Hijack Recap: What Questionable Decision Was Made in Episode 5?

The hot topic on this week’s Hijack was the prospect of the plane getting to land early — and those on board in turn possibly being rescued. But who surprisingly helped hit the brakes on that idea?

Sam’s mind was extra-sharp in the immediate wake of Lewis’ life just barely being saved by a field thoracostomy. For one, he picked up on the fact that Lewis told Stuart he had spoken to “Mum” (not “my mum”), revealing that the two were brothers. (What’s more, Lewis and female hijacker Jamie used to be “mates.”) Sam also, with help from his neighbors in first class, clocked that co-pilot Anna’s name tag has the Hungarian flag on it, which came in handy when he whispered in Stuart’s ear the falsehood that Lewis only has an hour to live, unless he gets proper medical attention. And the plan is about to fly over Hungary….

Clearly worried about his brother and despite some reservations expressed by Jamie, Stuart had Anna take the helm and radio Hungary’s ATC, to request permission to land and ask for an ambulance to be at the ready; the hijacked plane would then take off again and continue its journey. But Sam had Anna, speaking Hungarian, also discreetly relay to ATC the fact that the hijacking was still in progress. That allowed the airport in Győr to ready a SWAT team, for when the plane lands.

Terry, the grey-haired hijacker, got wind of this emergency landing and told Sam in no uncertain terms that it cannot happen. That they can in no way deviate from the approved hijacking plan. When Sam asked why, Terry said that “they” — meaning, whomever orchestrated this hijacking/ransom demand — had threatened the families of all involved, and that now includes troublemaker Sam, whose home address they lifted from his passport.

So Sam, after some debate, sided with Terry and urged Stuart to abort the landing. And as “luck” would have it, Lewis had quietly expired there in the galley at the same time, having removed the pen from his chest. “He didn’t want you to save him,” Sam noted to Stuart. “He wanted to save you.”

Elsewhere:

▶ After the bad guys’ “cleaning crew” cleared out of TSA agent Neela’s home, a curious neighbor called for the cops, who broke down the door and found the two dead bodies in the upstairs bathroom.

▶ At CTU, everyone got wind of the ransom demand — for the release of two organized crime bigwigs. The PM’s rep reminded everyone of their official stance to “never negotiate with terrorists,” plus he wanted to get proof that the hijackers had it in them to carry through on their threat to crash KA29. But grisly photographic evidence of the executed bodies found at Neela’s suggested exactly that.

▶ It turned out that Kai had slipped out of the house to go hang out at his dad’s place. Unfortunately for Kim him, the baddies have just sent over their “cleaning crew”….

What did you think of this week’s antepenultimate Hijack? Do you agree with Sam choosing his family over a possibly imminent rescue for the 200-some souls on board?