Manifest, the popular paranormal sci-fi show that aired for three seasons, has been a beloved and beloved series among fans. However, after Season 3, it was unceremoniously canceled by NBC due to falling viewership numbers. Netflix, however, quickly discovered its popularity and renewed the show for a fourth and final season. This episode marked the end of the show’s logical conclusion, providing viewers with some closure on the mysterious and twisty plot leading up to the show.
The show’s main premise centers around a group of people aboard an ill-fated flight, now known as Flight 828. After experiencing turbulence in the air, the passengers and crew land safely, only to find that five years have passed since they departed that day. This means each of their lives has changed vastly, as mysterious “callings” draw them to the fact that they each have a “death day” to reckon with and must face judgment by the mysterious forces pulling all the strings.
In the episode “Tailspin,” three main characters, Ben, Saanvi, and Vance, link up to try and work out what’s really going on. It becomes clear that other forces are at play, and the story begins to unfold. The characters, Michaela and Zeke, try to adjust to their new lives at home while trying to help a passenger whose death date is ominously looming.
Dead Reckoning (Season 1, Episode 9) is one of the most exciting and nail-biting episodes of the first season, as Ben and Michaela risk everything to save other missing passengers. However, by the end of the mission, not everyone survives, adding to the trauma experienced by Ben and Grace. Michaela and Jared are pushed closer, making it more evident how tragic a show like Manifest could be.
Reentry (Season 1, Episode 2) continues to draw more of the story out, with passengers struggling to adjust to the changes in their lives over the past five years. The show’s mystery and larger mysteries become increasingly prominent, with the NSA and government involvement also becoming more prominent.
Vanishing Point (Season 1, Episode 12) is another great episode where Cal suddenly disappears, leading Ben and Grace to a frantic search for him that takes them to a remote, mountainous region of New York. There are numerous major clues along the way that open up even more intrigue from the show’s more mysterious elements.
False Horizon (Season 2, Episode 3) follows the passengers as they struggle to understand and keep up with their “callings.” The passengers are harassed by the Xers, Saanvi identifies a mole who has been leaking her research, and it becomes evident who the Major really is. The religious underpinnings of the show become more prominent, with many people now believing the passengers to be “miracles.”
Emergency Exit (Season 2, Episode 7) is a thrilling and shocking finale, as the main characters continue to desperately try to get Cal back. As they piece together clues from Cal’s drawings, a piece of the recovered plane’s tail fin becomes key to unlocking what’s been happening. Later, Angelina reaches her peak derangement and kills another character before the plane is reconstructed before Bill Daly is glimpsed in it before it disappears.
Overall, Manifest has been a beloved and beloved show that has left fans with questions and cliffhangers, leaving them with a sense of closure and a deeper understanding of the show’s mysterious themes. The first episode of Manifest, Season 1, sparked fans’ curiosity for more and eventually led to a full-blown obsession with knowing how the show would unfold. The premise of an airplane time-jumping for five years is engaging, and the central mystery about what has been done to the passengers is a great hook. The groundwork is laid for many more characters to pull us in as the varying stories of the passengers onboard Flight 828 unfold.
The Stone family’s fate is tied to the fact that after returning from a family vacation, half the family is separated and bumped onto a different flight. The chilling consequences of this moment are made all the more apparent when half the family arrives home five years later with no idea why this is happening.
Season 4 of Manifest was made possible by Netflix, bringing all its events to a close. The original plane reappears, and the survivors of the first flight board it again to face their death day. Along the way, we learn that death day can be avoided, and the passengers are given a chance when they are judged by a reaper figure. While some passengers still don’t survive, the majority of those who needed atonement manage to find it and are spared. By the time the plane lands, the epic conclusion is that they land in the past, on the day and time they were always meant to.
While some passengers are “missing,” for others, it’s a chance to start over.