Idris Elba's 'Hijack' ends with 'tense' finale that fans loved: 'Got my blood pressure up'

The seven episode, seven-hour series unspools in real time, culminating in a heart-stopping finale with a twist.

Idris Elba is a negotiator onboard a commandeered aircraft in 'Hijack.'
Idris Elba is a negotiator onboard a commandeered aircraft in Hijack. (Photo: Apple TV+)

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Hijack.

The thrilling finale of the Apple TV+'s Hijack was released Wednesday, and the intensity of the episode seemed to elicit an actual physical reaction from many viewers.

The seven-part limited series stars Idris Elba as corporate business negotiator Sam Nelson, who has to use his skills to try and stop a hijacking on a seven-hour flight, with the events happening in real time much like another hit thriller series, 24.

The seventh and final installment picks up directly after the cliffhanger at the end of the penultimate episode, when a seemingly mild-mannered older female passenger comes out of nowhere and shoots the pilot, locks herself in the cockpit and takes control of the plane with her own pending orders.

Time is running out as Sam Nelson makes some 11th hour — or in this case 7th hour — efforts to talk this latest hijacker into landing the plane safely. Meanwhile the government is deciding whether or not to shoot the plane down to keep it from crashing over London. You can read more about the events of the finale and what led up to it here and here.

After the season came to an end, viewers took to social media to deflate and express just how much the final episode affected them. Like, physically affected them. And if there’s one word to summarize the overall feeling, it would have to be “tense.”

There has been no official word about a second season for Hijack, which is a proven hit with fans and critics. But co-creators George Kay and Jim Field haven’t shut the idea down either, and neither has Elba. While they wait to decide, hopefully everyone's heart rate can get back to a more manageable range.

Hijack is streaming now on Apple TV+.