This show is absolutely unhinged… and I’m loving every second of it.
It’s been a while since there’s been a show so meticulously crafted, keeping twists and turns close to the chest and keeping fans—and passengers, in this case—on the edge of their seats. Plane dramas have a natural thill factor to them since no one ever wants to be on a plane when an incident, any incident, occurs, but even with something as hair-raising as a hijacking, without the proper story development and writing, this could’ve easily taken a nose-dive… pun-intended…. as the setting doesn’t change and there aren’t many external obstacles providing momentum and conflict.
Instead, Hijack chose to make the things that could easily work against them work for them, turning the heat up on the anxieties felt throughout the passengers, including the hijackers, while morphing the plane into a ticking time bomb of sorts. There’s absolutely no way to predict what’s going to happen next when everything is so uncertain and the people on the plane find themselves in a somewhat unprecedented situation. Even the hijackers themselves don’t seem to be confident in what’s to come as they are taking orders, somewhat blindly, from the ground. The texts come few and far between, but while they seem to be following a well-orchestrated plan, there’s plenty of room for error as there’s no way of anticipating passengers’ behavior or their own feelings of anger, guilt, frustration, fear, and panic exploding and changing the course of the plan.
And then, there’s the ultimate twist—a part of the plan that’s seemingly been kept from the hijackers themselves that turns this whole operation into something else entirely, though it’s unclear what at the current moment, as we descend into the season finale.
Hijack Season 1 Episode 6 featured the most action on the ground as we’ve seen this whole time, underscoring just how much reach and pull Edgar and John actually have. While negotiating with terrorists was never something the Home Secretary or anyone in the government actually wanted to do, it wasn’t so black and white as they would’ve liked. The tactics they deployed, referred to as “comply slowly,” were anticipated by the criminal masterminds, so upon being released from prison, they immediately held the upper hand and were always one step ahead of the civil forces and national government agencies.
The thing that’s so striking to me is that Edgar and John are very smart and capable, yet the people they sent into the plane definitely don’t share the same level of intellect. Why is it that Sam had to step up and remind them that they already had a dead body that they could send a photo of as leverage versus killing yet another innocent person? These are the kinds of things you should probably be able to figure out on your own if you’re operating at this level and leading the charge on a plane hijacking… but alas, this also seems to be a thought-through part of the plan, further proving how crafty Edgar and John are.
When the woman passenger, who we’ve only seen in passing in episodes and who hasn’t even been on our radar, appeared out of the bathroom and put a bullet in the captain’s head before locking herself in the cockpit, well, I don’t think anyone, including Stuart and his goons, saw it coming.
The moment happened just after Edgar sent the “NOW” text message, alluding to the fact that she’s on his payroll and has been a silent player up until the moment she was activated with a rather pressing job to fulfill. She didn’t have to kill the captain in order to take over the cockpit, however, so it makes me wonder if he has a bigger connection to all of this as they also used his affair as leverage when the hijacking initially began.
Might I add that all of this could’ve been avoided had the pilot mustered up the courage to simply run to the cockpit and re-claim the plane when the opportunity presented itself. In life or death situations, you have to act, especially after the man carrying everyone’s safety solely on his back—yes, Sam—rallies the troops to “get ready to shake things up.” This was the moment and swift action was needed. The captain froze, and it cost him his life. Sam had Stuart in his grasp and in a chokehold, while the other passenger clocked a bag over Terry’s head, and they truly needed everyone’s participation to be able to stand a chance.
Hugo, especially, should’ve stepped up considering he’s seen Sam in action plenty of times and knows they’ve extinguished all their options of playing it safe. Where is his adrenaline rush? Does he not feel a sense of responsibility? This is truly what separates the heroes from the zeroes—and I know that’s harsh, but it’s true.
But with this new twist, it’s unclear where they stand or what the orders are, though it seems that if Edgar and John aren’t able to get away with their masterplan—and have the government look the other way—that the unidentified (for now) woman will likely fly the plane right into the ground. That seems to be my understanding, at least. How will Sam use his skills to navigate this intensifying situation?
At every turn, Edgar and John made it clear that they aren’t playing, though the government agencies didn’t seem to take their threats as seriously as they should’ve. It’s one thing for the hijackers to lack common sense, but I surely expected the forces that are trying to prevent this from being a national incident to have a bit more knowledge on how to play the game. When they “lost sight” of the vehicle in the woods, it was clear that they were going to swap cars during this “blind window” and that the people arriving at the airport were decoys. How is that not a thought that crossed anyone’s mind in the room where it happens?
Every part of this was calculated and premeditated by the criminals, so they needed to lead the watching eyes in one direction while they continued on with the true plan. It’s Crime 101. This scene was beyond frustrating as my faith in the powers at be faded; you never want criminals to outsmart those who are in place to protect and serve.
However, it’s also a commentary on why you can’t always rely on those in power to help you out of a bind. The passengers on KA29 had no insight into what was happening on the ground or what the government’s strategy was, nor could they rely on it, so they had to take matters into their own hands. They exhausted every other option in terms of playing nice as it was clear that Stuart was acting on orders that he couldn’t refuse, so fighting back was all that was left.
Admittedly, the cleverness of their communication and getting on the same page is one of the most entertaining parts of the episode, as is seeing them use everyday objects as full-on weapons, including that one woman’s hair clip. Never underestimate the power of hair accessories as an object of self-defense.
I also feel inclined to point out that the children on the plane are absolute angels because if my child was on that flight (who is arguably a lot younger than the only two girls on board), he’d be screaming and crying throughout, especially when Stuart warned that the next person to make a sound is executed. Maybe they purposefully picked a flight where the manifest reflected minimal children aboard? I know that holds no weight on the series or its outcome, but as a mom, it’s something that I noticed.
Now the question remains—are the hijackers now hijacked? Will they work with the passengers to ensure that they make it safely to London?
How will the government proceed now that they’ve lost sight of Edgar and John and have no way of knowing what their next move is? Will they finally get on the same page now that the hijacking has made its way to the public? And if I’m not mistaken, Devlin, the man who framed Felix and forced him to leak the news to the public by threatening to expose him as a fraud for insider trading, is the same man who gave the Home Secretary the list of demands. Does that mean Edgar and John have pull within the government?
There’s also Kai, who is trying his best to fly under the radar while the two hitmen stake out his father’s house. This scene simply upped the anxiety factor, and I found myself yelling “Sneak out through the window” several times throughout. Thankfully, it seems like Kai has inherited his father’s “skills,” at least somewhat, as he found a way to alert the police, which will hopefully scare them away and allow him to escape unharmed and warn his mother.
Speaking of Marsha, I know Daniel is busy with his shoddy tailing of Edgar and John, but I wish he’d find some time to update her on what’s going on since she’s in danger (I understand he doesn’t know that part, but still) and is the one who informed him about the hijacking in the first place.
What did you think of the penultimate episode of Hijack? Will this plane land smoothly come Hijack Season 1 Episode 7? Will Sam and Stuart turn into partners working toward a common goal?