Characters
Since he's my stepdad, he's technically not family; more like a hostage.
— Kat Ellis · The Wedding Date
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker draws a technical line: because he is a stepfather, he isn't really family. The wry twist is that he sounds more like a captive than a relative. The mock-legal tone and faintly grudging attitude carry the joke, whether teasing or genuinely resentful.
Context reviewed