Those are the documentaries I'd pay to see. But Captive only scratches the surface of the subjects that I find much more enthralling — and, at the risk of sounding uppity, intellectually stimulating. Captive would be a much more rewarding, memorable experience for audiences if it focused more on social and global contexts of particular crimes — using each hostage situation as a vivid examples of the devastating human effects of the institutional failings that drive people to desperation across the globe.

Perhaps that's for another series entirely. But I can't help but feel that Captive would have had more time to explore those broader topics if it didn't waste so much valuable screen time on the totally unnecessary dramatic re-enactments. The depth and breadth of the intimate interviews alone paint a vivid picture and create a compelling narrative that's suspenseful in itself.

So the splicing in of hazy, slow-motion close-ups of actors' hands and eyes begins to feel gratuitous and distracting; frankly, I'd go so far as to say it indicates a lack of confidence on the part of the filmmakers — specifically in the viewers, who are presumed to lack the imagination to envision the simplest of scenes. But it also signals a seeming lack of self-confidence in the ability to pull off Captive without a heavy hand, as though the series' producers didn't believe the rest of their work stands strongly enough on its own. When you're telling a story about what is already quite literally a life-or-death situation, that's enough.

Captive is available to stream on Netflix as of Friday, December 9.