Critic’s Rating: 3.2 / 5.0
3.2
After dragging its feet for two episodes, Hijack Season 2 finally finds its groove.
I was scared for a moment there that we would be saddled with a dud, but after this episode, things are taking shape.
However, the show has not addressed some fundamental questions, which makes the storyline feel a little messy.
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
Still, after the events of Hijack Season 2 Episode 3, “Baggage,” everything gets a little taut and unpredictable, and that’s a good thing in this case.
The sophomore slump is common for stories that were conceptualized as one-and-dones, but the premises are extrapolated beyond any sensible measure of belief.
It requires the writers to change an entire character’s actions so they make sense, which is what I was scared they would do with Sam Nelson.
The Missing Piece
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
Our theory about Kai’s death was spot-on, as confirmed in the first half of the episode, but things get a little complicated in the second half.
Figuring out that Kai was dead was not that huge of a thing. Kai’s absence from the early episodes and Joe Cudjoe’s missing credit all but confirmed the theory.
I assumed that his son’s death changed Sam, and while that’s true to some extent, it didn’t change him at a fundamental level. He’s still the courageous, complicated man we met in Hijack Season 1.
To keep this image of the character intact forces the writers to pull a sleight of hand with the bomb, and for the first few minutes, I’m like ‘Oh sh*t, Sam Nelson really did it! He set off the bomb!”
That would have changed everything, but a short while later, they predictably reveal that it was a smokescreen, no pun intended.
This, I do not like that much. It shows a lack of courage in writing when silly tricks are played, and the audience is expected to go along.
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
There is a fundamental difference between an explosion and everything else. It is loud, scary, and traumatizing. We are expected to believe that the entire police force thought all that smoke was because of an explosion they didn’t feel?
That’s where the messiness comes in. It strains believability just for entertainment purposes.
The other question that makes this whole thing a bit messy is: how did Sam find himself on that train? What do the hijackers have on him that caused this behavior?
It can’t be because of Marsha. He didn’t know where she was before that message came through Otto’s phone. So why did he trick the cop in Hijack Season 2 Episode 1, and what transpired before that? That’s a huge narrative void that needs to be sealed.
These are the only two gaping chasms in the story. Everything else kicks this story into high gear.
Motive: Prison Break
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
We’re let in on the reason for the hijack quite early, which would have worked with Kai’s reveal. If we had known he was dead early, we wouldn’t be left conjuring theories within the first two episodes.
Some reveals are never worth the buildup because the bombshell does nothing to change the story, and in this case its just sad.
John Bailey-Brown was arrested in Germany, and the British government wants to prosecute him in the UK.
However, criminals will always commit crimes, so he decides to stage a prison break by hijacking the train and using Sam as a proxy to clear a path for his escape.
It’s not the simplest plan, but I get the gist. In fact, I’d admire the genius if it weren’t so utterly twisted.
The involvement of organised crime in this hijack changes everything and adds stakes that a story like this one needs very much. The stakes stack up so high that someone dies, and the train is revealed to be a bomb on wheels.
Now, I’m paying attention. This has escalated from Sam and the police’s threat-filled conversation to something tangible. It’s what I’ve been waiting for.
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
Gut Check
Hijack is back! Even though the episode is still plagued by dull talky scenes and some peripheral characters who do nothing but take up time, “Baggage” succeeds in making us care about this story and Sam Nelson.
However, he got here doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is getting himself and the other passengers out safely. It has stopped being about whatever reason he got on that train for, and has become about survival.
Even when the simplest and safest thing to do is to cut and run, Sam always takes the slim chance that his presence can make a difference. His playing along with the hijacker’s plan might save lives, and he’s willing to take the risk.
The wisdom in that decision remains to be seen because this could very well be a suicide mission.
Stray Observations
- That train has to be the most I’ve ever lacked trust in a group of people. We know there is a gang member — or several working — with Bailey-Brown’s people to get their leader out. The question is who? Every character on there seems like a suspect, so it will be interesting to see the masks finally come out.
(Kevin Baker/Apple TV)
- I don’t know if it’s just me, but there is something quite odd about having a young employee who recently joined the company be the one to communicate with a hijacker. She barely knows how to power on the machines; what does she know about life-and-death situations?
- While I’m sad for Marsha and Sam over the loss of their son, it’s been so long since the last season that I’m not sure I care. I had to Google the character to remember what he looked like.
Over to you, Hijack fanatics. I always love hearing your thoughts about the episode, especially if you disagree.
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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