The Hostages
After the cliffhanger last time, episode 3 of Inhuman Resources starts with Alain deciding to give up on the job but still heading to the staged event, this time with different methods. As he arrives in the building, he sees that only one other potential recruiter is there: Constance Rivet, Lacoste’s friend. The latter and Fontana show them around and where it will all happen. Fontana then takes them to a room underground with multiple screens where both him and Rivet will be able to watch the events and communicate to Fontana around what he should ask them. Alexandre comes in next to introduce himself before they start. Nicole, who has been staying with her daughter, speaks to her about the situation. Mathilde worries about her father paying them back so Nicole reassures her that her father is someone they can count on. Before going back home, she tells her daughter that he will hopefully get the job and everything will go back to normal. Back in the building, Fontana and his group get ready while the four candidates arrive in the conference room. Alexandre starts the meeting and speaks casually until the fake terrorist group arrives and starts threatening them. They don’t waste anytime and shoot Alexandre first in the chest before making them stand against the windows. As we switch to the surveillance room, we see that Alexandre being shot was also staged as he returns to Lacoste and the others. The hostage takers carry on terrorizing the candidates while searching them. Alain tells Fontana to leave them alone for a while to see how they react. Clementine soon notices the camera and shows the others which make them realize they are being watched. Gueneau tells them he still has his phone which prompts an argument between each other about whether they should call the police. When the hostage takers return to the room, they see the phone and as Gueneau admits being the owner, they take him away. From the surveillance room, Alain dictates to Fontana what to say. He mentions his family and if he is lying to his wife about anything. He then asks him to undress and we see that he is wearing very provocative underwear. Mentioning that he has been involved with bribery, they bring his laptop, demanding that he gives them something or they’ll send a picture of him to his family. As he starts typing though, he quickly grabs Fontana’s gun but they manage to stop him and bring him back to the meeting room. In the surveillance room, after deliberating what to do next, Alain suddenly gets his gun out and threatens Alexandre, Bertrand and Constance, telling them he is the one in charge now. He leads them out to the meeting room to join the rest of the hostages. He then repeats the lessons Karminski taught him and takes charge of the situation. After all the hostages are sitting against the window, Alexandre asks Alain exactly what he wants. He tells them he wants a job as he has done everything to get it but was lied to. He then takes it out on Bertrand, kicking him on the floor before revealing to everyone what he did with Rivet. Alexandre asks him again what he wants so Alain asks how many people he is planning to fire in Beauvais. He decides to shoot the camera and as Fontana gets up to stop him, Alain shoots him in the leg. Suddenly, Cousin manages to run from the room. Alain goes after him and we hear a gun shot outside the room. At the same time, the police, tactical unit and a negotiator named Patrice get ready. We then see that Cousin has managed to escape and is being questioned by Patrice. Back in the building, one of the hostages sees a sniper arriving in the adjoining building. Patrice calls Alain in the room and asks what he wants so Alain again explains that he wants a job. Patrice tells him he will have to release the women and the injured first. However, he doesn’t comply and shoots at the window instead. After the sniper almost manages to get a clear shot, the phone rings again and this time, it is Nicole talking. Alain gets emotional but doesn’t stay on the phone, shooting it down then leaving the room. The hostages follow suit and head down the stairs while the tactical police arrive too. Outside, Lucie arrives and tells Patrice that she is also her father’s lawyer. Patrice tells her that his job is to get him out alive but the first victims are the hostages and they are the priorities. We then see them heading out but Alain is nowhere to be seen so the police carry on their search in the building. As they reach the surveillance room, they see him on one of the monitors, alone on the 17th floor turning the cameras off. They reach the room, order him to hand himself in and to put his weapon down. As he does, they arrest him and take him away. When they take Alain outside, Nicole tries to reach him but she is stopped. The episode ends with Alexandre calling Fontana from his office, telling him they have a problem, which is where the episode ends. What an explosive episode! The show has wasted little time getting to the meat of its plot, with little in the way of fatty filler and has given a fast paced and thrilling journey so far, advancing the story with each chapter. Alain has taken the next step with turning the situation to his advantage and taking charge as the hostage taker himself. This was quite the twist but now that he has already been taken, it will be interesting to see what will happen to him next. As a small gripe, it would have been nice to see more of the personal information for the candidates used against them, as we only see Gueueau being traumatized. Still, it’s a minor point as the show continues cleverly instilling the right amount of suspense and a good narrative throughout.
