What a shakeup.

Instead of the standard procedural, Manifest Season 1 Episode 5 broke the mold and gave us something far more compelling: character-driven stories.

The callings and solving the mystery of 828 still played a part, but "Connecting Flights" was all about those left behind and how they changed during the past five years.

And somehow, without the procedural nonsense, we actually learned something about what happened to that plane.

Cal's uniqueness isn't just his illness or that he seems to have been the only kid onboard. Cal woke up sometime during the disappearance and what he saw may have changed him forever.

Cal's new sense of intuition left Ben completely shaken, which is more than understandable given the mathematicians own doubts about the callings.

Even if you were a believer, it would be a little unsettling to have your kid suddenly just know things.

Although he doesn't seem to know anything about Grace and Danny...or Danny and Olive.

The focus of Cal's story may have been on how he was affected by what he saw on 828, but it also gave Jack Messina a chance to prove what a good actor he already is.

He didn't bring too much maturity to Cal, which would have been easy to do with the boy's newfound insight to future events.

Letting Cal have a day to be a kid (and answer his call) was great for the plot and for the character, but when are we going to get some twin time?

Ben: I know you believe some mystical force is binding us to each other, but these callings are dangerous.
Michaela: You don't know that.
Ben: Really?

Permalink: I know you believe some mystical force is binding us to each other, but these callings are dang

The flashbacks reinforced how close Olive and Cal were and how devastated she was by his disappearance. So why haven't we been treated to any twin bonding?

Having the kids spend some one on one time together wouldn't just open up the field for more character development, it's an opportunity to bring Olive in on what's going on with the passengers.

Cal's going to need somebody to talk about things with and who better than his sister? Not to mention that it's a nice narrative parallel to Ben and Mick's relationship.

Somebody outside of 828 is going to find out about the callings eventually, after all. Jared is now in a position where his loyalties are in question, and adults are always going to be suspicious.

The detective might have stood up to Vance before, but with his job hanging over him, can he continue on that path? I'm reluctant to say that his brush-off of Mick was an indication that he'll sell her out.

His personal life seems to be troubling him more than Vance does. And it should be. He's not sharing important things with his wife and he's trying to close out Michaela in an attempt to protect her.

It's not a very healthy situation for any of them.

As rough as the stuff with Danny is for Grace and Olive, this situation seems worse. Papa Stone's advice to Michaela didn't take into account that her lover married her best friend and only because they thought she was dead.

Fighting for love is one thing, but you have to weigh your desires against other peoples happiness don't you? There are no good answers to this problem.

It was at Jared and Lourdes' house. Being there was like looking at the life that would have been mine.
Michaela

Permalink: It was at Jared and Lourdes' house. Being there was like looking at the life that would have...

At least Ben isn't friends with Danny. He doesn't have to worry about hurting two people he cares about and the possibility that they'll all end up miserable.

The situation with Olive seems tricky on the surface, but if the grownups can just act like grownups, it doesn't have to be hard to resolve.

There's no reason that Danny can't stay in Olive's life as "Uncle Danny." The more people to love and support kids, the better. But some family counseling probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

I know I'm not her real dad. But for three years, I was all she had. When I lost Nina, I thought I'd be alone forever. But then I found you. So I know I'll survive losing you. But I'm not sure I know how to get over losing that amazing kid.
Danny

Permalink: I know I'm not her real dad. But for three years, I was all she had. When I lost Nina, I...

Nobody's going to be worried about Danny during Manifest Season 1 Episode 6 ("Off Radar"). They'll be far too focused on taking care of Cal.

The kid will wake in the middle of the night with raging fever, Michaela and Ben worry that it may be related to the callings or another passenger from 828.

Thank god they have their own doctor on call. Saanvi will surely be pulled in to help treat him -- after all, it could be her treatment that's making him sick.

One question that might get answered with the return to the procedural format: Who is Fiona Clark? The "eminent scholar" mentioned on the news brief about the return of 828 is sure to feature prominently sometime soon.

Love is never something to feel guilty about. It's a blessing.
Karen

Permalink: Love is never something to feel guilty about. It's a blessing.

So what did you think of "Connecting Flights?" We want to hear your opinions in the comments section!

Do you want to see the format changed up for good? Should Mick give up on Jared or fight her best friend for him? Is there hope for Ben and Grace to rebuild their family?

You can watch Manifest online anytime, anywhere.