotional, he has the perfect line at the ready to smooth over the situation. Rachel questions his motives, but he tells her he doesn’t see her as a charity case. Eventually, he reveals that he lost his parents in a fire when he was Liam’s age, and Rachel reminds him of his mom. Don’t think too hard about that when Rachel and Elliot finally hook up. That night, Elliot wakes up to watch Liam sleep. 

This would seem like a straightforward and predictable tale of manipulation by a man with a twisted backstory if it wasn’t for Simone, Elliot’s assistant. These first two episodes want viewers to focus on questioning Elliot’s past, but Simone is the real question mark. Who is she really? What does she know about Elliot and Rachel’s past? What is she getting out of this? It’s quite possible that Simone is pulling all the strings, or at least helping Elliot pull them–but why? The answers hopefully lie in the second half of the series.

Captivated is streaming now on BritBox.