Below The Surface | Gidseltagningen – Season 1

OVERVIEW | NEWS | CAST | SEASON 1 | SEASON 2

1.
One morning in early autumn, three heavily armed men hijack a subway car with 15 hostages. Philip Nørgaard, head of PET’s Terror Task Force, spearheads negotiations to free the hostages. The news spreads quickly across the Danish media. TV presenter Naja Toft is trying to learn more about the situation when she is unexpectedly contacted by hostage taker ‘Alfa’ who offers her a direct line to the hostages.

2.
Naja, who has been sacked after his unauthorised live interview, has started a blog. Thousands of her followers flock to pledge money to the fund she has started to pay the ransom demand. At TTF, Philip is plagued with flashbacks of his time as a hostage in the Middle East, and fears that his own hostage-taker, Ahmad, might be behind this. At the same time he promotes Louise Falck to head the negotiations, in an attempt to gain control over the situation.

3.
After the first hostage is killed, frustration among the public and press is at a high, and politicians are on high alert. Philip is encouraged to launch an armed solution but such action is risky and divisive. Naja proves controversial on social media, where she is accused of being partly responsible for Adel’s death, and she must decide whether her involvement actually benefits the situation.

4.
Despite the failure of the action, TTF gets closer to revealing the hostage-takers’ identities. A bullet turns out to be from a special type of rifle that was stolen from some barracks a few years before. Louise becomes aware of Philip’s flashbacks and begins to ask questions. Does he suffers from PTSD? Naja get cold feet about her role in the collection but is persuaded by Jonas, son of hostage Leon, to continue and their relationship quickly becomes more than friends.

5.
One hostage is killed, another wounded. Unrest spreads among the subway hostages, and they discuss whether it is time to fight. TTF are focussing on the identity of the hostage-takers. Philip and Louise suspect that the wall covered with pictures of Philip is not simply preparation. Naja is set to interview another hostage, and TTF considers whether an alliance with Naja is their way to resolve the situation.

6.
Bodil has been killed by gunmen. The country’s frustration with the situation and the action of the police continues to grow. The pressure on Philip and Louise is enormous. TTF’s investigation leads them to sources in the Danish army, and they are close to a breakthrough in the search for the identities of the hostage-takers. Naja is tormented by doubts about Jonas – if he is not Leon’s son, then who is he?

7.
Philip is brought to account by his superiors. They demand an explanation for his personal involvement in the case and cast doubt on his future as head of the TTF. But Philip is shocked at the identity of the mastermind behind the hostage taking. He must dig deep both into his memories and his connections to understand how things fit together. While the unrest spreads in the subway, TTF plan one last action with Naja Toft in an unexpected role.

8.
While one TTF agent delivers the ransom money to a front man for the hostage-takers, Philip heads down into the subway in the hopes of freeing the remaining three hostages. Underground, Philip is confronted with the man he believed was dead, while Naja escapes unseen from TTF and prepares for a final interview. This time with Philip. Now the true story will come out, with the whole world as a witness.