‘Hijack’ Recap: ‘Less Than an Hour’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Idris Elba as Sam Nelson in Episode 105 of ‘Hijack’ – ‘Less Than an Hour’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘Hijack’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist. This article also contains a discussion regarding suicide, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve talked at great length about the fascinating brilliance of the new Apple TV+ series, Hijack, and deservedly so. Simply because, this show has been nothing short of revolutionary. For this series has managed to put together a tense action thriller that is able to immerse the audience into tension and the moment with minimal effort, despite there being weekly breaks in the story, courtesy of quality writing and quality acting. The kind that has allowed for every moment aboard Kingdom Airlines Flight 29 to feel organic and real and oddly enough… the sheer uniqueness of this story… has also allowed for the audience to overlook something that is supremely important to a story in this vein.
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In that, a hijacking means nothing to anyone without an understanding of why the hijackers are doing this and also what it is they hope to accomplish, and that hasn’t been made apparent in this story, since it has focused heavily on world-building and what ifs and everything in between. But at long last… answers have arrived. For this week’s episode finally opted to explain to the audience who is really behind this mess and what they want and that oddly… changed the dynamic of the tension aboard KA29 and it made ‘Less Than an Hour’, quite the amazing episode. In large part due to the fact, that it wasted little time in answering those all-important questions. Since everyone on the ground was able to hear exactly what the list of demands were and well… what was revealed was quite fascinating to say the least.

For this was a hijacking born out of… twisted capitalism really. For an organized crime group had several of their top bosses arrested over the winter, and without them leading the charge of moving illegal stuff around the city and the world, the business side of things was suffering. So… in an effort to free their leaders and get the cash flowing again, they hired this crew to hijack this plane, and threaten the lives of al 216 souls aboard in the hopes of getting their comrades released. Which was a bold move to say the least, since no government out there would be willing to negotiate with anyone making demands like this, and anyone willing to commit to a terrorist act. But at last, we had answers, and we also came to learn… how lethal this organization is. Since we found out that they threatened the family of Neela, the woman that was working security in the Dubai airport where this madness started, to have her let everyone and their weapons through… and of course… once they were done with her, they tossed her and innocents aside. 

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Neil Maskell as Stuart Atterton in Episode 105 of ‘Hijack’ – ‘Less Than an Hour’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Not to mention… they had leverage over the hijackers as well. Since it was revealed that Lewis and Stuart were brothers, and that their mother was terrified of getting that call from Lewis. For it brought Daniel to her doorstep, and that meant those that were watching could now mark her for death… so she snapped and ran into traffic and let fate do its thing. Which in a way, added a hint of sympathy to the hijackers. For they were doing what they had to in order to protect their families and whomever else the mob was threatening and well… that led to quite the surprise in the air. Since once it was known to Sam that Lewis and Stuart were brothers… he realized that could be used to everyone’s advantage and potentially end this. Because with Lewis badly wounded and likely dying slowly… Sam could appeal to the human and family side of Stuart… to land the plane in Hungary.
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Under the belief of course, that Lewis needed immediate medical attention. All so Anna, the co-pilot could use her Hungarian roots to instead signal the ground to take the plane and well… with the right pushing and the right amount of lies… Stuart bought into this and ordered a landing. But just when it seemed as though the madness was going to end and that everyone would finally be safe. Lewis himself learned of the plan, and with his mother’s safety at stake, since he didn’t know she was already gone… he sacrificed his own life to keep the plane in the air. Leaving this group of weary survivors unsure of what is to come next and of course… there’s still more trouble brewing on the ground. Since Sam’s son, didn’t get kidnapped. For we learned that Sam’s real address is elsewhere and sadly, his son went there and instead… he may be in real trouble since the ‘cleaners’ arrived.

But while we wait to see what comes of that, we can celebrate one solid and magnificent episode. For now, we know what is at stake, and our perspective of the hijackers has changed, since they are nothing more than pawns as well… and that could work to Sam’s advantage. Especially if Stuart were to learn what really became of his mother. But answers aside, everything we love about this show was still present. For there was still stunning tension to be found in the air and on the ground, and we were of course hooked on every single moment, and every single word uttered in this story and well… now that the dynamic has changed and we are gently nearing London, it will be interesting to see what comes next for this plane filled with pawns and victims, as we soar toward the finale of this brilliant series. Until next time.

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