'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.