‘Hijack’ Season 2 Review: Subvert The Subway

Hijack has returned for a second season after a three-year hiatus, bringing the titular hijack from the air to the ground and continuing the story previously laid out for audiences. When I say ground, I mean underground, as Hijack Season 2 follows a train hijacking with Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) right back in the centre of it, proving that this man, for the life of him, cannot find a safe mode of shared transport.

The second season of the series has the following logline:

In the thrilling second season of Hijack, a Berlin underground train and its commuters are taken hostage, while, above ground, authorities scramble to save hundreds of lives. Sam Nelson (Elba) is at the heart of the crisis on board, where one wrong decision could spell disaster.

I’ll try to refrain from spoilers for this season, but what I must talk about is a big subvertation of expectations. When this series was renewed, everybody was confused about how Nelson would be found in another hijacking, but the way the series does it is totally unexpected and extremely well realized. That being said, the show does become more derivative of the previous season, given the nature of the confined space and there only being so many ways it can unfold.

What does feel refreshing, however, is the inclusion of Toby Jones as a British intelligence officer, who balances out the dryness of Elba’s Nelson very well, making for a great performance as well as a compelling plotline. Similarly, the entire show is a compelling continuation of the first season, although I wish the focus on Nelson’s negotiation skills was more focused on like it was in the first season.

The hijackers of the season definitely aren’t as good as the ones in the first season, given that those had emotional explanations, but here, only one does, or rather, only one gets focused on. There’s also an interesting explanation about a cast member who didn’t return, and I wish the fallout of the situation was focused on a little more.

Additionally, I think this show has run it’s course. While the show figures out a unique way to get to the premise of Season 2, from a distance it is just a reheat of the show’s first season and I think if a third would happen, it would not be as impactful or as interesting.

In all, Hijack Season 2 is a serviceable follow-up to its first season, even if it is more derivative. Idris Elba really understands the role and plays it perfectly, making this an easy, riveting watch that will surely captivate viewers for the next two months.

Hijack Season 2 stars Idris Elba, Christine Adams, Max Beesley, Archie Panjabi, Christian Näthe, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Lisa Vicari, Toby Jones, Karima McAdams, and Christiane Paul. The series debuts on Apple TV+ on January 14th. Watch it below:

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