‘Hijack’ Season 2, Episode 1 Ending Explained: Unpacking The Jaw-Dropping Final Twist In “Signal”

All aboard Hijack Season 2! Buckle up and brace for another round of jaw-dropping twists, like the one that comes at the end of the sophomore season’s premiere.

When co-creator Jim Field Smith set out to craft a new chapter in the hit Apple TV series starring Idris Elba, he wanted to flip Season 1 on its head. “Season 1, we’re up in the sky. We’re at 35,000 feet. The sun is streaming through the windows. The environment is sort of aspirational and oxygenated. And my natural instinct if we were going to go again ,was do the exact opposite,” Smith told Decider over Zoom. “If I was going to make more of the show, I couldn’t be doing the same thing again. We wanted it to have the same DNA as Season 1 but flip it on its head so it’s sort of like yin and yang pieces. They’re supposed to sit with each other, both visually and also in terms of the themes of the show and what we explore.”

In addition to a new location, a new hijacked mode of transportation, and contrasting visuals, the jaw-dropping Season 2, Episode 1 twist — revealed in the premiere’s final seconds — is one of the sophomore season’s biggest changes. Curious what the heck happens at the end of Hijack Season 2, Episode 1, “Signal”? Why the big twist takes place? And what it means for Elba’s character, Sam Nelson? Decider’s ending explained breaks it down.

Hijack Season 2, Episode 1 spoilers ahead.

Hijack Season 2, Episode 1 Ending Explained: I’m The Hijacker, Now

The second season kicks off the same as the first, with a focus on Sam Nelson moments before he steps onto a mode of transportation. But instead of a plane, it’s a train. He’s got a briefcase with him, he pays extra attention to security cameras in the station, he’s generally on-edge, and he makes suspicious use of a vending machine. Questions are swirling, but when Sam finally hops on an underground train in Berlin and sets his sights on a man wearing a large red backpack, it’s easy to assume he’s there to stop another hijacking.

Perhaps after his impressive Season 1 work navigating the Kingdom flight to safety, authorities enlisted Sam to aid in high-stakes negotiations in a more official capacity? Maybe he’s just there to travel and is simply hyper-aware and thoroughly suspicious of his surroundings and fellow passengers after that harrowing experience? Viewers can’t be sure yet, but as they consider a slew of potential reasons why Sam might find himself in the midst of a second hijacking, I’d venture to guess that none of them will be the real one!

As the premiere progresses, an investigation outside the station confirms that explosives were created by a man posing as a worker on the tracks — someone who’s clearly embroiled in Season 2’s criminal activity. But another twist arrives when Sam flags an aforementioned man wearing a backpack to two police officers on the train, who exit the car with him to conduct a search. For a moment, viewers will wonder if Sam had already neutralized the threat, but we soon learn the red backpack was simply a red herring. Another twist? The train’s driver, Otto (Christian Näthe), is acting incredibly anxious and distressed. When he starts ignoring radio calls and speeds past station stops, it’s clear he’s actually involved in whatever chaos is about to ensue onboard. But is he the hijacker, or simply one part of a larger whole?

As Otto spirals and second guesses his role in the hijacking, he calls a mysterious number and says, “Call me back! I can’t do this anymore!” With the pressure rising and the clock ticking, however, he keeps driving the train and obeys prior orders. It doesn’t take long for passengers to worry and for Sam to notice that Otto’s gone rogue, so Hijack‘s protagonist makes his way up to the front of the train, forces the driver’s door open, and shouts at him to stop speeding through the tunnels.

After the train intentionally veers into a blocked off tunnel and goes off the grid at HQ, Sam asks Otto, “Why were you driving so fast?” Otto frantically replies, “You dont understand, there’s something going on. I don’t want to do this anymore. We have to get help, there were police on the train.” Sam stops him from leaving exiting the control room and in the twist of all twist, says, “You’re Otto, right? Otto, listen to me. I’m hijacking this train.”

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cactus’ “Evil” helps set the mood by introducing appropriately badass/metal/absolutely WTF energy. And just like that, viewers are left to wonder if Sam, is, in fact, evil. In Season 1, he was undoubtably the hero. But as Smith said, Season 2 is flipped on its head, so it does make sense that he’s the hijacker now. The question is, WHY?!

Apple TV’s official Season 2 premiere synopsis is as follows: “Two years after Flight KA29’s hijacking, Sam Nelson is thrust into another life-threatening ordeal — but this time it’s personal.” It’s safe to assume that the train hijacking and the hijacking of Flight KA29 are connected — especially since Sam conveniently had an appointment to meet Olivia (Clare-Hope Ashitey) and discuss CCTV footage from Hamburg Border Control that reportedly showed the man responsible for the Season 1 hijacking. And if Sam knew he’d miss that appointment to pull off the hijacking, perhaps he purposely scheduled it to send some sort of message.

Another personal thread of Sam’s we see in Season 2, Episode 1 is Marsha (Christine Adams), who appears to be hiding out in a cabin in the woods to mark a mysterious “anniversary.” An anniversary of what? We don’t know. But it’s worth noting that Daniel (Max Beesley) and her and Sam’s son, Kai (Jude Cudjoe), aren’t with her. So is Marsha in danger? And if so, is her wellbeing connected to the train hijacking?

When the end credits roll on Hijack Season 2, Episode 1, fans will have a long list of burning questions and no way of truly answering them without more episodes. What trauma or orders are fueling Sam’s actions in Season 2? If he’s genuinely assumed the role of hijacker, is he still dedicated to protecting the lives of those around him? Who’s really calling the shots? And how are the Season 1 and Season 2 hijackings connected beyond him as the common denominator?

Tune in to Hijack Season 2, Episode 2, “Control,” on January 21 to learn more.

New episodes of Hijack Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.