Manifest, which soon takes flight for one final season on Netflix following the untimely cancelation by NBC, has captivated viewers with the story of the passengers on Montego Airways flight 828, who disappeared for five and a half years only to return unaged as no time had passed for them in the sky. Led by Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) and Ben Stone (Josh Dallas), the brother-and-sister duo work together, with their loved ones, or with the other passengers to follow the Callings — thoughts, sounds, and/or visions in their heads — that, usually, lead to some spectacular outcome, making the world a better place.
However, following the Callings isn’t always easy, as some leave the passengers feeling uneasy, like when Michaela is told to let the Meth Heads go, while others sometimes put them directly in harm’s way. Nonetheless, after witnessing a man die after not following the Callings and meeting his death date, the passengers know there is only one way for them to survive, especially after watching Zeke (Matt Long) survive his death date. With years left before the 828 passengers’ death date, there is still quite a bit of story to unfold, especially as we begin to descend into the absolute madness of the fourth season. But first, let’s recap the major aspects of the third season.
At the end of Manifest Season 2, the passengers had only just gotten through roughly the first year and six weeks of their post-828 lives. Zeke survived his death date, a year after stumbling out of the cave covered in frostbite, only dying briefly while rescuing Cal from a frozen lake and the Meth Heads: Pete (Devin Harjes), Jace (James McMenamin), and Kory (Dazmann Still). Ben and Grace (Athena Karkanis) welcomed their daughter into the world, a daughter which had caused Grace to temporarily receive the Callings during her pregnancy. Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) continued to struggle emotionally as she tried to find a scientific explanation for everything that has happened while being used by the Major (Elizabeth Marvel) posing as her therapist. This led to a confrontation between Saanvi and the Major, where Saanvi accidentally killed her. Meanwhile, Zeke and Michaela tied the knot, Jared (J.R. Ramirez) turned out not to be one of the bigots against the passengers, and Michaela’s life at the NYPD became a little more complicated with the introductions of her new partner Drea (Ellen Tamaki) and a new Captain that is more by-the-book than Michaela (and the Callings) would like.
Deciphering What Happened to the Plane
In the premiere of the third season, Ben and NSA agent Vance (Daryl Edwards) are looking for the recently-discovered tailfin from flight 828 that had been found in the middle of the ocean, despite the plane blowing up on the tarmac shortly after its return back in the series premiere. Once they find the tailfin, they bring it back to the United States to a base for a secret government project called Eureka. At this location, Saanvi and a bunch of other scientists have reconstructed the plane and are conducting tests to figure out what exactly happened to the plane and the passengers. At Eureka, Saanvi helps to conduct experiments on the tailfin, where they make the discovery that it is covered in sapphire. The team then searches for other objects that are similar to the tailfin, eventually getting access to a piece of Noah’s ark, which is also covered in sapphire. However, experiments on this fragment of history begin to cause catastrophic damage, opening up a fissure in New York with lava pouring out. Upon realizing the connection between the events, Saanvi schemes to steal the ark fragment from Eureka, throwing it into the fissure, which immediately closes and all is once again right in the world… or as right as things ever are on Manifest.
Nonetheless, experiments to replicate what happened to the plane continue, despite Saanvi’s pleas for them to stop. This time, their trials are on the recovered tailfin, which is ultimately creating the same issues as working with the ark did. Toward the end of the season, Cal (Jack Messina) tries to force their hand and stop the experiment after being drawn to Eureka by the Callings. He runs into the chamber as the dark lightning experiment commences, places his hand on the tailfin, and vanishes, leaving his parents frantic. Where did he go? Well, that’s one of the major questions headed into Season 4, but not without a twist to make it all the more intriguing.
A New Passenger Arrives
On their long-awaited honeymoon in Costa Rica, Michaela and Zeke are unexpectedly called to help someone. The Callings lead Michaela to a couple. While secretly investigating the Calling, Michaela discovers a hidden room with a girl locked away inside. The girl, Angelina (Holly Taylor), is a fellow passenger who was locked away by her extremely religious parents that deemed her Callings to be communication with the devil. Michaela and Zeke, with the help of his new empathic ability (in place of losing the Callings), save Angelina and bring her home. Meanwhile, back in New York, Cal has already started to prepare for Angelina’s arrival and subsequent stay with their family.
Throughout the season, Angelina tries to find her new path after being so severely abused by her parents in the name of their religion. But, she is also extremely religious herself, and begins to share some of their ideologies. Once she begins to get attached to Ben and Grace’s daughter, Eden, it’s all over. Angelina believes Eden to be her guardian angel, sent to watch over her and make sure no harm befalls her. So, when Grace and Olive begin to cool toward Angelina and question her strange behavior, this only increases her delusions. Angelina accidentally starts a fire in the Stone residence, where she stands in front of it waiting for Eden the infant to save her. When Grace comes in and takes Eden away, she kicks Angelina out of their house. Only Cal remains on Angelina’s side, as he believes in the Callings and how they’ve drawn him to Angelina, so he secretly allows her to stay in his room. Little did he know the trouble this would cause…
The Meth Heads
After disappearing in that frozen lake months before, the Meth Heads reappear almost three months later as the newest people to experience similar phenomena to that of the passengers of flight 828. Jace, Pete, and Kory struggle with what they’ve been through, and they each have different ideas of how to proceed, especially as Jace becomes more volatile. He’s intent on seeing Cal dead, believing him to be the root cause of their trouble. This leads Cal, Eden, and Grace to go into hiding, of sorts, with Grace’s estranged brother Tarik (Warner Miller). As Michaela begins to break through to Kory, Pete and Angelina grow closer and begin a romantic-esque relationship. Jace eludes everyone though, proving to be a dangerous and resourceful threat. But, with their death day fast approaching, everyone is just trying to bide their time until Jace is taken off of the board. Unfortunately, they are in for a very rude awakening, shaking up the entire future for the passengers.
When Jace tracks Cal and Grace down, Pete and Kory also end up at Tarik’s to try to stop him. Before they can do so, Tarik is killed, leaving Grace angry, with a gun, and ready to take Jace out herself. However, the truth is revealed in-person as Olive (Luna Blaise) stumbles across it while looking over the ancient papyrus. Jace dies, while Kory and Pete survive. Everyone believes that it’s over, until a shadow arises from Jace’s corpse and kills Pete and Kory, too. Thus begins the story of the lifeboat: Everyone brought back together is judged together, too. Meaning, it’s all or nothing with the almost 200 passengers on flight 828, many of whom have already made terrible decisions that have cost people their lives. Can they keep the lifeboat afloat until 2024?
Where Does the Season End?
The discovery of the lifeboat sends Ben spiraling, as he has put the weight of all responsibility for the future of the passengers on his own shoulders. As Grace is focused on Angelina’s wrongdoings at home, Ben is out in the world, following the Callings, and trying to get the more terrible passengers, like Eagan Tehrani (Ali Sohaili), to behave. Eagan, on the other hand, is actively trying to turn the passengers against Michaela and Ben, making them believe that the Stones aren’t to be trusted because they are working alongside the government at Eureka. This backfires on Eagan, though, as he is imprisoned at season’s end for breaking into Vance’s house and holding his teenage son at gunpoint.
Where Eagan left off, former 828 cult leader Adrian (Jared Grimes) continues, preaching about how the Callings will bring about the apocalypse. One of those fragile minds he is shaping is Angelina, rife with emotions after being “mistreated” by the Stone family and having her guardian angel ripped away from her. After some misleading words from Adrian, Angelina heads to the Stone house to take Eden away. When Grace gets in her way, Angelina forces through to kidnap Eden, leaving Grace bleeding out on the floor. Before Grace dies, Cal — returned from vanishing after touching the tailfin, but five and a half years older — comforts her and says that he knows what to do now. Michaela, meanwhile, has struggled with being a cop throughout the season as the anti-828 sentiment rises. The actions of scared passengers haven’t helped her case either, as she can hardly do her job without others or the Callings interfering. Once she learns that Saanvi accidentally killed the Major, she reluctantly brings Saanvi in to charge her, as Saanvi wants her to do. When she learns that a passenger overseas has been executed, Michaela chooses to protect Saanvi and resign from the police force, giving up her shield and gun.
In the closing moments of the season, as Grace dies, something unexpected and amazing happens at Eureka. Captain Daly (Frank Deal), who disappeared again during the first season after flying into another dark lightning storm, reappears in the pilot’s seat of the damaged plane. As he screams for help, the entire plane disappears.
The much-anticipated Manifest Season 4 premieres with the first half of the final season on November 4. The first three seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.