Hijack Recap: Sam Fills in Some Blanks
This week on Apple TV+’s Hijack, Sam investigated a passenger’s disarming theory about the hijackers, while those on the ground started to take the airborne crisis seriously — and even round up some suspects.
The bulk of Episode 3’s drama was set in motion by Yussuf, the man seated behind Sam. Though Yussuf’s wife tried to hush him, Sam and Hugo (his redhead neighbor) learned that Yussuf suspects the hijackers’ guns are “fake” — meaning, loaded with blanks — based on his 30 years of experience with the Egyptian military.
Yussuf’s theory makes sense, seeing as the gunshot from an earlier episode didn’t injure anyone or leave a hole. So Hugo gets the idea to fake nausea and dash to the loo, where he scribbles a note that he then lobs in the general direction of business class. A woman there picks up the note, which says to search for any bullet from the earlier gunshot — and if one is found, to switch on her reading light. When the woman’s search comes up empty, Hugo sees that as proof, while Sam notes it only means no bullet was found.
The issue is briefly dropped when the pilot is caught using the in-flight game’s chat screen, earning him a pistol whip from the lead hijacker (“Stuart,” per IMDb). When Sam bolts up and lambasts the possible incapacitation of the pilot — “How stupid are you??” — Stuart doesn’t take kindly to the critique. He forces Sam to sit back down and smile wide, as Stuart promises to “crack you on top of the head” with his gun. But Stuart doesn’t follow through, finding satisfaction instead in making Sam cower.
Now really irked, Sam asks Yussuf if he can be certain about the “fake” guns, but Yussuf says not without examining them. Flight attendant Arthur gets wind of the hot topic and whispers to Sam that a bullet was found before takeoff, in the lavatory. Sam forms a plan in which Arthur and coworker Deevia relay to the girl who found that bullet a drawing, of a real bullet and a crimped-tip “blank.” If she is certain what she saw was a blank, she is to turn on her reading lamp — which she does.
Armed with that confirmation — and amidst the commotion caused by passenger Nasir’s brawl with hijacker “Jaden” — Sam sneaks his way to the back, where boomer hijacker “Terry” is a bit isolated from the others. Sam makes his way to the back galley and blindsides Terry with a metal tray. A fight ensues, unseen by anyone, and Terry emerges with the upper hand. Luckily, the only passenger with a known, real rap sheet — Collins, I think is his name? — gets involved and helps out Sam by thumping on Terry some.
All the while, a cheesed Stuart — fed up with the Nasir/Jaden tussle, as well as the drama caused by that one family’s little daughter going missing — makes a beeline for an overhead bin, then returns to the cockpit to load his gun with actual bullets. And just as Sam, held at gunpoint by Terry, invites the hijacker to pull the trigger (saying that they all know they’re using blanks), Stuart charges down the aisle, gun raised, and we hear a gunshot….
Elsewhere in Episode 3:
As Nasir fought with Jaden, the medical kit (containing his uncle’s insulin) that he was after fell to the floor, spilling its contents. Nasir’s friend discreetly palmed a small pair of surgical tape scissors, which he seemed to thrust at hijacker “Lewis” aka Poor Man’s Matt Long during the episode-ending commotion.
Hijacker Stuart at one point flipped on the WiFi to phone a contact, but curiously got voicemail. He left the message, “Operation has commenced. Plane under control. Your move.”
CTU agent Zahra got her office involved after Heathrow ATC Alice rang her to detail contradictory communications from those aboard the plane. When CTU’s analysis of the manifest didn’t turn up obvious evildoers, Zahra quietly emailed the list to ex-beau/DI Daniel. He later tipped her off that five of the passengers “didn’t exist” before Flight KA29, and Zahra presented her team with that gallery of suspects.
When Istanbul ATC radioed the pilot to correct his heading (which was purposely off by 3 degrees to send a message to the ground), he made sure to overcorrect in such a way that Alice received his “message” once again.
What did you think of Hijack Episode 3? And who do you think got shot at the end? (The answer may surprise you….)
Want scoop on Hijack, or for any other TV show ? Email your question to InsideLine@tvline.com, and it may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
