Hijacked

Caroline returns to Baywatch to keep up her certification by filling in on a few shifts during an acting hiatus on ‘Shannon’s Hope’. Taylor agrees to give her some shifts – and more challenging ones than on Mother’s Beach. When she runs into JD in the locker room, their passion quickly reignites and her visit back home promises to be more than just a return to the beach. Neely’s taken a job as the lifeguard at a private resort, the Sand and Sea Club. When Mitch and Donna notice a barge anchored in the ocean in front of the club, Mitch comes over to check it out and finds Neely distracted, tired, and paying more attention to some young studs at the club than to her lifeguarding duties. She asks about her disability check and Mitch says he’ll look into it. As Donna watches the barge, one of the fireworks goes off, then there’s an explosion on the boat, knocking out the technician. Neely jumps out of her chair and races to get to the barge – but forgets her rescue can.

Donna calls in the emergency and races to the scene with Mitch and Caroline separately on their way. Neely reaches the technician and just as she’s pulling him off the boat, another explosion knocks the two of them into the water. The technician, in heavy work gear and boots, begins to sink – taking Neely with him. She struggles free, goes to the surface, and grabs Donna’s rescue can. Mitch dives for the technician, and is surprised when Caroline shows up to help him finish the rescue. Mitch is astonished at Neely’s sloppy lifeguarding and finally forces Donna to tell him the real problem – Neely’s hooked on painkillers.

A young thief, Trey, holds up a kiosk, and when he’s spotted by the cops, grabs whatever cash he can and skates away. He spots Caroline’s truck as she is returning to headquarters to meet up with JD after her shift, opens the door and jumps in. Brandishing his gun, he forces Caroline to speed away through the parking lot and onto the beach. The cop car gets stuck, but Mitch sees the truck racing along the beach and takes off in pursuit. Trey takes a shot at him and Mitch has to pull back. Caroline judges the situation and tries to figure a way out. She hits the brakes and swerves onto the berm along the highway. Her seatbelt keeps her safe, and Trey is thrown against the windshield. Caroline jumps out of the truck and runs to Mitch while Trey shakes himself, gets out, and skates away.

In the days following the incident, Caroline is haunted by what happened, despite JD’s caring and comforting. She keeps seeing Trey everywhere. She spots a man in the parking lot trying to steal a car, and calls in the situation to headquarters. After a wild chase, JD and Mitch finally catch the guy, and he turns out to be someone else. Trey is eventually captured by the police and Caroline is called upon to identify him. But more importantly, she commits to trying to not let the incident and her fears run her life anymore.

Meanwhile, Mitch gets Neely to come by headquarters to pick up her disability check. It’s a set-up for Mitch and Donna to do an intervention for their friend. When’s she’s confronted with the two of them, at first she’s angry and resistant. Mitch also confronts her with the fact that he called the hospital in Aspen where she was supposedly recovering from a skiing accident and they had no record of her being there. Neely finally breaks down and tells the amazing truth !

Written by…
Gillian Horvath
Directed by…
Rob Weaver