Hijack Season 1 Episode 7 Recap

Episode 7: Brace Brace Brace – In the opening seconds of the finale, Amanda Taunton (Holly Aird) has taken control of the cockpit, deleted KA29’s flight log, and set a new heading. Bad only gets worse in the cabin when it’s revealed that Stuart Atterton (Neil Maskell) has gained the upper hand in his struggle with Sam Nelson (Idris Elba). Although held at gunpoint, it is Sam that once again does the questioning. Stuart has no clue what has just transpired. He doesn’t even know that it was the pilot, Robin Allen (Ben Miles) that was gunned down. With Terry (Jasper Britton) being asphyxiated by Jonty (James Burrows) and Jaden (Mohamed Elsandel) being subdued from behind by Nasir (Nebras Jamali), the passengers are quickly gaining control of the plane. Colette (Kate Phillips) has even started working on releasing Gary (Paul Hickey) and Eddie (Grant Burgin) when the head of the crew, Deevia Khan (Zora Bishop) arrives on the scene to inform them of what has just transpired. Sam not only gets Stuart to admit that he has one of only two loaded weapons on board, but he gets the man to hand it over, willingly. With the loaded gun in hand, Sam manages to dissuade the stampeding passengers.

Much to his credit, Jonty does attempt to wound Sam with a leg shot, but this only reveals why Sam is so confident, he has the loaded weapon. Pointing this out, Sam declares the hijacking officially over. That, however, doesn’t mean their worries are over. They now have less than an hour to fix things.

London’s ATC Tower – Simon (James Barriscale) wraps up a phone conversation and informs his agents at London’s Air Traffic Tower that they will be operating with a 25-mile exclusion zone once Kingdom Flight K29 enter their flight path. That’ll be 7 minutes from now and with any luck; they’ll have their pick of landing zones. With a general operating strategy laid out, it doesn’t take long before Simon and Alice Sinclair (Eve Myles) resume their petty squabbling. While trying to hail the plane, Alice is quick to point out to Simon that the flight is running dangerously low on fuel. Simon doesn’t appear to be too concerned because they’ll soon be handing control of everything over to the military. Alice, on the other hand, wants to see this thing through.

Kingdom Flight KA29 – Using Stuart as a shield, Gary pushes his hostage towards the cockpit, where he then orders Stuart to order Jamie Constantinou (Aimee Kelly) to drop her weapon. It only takes him pointing out that the passengers know about the blank bullets ruse to get her to acquiesce. Quickly taking charge, Sam orders Jonty to get the resident doctor, David Miller (Marcus Garvey) to begin work on Arthur’s (Jeremy Ang Jones) leg. Turning his attention back to the frightened Jamie, he orders her to address Amanda in the cockpit and tell her it’s over. Sam grows impatient as both Jamie and Stuart try to convince them that it likely won’t work. They have no affiliation with the lady. His impatience gets the best of the master negotiator as he grabs the phone himself and makes the call to the cockpit. Amanda no longer appears calm as she is now being incessantly hailed by London’s ATC Alice and Sam.

The Collingwood House – At the Collingwood House, it falls on the supervisor (Adam Szabo) and Parth (Abhin Galeya) to explain the ulterior motives of the hijackers to the team. It was never about breaking two men out of prison. That could have been accomplished with a much easier ransom demand. This was about a bear raid. A bear raid is a vast manipulation of the OCG market, essentially insider trading. Although authorities did suspect this and issued a media black, all it takes is some trigger-happy journalist to spill the beans and the market can be manipulated. That’s exactly what ensued when Felix Staton (Rufus Jones) was leveraged to leak the news of the hijacking on Twitter. As dismal as all this is, the even more depressing revelation is that the worse the outcome of the plane and passenger, the better it will be for the manipulators.

 Stalled Convoy In The Country – Feeling helpless at the stalled police convoy in the country, Daniel O’Farrell (Max Beesley) attempts to make the most of his free time by updating Marsha Nelson-Smith (Christine Adams). Revealing how serious and connected this supposed terrorist cell is, Daniel warns Marsha to look out for herself and Kai Nelson (Jude Cudjoe). The realization of the threat soon jars an earlier memory back to Marsha, the phone call with the caller wanting to confirm Sam’s address. Unfortunately, it isn’t just the phone call; she realizes that Kai has also paid a visit to his dad’s flat. Putting two and two together and fearing the worst, Daniel requisitions a vehicle and speeds away.

Kingdom Flight KA29 – Gathering outside the cockpit, Sam and fellow passengers put together what little bit they know about Amanda. Deevia has the lady’s bag and is going through her personal things. Sam makes another attempt to reach out. Amanda responds to his hails, but does so without saying a word. As Sam only requests to be heard, she rips the phone from its wired connection and checks her mobile for new texts. The last one was the order that led to her taking over the plane.

In the first-class cabin, Hugo (Marry Michell) grows increasingly troubled by the proximity of Robin’s body. As he stews on this, it is Leesha (Antonia Salib) who detects and points out the shift in the plane’s trajectory. For the past 5 minutes that she’s been tracking the plane, it’s been traveling on this new trajectory.

The Collingwood House – Leesha isn’t the only one to notice the change, as Alice updates the Collingwood Home employees with the new heading. The Collingwood staff’s concerns aren’t lightened any when Alice points out that this new heading couldn’t be anything other than intentional. As the staff listens to Alice’s hails go unanswered, Lydia (Poppy Roe) delivers even more troubling news. RAF Command has signed off on a quick action response and two typhoons are already being scrambled to intercept the plane. Even worse, they are giving the House staff 5 minutes to make a call or they will make one.

Sam’s Flat – Cleaners Joe and Maz enjoy the news of their cohort’s feats from the couch in Sam’s posh flat. Kai is still securely hidden in the small laundry room when the doorbell throws everything awry. Joe and Maz share a silent exchange, but it is Joe who grabs his silenced pistol and takes the lead. Answering the good to two constables, he learns that there were reports of a 999 call from the landline registered to this apartment, not the building but the apartment. The male constable (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) turns down the man’s offer to come in after learning that Joe is there to clean the apartment and plays dumb to the call. Kai has, unfortunately, gotten anxious and gotten himself spotted while this conversation transpired. The constable attributes it to a technical mishap and says he and his partner will check with some of the other flats.

Flight KA29 – Some of the passengers, the girl’s lacrosse team in particular have grown increasingly anxious with the recognition of the typhoons. Elsewhere, Deevia puts up an adamant plea to return the passenger’s mobile devices. Sam agrees that people need to contact and update their loved ones. It is, however, Stuart that brings up an excellent point this time. Letting people on the ground know that the hijackers no longer have control of the plane will likely result in them getting shot down. As they realize this, bag of mobile devices Deevia is now holding blares and vibrates.

London ATC Tower – Alice is in the middle of a call when she is handed the call from Sam. Her requests to speak with the pilot are met with several awkward and stammering responses, as Sam tries to explain that there was an incident. Being the veteran that she is, Alice points out that if the two are to develop a working relationship, she’ll need to know the truth. Leaving the crew, Sam goes to a more solitary section of the plane and reveals what’s really going on. Their conversation ends with him declaring that they cannot stop the plane, given that Amanda has taken it over and all but shut them out.

The Collingwood House – Convened in more private quarters at the Collingwood House, the two sectaries, the Foreign Secretary Louise (Hattie Morahan) and the House Secretary Neil Walsh (Neil Stuke) the depressing outcomes of a very hard decision. Despite being at each other’s throats throughout this entire debacle, they are now seemingly civil, despite still being on opposing sides. Neil is adamant about blowing up the plane should it come down between that and crashing into the Capital. Louise, on the other hand, wants no part of that decision. As an assistant lets the two know their presence is requested back in the conference room, Neil makes a surprising self-sacrificing declaration. He points out that the decision to take action will have to come from the House side.

Not just that but he’s already damaged goods seeing that he just released and lost two highly convicted inmates. He is nothing more than damaged goods now and is willing to fall on his sword so to speak. Once reunited with their fellow staff, Louise goes against everything Neil just offered and tells the Prime Minister over the phone that their suggestion is to evacuate key locations, but no matter what, they cannot fire against their own people. The Prime Minister takes the suggestion and backs the planes off.

Undisclosed Location – Edgar Janssen (Simon McBurney) and John Bailey-Brown (Ian Burfield) make their first appearance in the episode. They are at an undisclosed location in the country where they debate earning more money or getting back on the road toward freedom. Edgar is adamant about the cash, while John has more than he’ll ever need. It is also John that tells Edgar, “She, still needs an answer.”

Sam’s Flat – The two cleaners find themselves glued to the latest OCG reports along with their new hostage, Kai. As reports of continuing price drops come in, Kai’s phone starts vibrating with a call from Detective Daniel. Not wanting to make another crucial mistake, the two cleaners notice the vibrating at nearly the same time Kai does. With Kai held at gunpoint, Daniel tells him that he’s on his way over to Sam’s flat at the behest of Marsha. Some very serious stuff is going on and she wants to make sure her boy is safe. Thinking quickly on his feet, Kai talks him out of it while also slipping him a subliminal message about riding his bike home. He and Daniel had talked about Kai’s new stationary exercise bike that morning. Taking the hint, and returning another, Daniel tells the boy to be careful not to get pulled over.

Kingdom Flight KA29 – Deevia and First Lieutenant, Anna Kovacs (Kaisa Hammarlund) work on getting the phones back to the passengers while Sam continues to discuss strategy with Alice. Sam is quick to keep of apprised of returning the phone and although she doesn’t divert the strategy, she is keen to remind him that the cockpit is the priority. As continues to speak with Alice, Alec (Justin Salinger) makes an unexpected appearance in the area where Sam and the crew are gathered. Gary intercepts him, but not fast enough that Sam doesn’t take notice. Alec reveals to them that there is absolutely no way that Amanda will talk to them. Chances are, they are holding her family as leverage to force her to follow their every step. Alec knows this because they have leveraged him the same way. Alec reveals that he not only brought the guns on board but also made the deal. Sam wants to know what deal the man is referring to and turns to Stuart first for answers. He’s just as clueless.

Undisclosed Location – Edgar and John continue to argue over how to proceed, each still staying on the same side of their argument. John, however, has grown more leery and tries to wrench a device from Edgar’s hands. It’s a mobile device that he’s using to monitor the market. Just as Edgar jerks it away with hostility, a third man adorned in a leather jacket is revealed, and Edgar tells tell they are staying put until the plane crashes. Clearly upset, John whistles and joins the new third member, revealing to him that they need to move up their timeline. The new arrival shoots the unaware Edgar in the head with a silenced pistol as John gets back into the vehicle and calls Devlin (Kevin Eldon). He tells him to make the trade.

Flight Kingdom KA29 – Still interrogating Alec, Sam, and the crew learn that this whole debacle was about money. There was never any attention to crash the plan. In fact, the whole thing was supposed to be over once the plane entered London air space and this is what inspired Alec to speak up. Passengers have started booting up the returned phones and returning them to their rightful owners. As they do, others check in with friends and family. Some even say their final goodbyes. Amidst all this, Hugo notices that he has miraculously wound up with Amanda’s phone. He immediately takes the news to Sam and the crew. Alice and the ATC crew are stunned when Sam hangs up on them to deal with what Hugo has uncovered on the phone. He’s discovered that Amanda has a daughter named Elodie.

Sam’s Flat – As Detective Dianel arrives at Sam’s flat and infers with the doorman, Kenny (Marcus Adolphy) he confirms that Kai is there, as well as two cleaners. Saving him from making the call, Detective Zahra Gahfoor (Archie Panjabi) is already ringing Daniel while he talks with the building’s doorman. Zahra is calling Daniel to let him know that Sam Nelson is the man that got the ball rolling on the ground and he has just hung up with London ATC. Daniel is quick to let her know that Sam isn’t involved with the hijackers and requests backup at the flat.

Kingdom Flight KA29 – As Sam attempts to use a similar technique of leveraging Amanda’s daughter, Nasir, and fellow passengers have run out of patience. They are convened in the cockpit and ready to kick the door down. Using a notepad and pen, Sam pens the question, “What would Elodie want?” Employing another method, he pens another message reminding the lady that they all have family they care about. Seconds later, her phone is ringing and it’s Amanda from the cockpit. Sam takes the phone and has his first conversation with Amanda. She’s immediately remorseful about killing the pilot while Sam tries to instill confidence in her. He explains what he does for a living and how he negotiates in similar scenarios. Despite this, he reveals that his skills would be futile should he be in a similar situation. He couldn’t and would not open the door if it was his son that was in danger. Sam next attempts empathy, playing concern for the other passenger’s families. He also tells her that he knows about the deal, he just doesn’t know what happens once the deal is made. It takes her several seconds to collect herself, but Amanda does end up reviling that once the deal is made, she is supposed to receive a message to land the plane. However, if the message doesn’t come through, she is to crash the plane in the middle of London.

Overhearing the conversation, Nasir and his merry band of renegades are now even more adamant about breaching the cockpit. Taking a serving cart and ramming it into the door, Sam continues to plead with Amanda to open the door. He eventually tells her that he has something very important to tell her, a direct message from one of the hijackers. He tells her that no matter what, Elodie is dead. Whether the plane lands, crashes or gets swallowed up by the Bermuda Triangle, Elodie is dead. They cannot leave behind any witnesses. She cannot save her family, but she can save the lives of every passenger by landing the plane safely.

Things are starting to come together extremely fast now. The two cleaners and Kai are greeted by a blaring fire alarm, while the Collingwood House staff can now physically see Kingdom Flight KA29 outside the conference room. Sam is still pleading with Amanda to let him in the cockpit. She does agree, but only Sam. Although they agree, the passengers do attempt to raid the cockpit as Sam enters. He manages to hold them off. Back at the flat, residents are being herded from the buildings with stern reminders that the alarm isn’t a drill. Knocking on Sam’s door, Daniel tells the cleaner that there is a city-wide alert to evacuate all residents from high-rise buildings, which makes sense with the recent reports of the hijacking. Walking away as if he doesn’t have a concern in the world, the cleaners are apprehended as they emerge.

With Sam now in the cockpit, he places that promised return phone call to Alice. He’s in the cockpit and ready to plane. The only problem is, they are now flaming out, meaning they are running on fumes. To Sam’s credit, he does negotiate for Amanda’s immunity. Listening in, it is Neil Walsh that gives the assurances that Amanda will not be persecuted. As Deevia retires to the communications system and employs the general flight landing procedures, the power dies on the plane because of the lack of fuel. Unfortunately, the revelation of the power outage only forces the passengers to stir. It takes the resident priest, Philip Paxton (Richard Hope) at the behest of his wife Claire Paxton (Julia Deakin) to calm everyone down. He commends everyone for keeping it together for seven hours under such dire conditions. Coming down to the final seconds, they need to maintain that crucial composure.  Amanda and Sam are still working with Alice to land the plane.

They’ve only got one shot to land the plane but do so successfully. The landing, however, doesn’t go off completely without a hitch. It does end up taking a nosedive and after a few explosions and skidding; the plane comes to a stop. That, however, is just the beginning. There is still a lot to do. As Deevia mans the exit, everyone is ordered off the plane with strict orders to leave their belongings behind. Armed forces are already on the ground and taking quick control. As the plane is evacuated, Sam runs into the young Naomi (Mei Henri) who has acquired Sam’s phone. Sharing a sentimental moment, she returns his phone before they exit. As identities are continued to be confirmed and hijackers are sorted from passengers, Sam remembers that he’s left something on board. Returning to retrieve the jewelry, he finds himself in one final showdown with Stuart.

With the left behind real live-loaded pistols, Stuart tracks Sam through the plane. Ringing shots from the interior of the plane let the outside authorities know that something is amiss inside the plane. During the pursuit, Sam does manage to get two text messages to Masha. One is an apology and the other is a request for her to call him. Sam uses the call as a distraction to lure Stuart into the small lavatory and attack him from behind. With the ensuing struggle, authorities have already boarded the plane and made their way to the two men. Quickly taking control of the situation, both Sam and Stuart end up on their knees, hands in the air. Looking Stuart in the eye, Sam tells him, “Say cheese.” It’s a bit bittersweet, being that it was a familiar phrase Stuart used to mock Sam earlier.

 

Hijack Season 1 Finale Review

I can imagine how hard it would be to properly wrap a story, to make sure all loose ends got tied up in the most satisfying of ways. I can also imagine how hard that would be if you weren’t sure about another season. Do you go for a huge cliffhanger or do you wrap the story? That would be the ultimate question. As far as I know, this series was never intended for a second season, but I could be wrong. With all that established, I would have to say that this was one of the worst/most unfulfilling finales I’ve witnessed.

Although plenty of things are left to question, it’s not that the story felt unfinished. The entire thing felt rushed and unimagined. I also understand that real crimes and conclusions are nowhere near are sexy as TV sometimes makes them seem. Maybe that’s what they were going for here, as throughout the entire series most of the players have been billed as typical average individuals with their fair share of ineptitudes. I can appreciate and even welcome a desire for a more realistic approach.

However, I will say that the rescue at the flat came off as completely unappealing. The landing of the plane felt similar. The biggest thing was Sam going back on the plane. I know he had the small package and likely felt anxious to retrieve it, but passengers were ordered to leave their belongings behind. Wouldn’t a team be on standby to immediately sweep the interior of the plane once it was evacuated? How likely is it that both Sam and Amanda would have left the weapons behind? I could see another season with more focus on the cell that arranged this entire escapade. Perhaps another hijacking involving a bus, cruise ship, or store? I wasn’t so displeased with the finale that I wouldn’t watch another season. For those reasons, I would have to give this finale a 5 out of 10.

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