Manifest Unmasked: Griffin's Calling, the Wolf and Terrorist Attacks
Lizzy Buczak
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I had high hopes for the penultimate episode in terms of answers, however, Manifest Season 1 Episode 15 only raised more sinister questions with the introduction of James Griffin.
Though we still don't understand much about the callings, we've always known that we could rely on them as warnings for what's to come next.
Everything changed with Griffin's introduction and much like Mic and Ben, we were left wondering what happens when the calling gets into the wrong hands and are harnessed for evil instead of good.
Zeke may have been a little sketchy, but Griffin immediately exploited the callings for his own gain.
Related: Watch Manifest Season 1 Episode 15 Online!
And none of this even begins to dive into the real question -- how are the passengers, Zeke and Griffin still alive? Or are they even alive?
Then there's the question of the wolf, a symbolic figure that has persisted throughout two major cliffhangers.
How is everything connected? You might need to watch Manifest online to find out.
I hope to find out on Manifest Season 1 Episode 16, but if I've learned absolutely anything from this series, it's to not expect answers.
1. In the Wrong Hands
What happens when the callings get into the wrong hands? Ben and Mic were so preoccupied with the nature of the callings that they were blindsided by Griffin, a dangerous and irredeemable man who abused the callings to further his own agenda. This left much of the Stone family perplexed and wondering if there was even a point or greater cause to the callings. Up until now, we thought they were a force for good, spiritually or otherwise, but now it all feels a bit misguided. I guess it makes sense that not everyone would take advantage of a second chance, but what's the overall purpose in introducing Griffin when we have so many other unanswered questions?
2. Why a Murderer?
While diving into these callings, all the returnees want to make the best of their second chance. They all seemingly want to do the right thing, better themselves, and turn over a new leaf. Even the pilot, obsessed and misguided as he was, was trying to clear his name and get some answers. So why the heck is a murderer being given such a gift? It almost defeats the purpose of the premise of the series.
3. Who is Griffin?
Not to mention, we don't really know much about Griffin. Olive may have been good at searching through MySpace to find out about his time in foster homes, his foster brother, and his foster mother, Angela, but it was all surface-level. Grace's visit with Angela almost seemed pointless. She explained that it was in his nature to lie, told us about Devon, and then lamented that she wished Griffin, a person she hasn't seen in years, wouldn't walk free. I'm going to need more to this story.
4. Time of Death: 828
It's absolutely no coincidence that Griffin was underwater for 82 hours and 8 minutes. There have been plenty of 828 Easter eggs throughout the series, but what's the significance of them? Are the numbers 828 symbolic? Is there a deeper meaning to them? Should Cal be doing higher math to figure this out? Or are they just being included as an attempt to tie together the mystery? I should also point out that there wasn't a tie-in to 828 with Zeke. Was that on purpose?
5. Mic in the Middle
It may seem like the callings are random, but if you follow the trail, you'll discover that Mic, Griffin and Zeke all have one thing in common: guilt over losing someone they love. Mic feels guilty for killing Evie, Griffing for killing his brother Devon, and Zeke for his little sister. But why is their guilt manifesting into a second chance at life and callings/ visions of the future? It doesn't make any sense.
6. To Zeke or Not To Zeke
Now that we know bad guys can be brought back, I have to give Jared some credit for being skeptical of Zeke. Jared's approach needs a little work but let's be honest, what do we know about Zeke aside from the fact that he shared the same calling as Mic? Griffin's callings are connected to Mic and we damn know we aren't trusting him! Jared came off as jealous but his concern should be taken seriously. I can't wait to see what those DNA results unearth! Oh, and how mad do you think Mic will be when she finds out Jared went behind her back!
7. Breaking and Entering
Zeke had a pretty terrible excuse about breaking into his mother's house, and though Mic believed it, I'm not so sure I do. Zeke's wanted to stay under the radar so that no one knows about his return, which I can understand. It might be better actually since we see what happens when the government and cops getting involved in a return. However, shouldn't Mic know his last name? And why hasn't he tried to re-connect with his family sooner? What made him decide now is the right time? And why Mic always hearing a wolf whenever he's nearby?
8. Take a Seat, Jared
As I said, Jared's concern for Mic is understandable, but he needs to curb the jealousy. The way he conducted himself when he met Zeke, when they brought Zeke in for breaking and entering, and honestly, anytime Mic brought up the callings was so clingy and borderline obsessive. You're not going to win your way back into Mic's heart by having a full-on jealously meltdown, Jared! How isn't he more understanding that Mic has a lot going on right now and his wife just skipped town after finding out he cheated on her? Does he not care at all?
9. Terrorist Attacks and Wolves
Griffin saw a vision of a bomb going off in Times Square and killing tons of people. How? Why? Who put the bomb in a pretzel cart? Pretzels deserve better, to be honest. And what's with the terribly CGI-ed wolf popping up? It seems that Griffin wasn't the wolf, but who is? Is it Zeke? Could this be a warning about the Major? Is the Major and her team planting bombs around NYC to see if the passengers and their visions can stop them? Did we forget about the Major? You'd think news of another person like the passengers from Flight 828 would perk her ears right up.
10. What's Up With Cal?
Did Cal seem off to anyone else? Does he know all the answers and is just sitting back making a house out of popsicle sticks while the rest of them try to piece things together? It was nice seeing the Stone family join forces and work together to crack this mystery, but why didn't anyone ask the actual kid who has experienced visions and callings for advice? Not to mention digging into Griffin's past felt like a waste for a good chunk of the hour.
11. Saanvi's PTSD
You'd think Saanvi would have suffered from PTSD after essentially coming back from the dead, but it was being held at gunpoint to save a dying patient that made her break. For now, I'm not a fan of this storyline as it seems to be alluding to the idea that reaching out and getting help is a sign of weakness. Then again, who could Saanvi talk to that would really understand what she's gong through? No therapist could advise anything about coming back from the dead and being seen as a "miracle." Sadly, this is taking away from Saanvi's research and those test-subject patients that we still haven't reconnected with. Did they forget about those as well?
12. Is Griffin Going Public?
Griffin said something along the lines of "these callings are capable of so much more, I'm going to take them to the next level" and warned Mic that she's been thinking "too narrowly." Both these comments don't seem like a good idea. The public already has an obsession with the passengers, regardless if they fear or worship them. The Church of the Returned will get a ton of new worshipers while Cody's vendetta against the Stone's will gain momentum. Exposing their abilities not only exposes all the passengers, but it's also almost asking the government to experiment on them. I'm going to say Griffin will attempt to leverage the callings to make himself more powerful, however, there are likely consequences to that decision.
13. What Happened to The Flight?
It's easy to get jumbled up in all these additional storylines, but may I remind you, we still have no idea what happened to Flight 828 in the first place. All we know is that lightning had to strike three places at one time -- the Flight, Zeke's cave, and Griffin's submerged vehicle -- for all of this to be happening. The promo for the season finale shows one of Cal's drawings with tombstones with Ben, Cal and Mic's names on them. Given that Cal sees the future, is it possible they will all die? Or -- a theory that I am pretty fond of but have no explanation for -- could it be that they've all been dead this whole time?
14. Peacocks and Constellations
Mythology and stars may have something to do with this big mystery, in addition to the lightning. Mic and Zeke stumbled upon a cave drawing of the constellation Gemini, but this isn't the first time constellations have been mentioned. Reddit user HomerJBouvier realized there's also been Pavo (The Peacock), Lupus (The Wolf), and Draco (the Dragon). Someone else mentioned Virgo is the zodiac sign for 8/28. It seems like the user has definitely tapped into something here as in the Manifest season finale promo, Olive mentions that the answers have been right in front of them while showing the peacock and the Gemini constellation to Ben.
If you have any theories, please share them in the comments below!
If you have any theories, please share them in the comments below!
