Hijack Review (Episodes 1-2): Apple TV+ Hijack is directed by Jim Field Smith and written by George Kay. It stars Idris Elba as corporate negotiator Sam Nelson, who is onboard a plane that is hijacked. The cast also includes Christine Adams as Marsha Nelson (Sam’s ex-wife), Ben Miles as Captain Robin Allen, Kaisa Hammarlund as first officer Anna Kovacs, and Neil Maskell as Stuart, the negotiator on behalf of the hijackers.
Apple TV+ released the first two episodes of the show, with each one having a run time of around 42 minutes. Considering that the events of the show will take place in real time, we can expect to feel the helplessness that comes with being stuck inside a plane with people with guns roaming around. Although I hope no one has to undergo this, a good story always manages to bring out the intended effect in the audience. Will Hijack be able to do this? Seems to. Here’s how.
Hijack Plot
When Sam Nelson boards the Kingdom Airlines flight KA29 from Dubai to Heathrow, he has no idea what is about to go down. Soon, multiple assailants with guns take over the 7-hour flight. The only way to find out what the hijackers’ intentions are is to cooperate with them. Being a negotiator by profession, Sam has to use his skills to ensure that none of the passengers are hurt. How successful will he be in this endeavour?
Hijack Episode 1 Review
Sam Nelson is coming to meet his ex-wife Marsha in London from Dubai. But things do not go as planned. A girl finds a bullet in the lavatory. This speeds things up for a handful of people who seem to be planning on something. What first seems like an unusual conversation between two guys (Stuart and Terry) turns into a full-blown hijack situation. And all of it happens in front of Sam, who, despite the gravity of the situation, appears to be calm and composed. He even texts Marsha that he will reach home soon. It feels as if he has already figured out what he has to do.
The pilots are held at gunpoint and told to retrieve their “security incident” report to Dubai ATC as a false alarm. This comes as a result of the captain, Robin Allen, being forced to unlock the cockpit door because Colette, one of the air hostesses and the woman he is having an affair with, is being held at gunpoint. Well, there’s no one who can hold out under those circumstances.
Abdullah, who received the distress message from flight KA29 at Dubai ATC, isn’t convinced by the false alarm claim. He wonders if something is wrong. Sometimes, the instinct sticks. Meanwhile, Neela, one of the ground staff at the check-in at the Dubai airport, has to rush back home after a stressful call from her husband.
This somehow feels like a part of what’s happening on the plane. Is she another pawn? If she is, then the hijackers have a more elaborate plan than it seems. Sam has to come out with his own plan and find out how to keep the passengers safe. While we are breaking our heads about this, Sam makes Stuart an offer.
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Hijack Episode 2 Review
Daniel, Marsha’s present partner, contacts Zahra, his ex, who works in the Counter Terrorism Command. She takes the issue up from CTC to Heathrow ATC to Dubai ATC, which confirms that it was a false alarm. Daniel informs Marsha, who seems to have become annoyed and upset with Sam for seemingly having lied about such an issue.
While she and her son breathe a sigh of relief, they have zero idea what’s going on with Sam. Abdullah finds out that Neela left early after calling in sick and so decides to visit her. There, he is shot by a couple of British guys posing as housecleaning staff. They have also killed Neela and her husband Senil. They must have taken their child, who is nowhere to be seen.
Sam has a persuasive way with words and finally manages to get Stuart to listen to him. He uses the auto-pilot theory to bring Robin out of the cockpit and manages to send him back in to speak to the Iraq ATC, which, if it doesn’t get any reply, will be forced to scramble jets that have the potential to shoot down KA29.
Robin uses this opportunity to try and send a signal to the ground authorities without the assailants knowing about it. Alice Sinclair, who works at Heathrow ATC, has already had her doubts after coming to know about the security incident and false alarm as reported by KA29. She reaches out to her supervisor Simon who then calls up Iraq ATC, who shares the flight’s path with them. This is when Alice spots something. It is supposed to be a distress signal and proof that something is indeed wrong.
Hijack Review (Episode 1-2): Final Thoughts
Sam Nelson isn’t one to rush things. His profession is one of patience, and the kind of experience he has had in handling negotiations is what he has to put to the test to prevent any kind of compromise to the lives of all the passengers. Captain Robin Allen is cooperating, which is a good thing. But it will only take one wrong move by a single passenger to make the matter worse.
I must admit that after a long time, I’m enjoying a hijack drama where the very silence of the aircraft, flying thousands of feet high, is given a role. Technically speaking, there is no communication with the ground. No one knows what’s going to happen next, and Sam has even managed to put this fear inside the hijackers. But Sam is yet to find out what the hijackers intend to do.
Idris Elba does a good job as Sam Nelson. The tension and composure that he is able to bring to his character is palpable. While there have been developments in the plot, the most significant one being the shift in the plane’s course, which was a great move plot-wise, what we are yet to know is what the hijackers want and why Abdullah, Neela, and Senil were killed. We will have to wait for the upcoming episodes for these answers and more.
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