Before NBC’s addictive sci-fi series Manifest makes its return this week for its all-new season, we took a look back at Season 2 and compiled a list of our favorite moments that shocked us, surprised us, and left us with even more questions than we had before.
Beware: If you haven’t yet seen Season 2, stop reading. There are tons of major spoilers below.
Voices in My Head | During a paternity test to see if Ben (Josh Dallas) is the father of Grace’s (Athena Karkanis) unborn baby, she “heard my own voice, over and over, telling me to stop.” ““Oh, my God,” Ben says. “You just had a Calling.” Since Grace had a Calling, it’s safe to assume Ben’s the father. But with her newfound “gift,” does this mean that the Death Date transfers to her as well?
Onto You | Saanvi’s (Parveen Kaur) research has hit a snag when she finds out that someone has been leaking information to The Major (Elizabeth Marvel). She learns that Ben had been lying to her in order to find the source of the leak. Saanvi opens up about her frustrations during a session with her psychiatrist, tests out a suspicion and discovers that Dr. Regier isn’t who she says she is.
Unrequited Love | “Where are you?” Saanvi texted Alex (Sydney Morton), as flight 828 was about to take off. We learn that Alex is a woman! Saanvi is part of the LGBTQ+ community and we’re loving it! “I was on my way, and then I just became terrified,” Dr. Alex Bates explains about why she never boarded the plane. The immunologist went on to say that boarding that plane would be destroying her family, all for a fling in Jamaica. “Is that what it was to you?” Saanvi pressed. “I loved you.”
Into the Fire | Isaiah (Olli Haaskivi), a disgruntled member of the Church of Believers, lures the 828ers to a nightclub and sets it on fire in hopes that they’ll die. “The miracle is upon us, but only if the passengers are among the fallen,” he says as he snatches on to Olive (Luna Blaise) with intent to kill her, though she was not on the plane. “We will all be miracles and transcend death just like you did.” Fortunately, Olive escapes his grasp, but unfortunately for TJ (Garrett Wareing), he isn’t so lucky, and dies in a fiery blaze.
Positively Glowing | Before his death that left Olive completely distraught, TJ was able to locate a journal by Al-Zura, and had it shipped to Ben’s office at Astoria. While going through the pages, he comes across an illustration that depicts a man carrying a woman with his outstretched arms. The photo eerily resembles the moment when Ben rescues Olive and carries her out of the burning nightclub. The journal then begins to glow. Um.. WHAT?!
From the Ashes | After TJ’s death, Olive was absolutely devastated. She had a crush on him ever since that meet cute at the airport. Ben was able to get his daughter out of bed and to a zen center where they both paid their respects and shared fond memories of TJ. But while there, Ben’s Calling, the chanting, didn’t stop, and led the pair of them into the tunnels below the center. Just kidding! Just like NSA Director Vance (Daryl Edwards), the presumed dead TJ is very much alive, narrowly escaping a fiery grave.
Drawing a Blank | Saanvi is just a hot mess right now. She’s experimenting on herself, passing out and nearly dying, and still insists on continuing her research in order to save Zeke (Matt Long) and the 828ers. She begins behaving like an addict and Zeke can see that something is wrong. She goes to the park and runs into Alex and gives her a big, passionate kiss. When Alex confronts her about it later in her lab (though lovely, it was a mistake and chooses her husband and family), Saanvi has no recollection of the encounter. “I don’t remember being in the park,” she says completely puzzled. “I don’t remember where I was this morning. I don’t remember a thing.” SMH
65 and Sunny | The Stone household is going insane. Grace is getting sea sick (yes, sea sick), TJ wants to bolt, and Cal (Jack Messina) is going batshit crazy. The thunderous storm outside isn’t helping. Ben addresses the storm in the kitchen and Olive has no idea what they’re talking about. “What storm?” she asks. She points out that it’s a beautiful day outside and pulls up the weather app on her phone to show that it is currently 65 degrees and sunny. The storm the rest of the family were experiencing was a Calling.
Inside Out | Mick’s retaliation towards Jared’s (J.R. Ramirez) actions led him to join the Xers, a hate group focused on causing harm to flight 828 passengers. Jared was also the leak which caused a failed raid against the group. Just when Mick has just about had it with him, Jared tells her to meet at “Our Spot” where he reveals that the entire thing was a big ruse. He says, the “best way to destroy a hate group is to blow it up from the inside.” “You were convincing,” Mick tells him, relieved. “I guess you can’t help being a good cop either.”
Saving Grace | Grace is in dire need of a time-sensitive surgery when something goes wrong with her pregnancy. There are only two specialists who can perform the surgery successfully and save both Grace and the baby — one lives in the area, but is not reachable by phone, and the other lives hours away. When a Calling Adrian (Jared Grimes) gets leads him to the Harlem River to save a drowning kayaker and takes him to the hospital for a check up, a nurse recognizes the man as Dr. Chmait, the specialist who can perform the surgery whom they were not able to reach. “Oh, my God,” the nurse exclaims. “I can’t believe I just found you.”
A Moment to Remember | Zeke has accepted his fate that his days are almost up and doesn’t want to spend what time he has left at a hospital getting poked and prodded with more and more treatments that don’t seem to be working. He chooses to spend the rest of his remaining time with Mick. Before his death date, however, he wants to make one last memorable moment and proposes to Mick. “Pretty much my entire life has been about regret and sadness. But I don’t want to end it like that,” he tells her. “I want to go out on my terms with the love of my life making one more memory I can take with me.”
A Major Fail | Psycho Saanvi is in way over her head thinking she has everything in control when she confronts The Major for answers. “Now Zeke isn’t the only one who has an expiration date. You have one,” she says threateningly as she causes The Major to go into anaphylactic shock. “You’re not a killer, Saanvi,” she says desperately. “This is not who you are!” A quick scuffle causes the syringe Saanvi is holding (and The Major’s lifeline) to fly out of her hands and shatter to pieces on the ground. While The Major lays dying, Saanvi discovers her research was being stolen to weaponize and be used to infect people with the Callings, not cure them of it. “It’s too late. I’m sorry,” she says, realizing what she has done. “This isn’t what I wanted.”
Frozen | Against his better judgement, Zeke leaves the warmth of Ben’s car and into the freezing cold to help rescue Cal from his kidnappers. A frozen lake is shattered when lightning strikes, causing nearly everyone to fall into the freezing water below. Zeke dives in to retrieve Cal while Ben helplessly (seriously) splashes his arms into the water trying to find something. Successfully saving Cal, Zeke barely makes it out alive, only to die seconds later. “It was his time, you know that. And he chose to spend it saving Cal,” Ben says trying to comfort Mick. “All he wanted to do was die peacefully in my arms and I couldn’t listen,” she says. “I couldn’t let go of him.” Moments later.. Just Kidding(again)! A glow emanates from Zeke’s body and he comes back to life, seemingly rid of all his ailments. Does anyone important ever stay dead on this show?
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat | Smack dab in the middle of nowhere, a fishing boat by the name of Tesoro De San Antonio, makes their biggest catch ever. What they find will change everything forever. As their mysterious catch is pulled from the watery depths below, they discover it is wreckage from Montego Air flight 828. But if the plane with the 828ers arrived completely in one piece on that day, November 4, 2010 in New York, why and how did the plane’s tail fin wind up in the middle of the ocean?
What were your favorite/shocking moments of Manifest Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
Manifest Season 3 premieres Thursday, April 1, at 8pm on NBC.
