As if the stakes weren’t already high enough on Hostages, Duncan’s "Invisible Leash" has taken this unusual hostage situation to another level.

While we haven’t learned much more about what motivations are truly behind Duncan apprehending this family, we’re starting to get a better idea of just what lengths he plans on going to in order to accomplish his mysterious mission.

At the end of the premiere, Ellen made a daring move by slipping the President blood thinners in an attempt to get the surgery scrapped and by herself and her family more time.

From the looks of things starting out, it was hard not to think Duncan was really going to start shooting her family in cold blood. Then again, as the episode progressed, it was obvious that Duncan has no greater desire than to keep this plot as obscured as possible, willing to implicate close friends to do so.

But there's something interesting to note about Duncan’s mindset here. He was insistent that Ellen be the one to shoot one of her family members in that basement. Yet when the time came to really off someone - or so we have been led to believe so far - Duncan wasn’t the one to do the dirty work.

You're probably wondering why I was so quick to say that Angela’s apparent suicide is just that: apparent. There is a reason I’m holding out hope she’s still alive, and it all has to do with Duncan’s admitted approach to this hostage situation, which he revealed during the episode.

During his interview at the Bureau regarding his decision to shoot the captor despite his appearance as a hostage, Duncan revealed that he’s very keen to the psychology of a hostage situation. As a result, he could have very well orchestrated Angela’s suicide while she remains locked or hidden away somewhere. No body, no crime.

If there’s one thing this show deserves some serious credit for, it’s the anxiety it causes me each week. I am constantly on the edge of my seat as if this was a real thing taking place on my television screen. It’s also fairly realistic in the actual mind games Duncan is playing on these characters.

I'm willing to bet those GPS trackers he had Ellen implant do not actually have any such power. I might buy that Duncan and his fellow hostage takers have eyes and ears everywhere, both human and electronic.

With that, I’d like to officially offer my prediction of the week, which has to do with Sandrine: Given her suspicion of Duncan and the operation, I’m thinking she might flip somewhere down the line and start working against Duncan. Might be too early to call, but it’s definitely worth throwing out there.

Before I close out, I’d like to officially welcome One Tree Hill aand more recently White Collar alum Hilarie Burton to the show. I know I’m going to miss her terribly in USA Network land, but am glad to see her getting screen time elsewhere.

C. Charles is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.