REVIEW: ‘Hijack’ Episode 6 — “Comply Slowly”

As we enter hour 6 of flight KA29 trip, it’s become clear that the hijackers are just as scared as the passengers. After convincing the leader, Stuart (Neil Maskell), to land the plane to save his brother, Sam (Idris Elba) and the doctor learn about the dire situation each hijacker will face if they don’t complete their job, but more importantly, that Sam’s family is also directly in the sights of the organization. In Hijack Episode 6, “Comply Slowly,” the pieces have started to move after demands have been met, but with dubious implications attached.

Hijack Episode 6 shows the passengers paying for the mistakes of those on the ground when the hijackers are instructed to kill someone and send proof as a message to authorities who broke their agreement with the larger organization. Each episode thus far has upped the stakes and tension of the series, and the way that Sam has become embedded with and trusted by the hijackers is one of those reasons.

While Sam’s calm attitude gets him through a lot, Elba’s performance is starting to show the way that his character is fraying at the edges. As separation grows for everyone onboard, everything becomes more untenable, and more manipulation is needed. Sam isn’t breaking just yet, but you can see where it’s all starting to come to a head.

While those in the air continue to struggle, those on the ground debate about giving in to demands, saving the passengers, and ultimately pushing those on the plane into a more drought state of survival. The frustration I have watching the ground is one of the reasons why the passengers lodging an attack against the hijackers feel so cathartic. While the authorities preach, “comply slowly” so as not to tip their hand to the crime organization, the passenger’s resentment and understanding that they have little to lose is in full focus and the build-up is so well executed that you buy into it.

The passengers aren’t excited to fight; they’re hesitant to fight, and when the signals start moving down the cabin, you can feel the uncertainty rise in equal measure with determination. There are unsure glances at each other, people preparing to use whatever they can, and the fight for control is built up through small moments of uncertainty, but the dedication is there nonetheless, vulnerabilities and all. While there have been plenty of moments in the series where it has felt like you’re riding a wave before crashing down, this is the biggest.

That said, for the first time, since episode three, I’m heavily invested in what’s happening on the ground beyond how it impacts the passengers. While we know that the “clean-up” crew has already eliminated “threats” to their mission, now Sam’s son is in harm’s way. Staying ahead of them, he moves through the house, silently moving and finding help, showing every bit of ingenuity as his father has shown in the sky. I’m invested in his survival. At the same time, we see the authorities tracking a car, tailing it from the sky with one of the released leaders who holds the passenger’s fate in his hands. As the three story points weave together, the writers twist the tension tighter and tighter, using each one as leverage against the other.

As a penultimate episode, Hijack Episode 6 is unsteady, and that’s the point. The constant build-up is nerve-wracking, and it pays off fantastically, setting up for a season finale where everything has been put on the table in the plane’s final hour. Things are more uncertain than how they started, and that’s what makes good television.

Hijack Episode 6 is streaming now, exclusively on AppleTV+, with the final episode of the season airing next Wednesday.