Alfie Allen’s restrained turn anchors twisty teen-abduction drama Girl Taken

Girl Taken is a six-part adaptation of Hollie Overton’s 2016 novel Baby Doll on Paramount+. The series follows the abduction of 17-year-old Lily and the effect on her twin sister Abby and their mother Eve; Alfie Allen stars as Rick, the teacher who takes Lily, with Tallulah Evans as Lily, Delphi Evans as Abby and Jill Halfpenny as Eve.

The drama takes a slow, unhurried approach, the review says, focusing on the quieter, less voyeuristic aftermath of such a crime rather than showing sexual violence onscreen. It foregrounds psychological complexity: Abby’s consuming guilt after an argument that left Lily vulnerable, Eve’s functional alcoholism, and the coercive control Rick exerts over his wife and his ability to insinuate himself into the family’s life and the search for Lily. The reviewer praises Allen’s performance as restrained and notes the series builds the girls’ world so the loss is viscerally felt.

It is no spoiler, the review adds, that Lily escapes; the second half centres on her recovery and the family’s struggle to rebuild, and on the legal fight against a perpetrator who can continue to cause harm from behind bars. Girl Taken is on Paramount+ now.

Key Topics

Culture, Girl Taken, Alfie Allen, Tallulah Evans, Delphi Evans, Jill Halfpenny