Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Jim Field Smith and George Kay, season 2 of ‘Hijack’ shadows the footsteps of Sam Nelson as he struggles with the memories of the trauma that transpired in the previous season. This time, he is in Berlin, still looking for the mystery orchestrators of the plane hijacking, but as one thread leads to another, Sam’s resolve only strengthens. As fate would have it, Sam winds up in another hijacking incident, this time while on board U5 2600, a train in Berlin’s famed U-Bahn system. When the driver mysteriously refuses to stop at the stations, Sam realizes that things are already past the point of no return. However, all is not what it seems in this thriller series, as Sam’s true stake in this nightmarish scenario goes deeper than anyone’s imagination.
John Bailey-Brown Perishes in the Explosion of the U5 2600 Train
John Bailey-Brown meets his end at the end of ‘Hijack’ season 2, when the U5 2600 is set ablaze in an explosion. While we are led to believe the entire season that the hijacking operation is to rescue him from Berlin, in reality, it turns out to be an elaborate assassination ploy designed by Stuart. This subversion also means that John spends his final moments in pure terror and panic, as the realization dawns on him with every step he takes towards the train. Sam’s plans to escape with Otto naturally don’t take him into account, and by the end of it, John is left alone, handcuffed to a wagon railing when Robert presses the button and detonates all of the bombs. Notably, while we never explicitly see John die, an on-screen confirmation isn’t exactly necessary. As it stands, he has no means of freeing himself, meaning that the explosion is almost certainly fatal.
Although John starts out as the grand antagonist of the first season, holding seemingly every aggressor at hostage to get his own ticket to freedom, the second season fully leans into a role reversal of sorts, and all of its thematic implications. While the entire hijacking seems to be in his interest upon first glance, in reality, it is Stuart’s twisted form of revenge for the death of his family. At the end, John is rendered utterly helpless as he is essentially left out of the climactic confrontation, which takes place between Sam and Robert on one end and between Daniel and Stuart on the other. Being overshadowed and even forgotten in his dying moments is perhaps the most fitting end for an antagonist like him.
Ian Burfield is Unlikely to Don the Garb of John Bailey-Brown Once Again
With John dying in the season 2 finale, actor Ian Burfield’s time with ‘Hijack’ has most probably come to an end. While the show has proven its ability to pour new life into characters from the first season, it notably doesn’t feature dead villains, such as Edgar Janssen, even in a flashback or dream sequence. As such, chances are that the actor will no longer appear in any of the future iterations of the story. In his place, fans can expect a new generation of the Cheapside Firm’s criminal masterminds, who can match the energy Burfield brings to the screen with their performance. Notably, there is a chance that John will continue reappearing in the form of pictures or simple narrative details, in which case Burfield might just stick around as the show’s creative team member for a bit longer.
While Ian Burfield is chiefly known for essaying the roles of detectives and police officers in titles such as ‘City Central’ and ‘EastEnders,’ playing the grand antagonist of ‘Hijack’ suggests a change in pace that he had to adapt to. Given the actor’s experience as a thespian, as well as a writer for the screen, he likely was able to flesh out a deep inner profile for John’s character, which made his take on the character’s twist ending in the finale all the more palpable. While everything points to his demise, there is a small but distinct chance that John made his escape one way or another, in which case Burfield might have many opportunities to flex his acting prowess. For now, however, it seems that the actor has to bid his role in the show goodbye.
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