Apple TV+’s nerve-shredding thriller Hijack returns for its second season with a shift in setting and tone, proving right away that this story is no longer confined to the claustrophobic terror of an aircraft cabin. Idris Elba steps back into the shoes of Sam Nelson, the razor-sharp corporate negotiator whose calm intellect once saved a doomed flight. This time, the battleground is Europe, the danger more layered, and the morality far murkier. Season 2, Episode 1 doesn’t rush into chaos; it constructs it meticulously, piece by piece, before detonating a final twist that redefines everything we think we know about its hero.
A Cold Arrival in Berlin
The episode opens beneath a grey Berlin sky, snow clinging to the city, as Sam Nelson walks into the central train station, purpose etched on his face. Gone is the frantic improvisation of last season; Sam appears prepared, deliberate, almost calculating. He carries a small, unassuming briefcase, yet it is symbolically heavier than it looks. He’s headed for Honow, boarding a routine commuter train that will soon become anything but ordinary.
Yet even before the train departs, unease sets in. Sam ignores repeated phone calls from Olivia, a British embassy official in Berlin. Her increasingly concerned voicemail reveals that Sam has been pressing the embassy with alarming claims, persistent enough to finally warrant a meeting, despite resistance from her superiors. Adding to the urgency, a German Federal Office of Justice representative, Arnold Goth, has arrived to discuss whatever threat Sam insists is real. Sam’s failure to show up is more than rude; it’s dangerous.
A Terror Plot Takes Shape
Elsewhere in the city, Berlin’s tactical police unit storms an apartment based on a chilling tip: a man inside is allegedly assembling bombs in preparation for a terrorist attack. The apartment is empty, but any relief evaporates instantly when officers uncover evidence of sophisticated explosive work. An identity card left behind points to a maintenance worker linked to the city’s rail system, a discovery that sends alarm bells ringing. Whoever this man is, he’s already moved to the next phase of his plan.
The man is soon revealed to be Marko, disguised as a railway employee, he slips through underground tunnels with unsettling ease, dodging colleagues and manipulating tracks and control systems. His actions confirm what the episode subtly foreshadows: the Berlin-to-Honow train is about to be weaponised.
The Shadow of Marsha Nelson
Season 1 ended on a hopeful note - Sam and his estranged wife, Marsha, seemed poised to reconcile after surviving unimaginable trauma. Season 2 dismantles that illusion quietly but decisively. Marsha lives alone in a remote cabin in the UK, cut off from the world. A neighbour arrives with a bouquet mistakenly delivered to her house, addressed to “Marsha Nelson.”
The name alone speaks volumes. Sam hasn’t let go, but Marsha’s guarded demeanour suggests this retreat isn’t a vacation; it’s self-imposed exile. There’s fear behind her eyes, and the episode plants a lingering question - Is she hiding, and if so, from whom?
A Suspicious Passenger and a Dangerous Assumption
Back on the train, Sam’s instincts kick in when he notices a man with a heavy backpack behaving erratically. The man hops between carriages, avoids attention, and reacts defensively whenever he’s observed. Sam keeps watch, his suspicion growing by the minute. Eventually, the tension spills over into a confrontation involving onboard police officers.
The situation escalates rapidly and uncomfortably; other passengers accuse the police of racial profiling, pointing out the man’s Middle Eastern appearance. The suspect’s aggressive refusal to allow his bag to be searched only worsens matters, and he’s forcibly removed from the train at the next stop.
His backpack holds nothing explosive, only personal belongings and a passport showing he’s an asylum seeker who overstayed his visa. His fear wasn’t malicious; it was desperate. The train departs without him, leaving behind a bitter reminder that perceived threats aren’t always the real ones.
A Calculated Move
Adding another layer of ambiguity is Mei Tan, a young woman who strikes up an awkward conversation with Sam moments before departure. She claims they crossed paths years earlier during a financial deal in Singapore, where she worked as an intern. Sam doesn’t remember her and doesn’t try to hide his indifference.
Mei’s persistence borders on suspicious. She follows Sam through carriages, always nearby, always talking. For a while, the show encourages us to doubt her motives. Is she a distraction, a plan, or a collaborator?
The truth turns out to be painfully ordinary. Mei is ambitious and anxious, hoping Sam might open a professional door for her. When she finally asks outright for job prospects, Sam brushes her off with reluctant politeness, suggesting she send her CV. Her relief feels genuine and tragic. Still, fate keeps her on the train when disaster strikes.
Otto, the Man at the Controls
As the false leads fall away, attention turns to the train’s driver, Otto. Nervous, sweaty, and visibly unravelling, Otto is in secret contact with Marko. He was recruited for a job he now deeply regrets. When panic overwhelms him, he slams the brakes and invents an excuse to leave the cab, desperately trying to call off the plan.
But the machinery of chaos doesn’t stop for second thoughts. Station authorities notice Otto’s erratic behaviour and uncover a shocking detail: he’s been suspended and shouldn’t be driving at all. Orders are issued to replace him at the next station.
That’s when Otto snaps! Instead of stopping, he accelerates. The train barrels into an abandoned tunnel, one that doesn’t exist on official maps. When it finally halts, U-5 Wagon 2600 vanishes from all tracking systems. The train is officially lost.
The Twist That Changes Everything
Just when the narrative seems obvious, terrorists, a compromised driver, a doomed train, Hijack pulls the rug out from under us. Sam Nelson enters the engine room, faces Otto, and calmly declares that he is now hijacking the train.
The moment is electrifying! Suddenly, every earlier detail clicks into place: the master key Sam carried from the start, his avoidance of the embassy meeting, Marsha’s isolation, his obsessive pursuit of an unnamed man tied to last season’s plane hijacking. At the British embassy, Olivia finally reveals that Sam has been flooding officials with reports and photographs of this shadowy figure, whom he believes orchestrated the original crisis.
That man may be on this train, but Sam hasn’t turned villain without reason. He’s playing a dangerous, illegal game, but one driven by obsession, justice, or perhaps something darker. Season 2 doesn’t just raise the stakes; it fractures its protagonist's moral compass.
As the episode ends, one thing is certain: Hijack has reinvented itself. The hero may still be trying to save lives, but now, he’s the one holding everyone hostage.
Read more: Hijack 2026
