Manifest Season 4 Episode 3 Review: High Flight
Paul Dailly
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The beauty of the intricately constructed mysteries of Manifest is that they lead to even more questions.
Manifest Season 4 Episode 3 answered some of our burning questions that paved the way for even more mystery.
If you watch Manifest online, you already know that peacocks have been hinted at as one of the keys to unraveling the series' biggest mysteries.
Saanvi's realization could help tie many previous theories together to make one big answer.
If anyone can crack this case, it's Saanvi. Since the beginning, she's searched for a scientific solution to a problem that has plagued everyone we've met.
Michaela and Amuta having a shared calling highlighted the urgency of their meeting at the precinct and the latter's apprehension about helping made sense.
He was well aware that the world had it out for 828ers, so getting to pilot private jets was the closest thing he would ever get to normalcy.
Michaela: We have everything we need for a new investigation.
Jared: The precinct's gonna push back on this.
Michaela: Jared.
Ben: The day I buried Grace, I made a promise that I'd bring our baby home. I've never been this close. We have to move now.
Jared: We gotta bypass the precinct. Meet me at the Registry in an hour.
Ben: The Registry? No, they are not gonna help us. Eden's not even a passenger, and her case is with missing persons.
Jared: There's no law enforcement agency that'd be more aggressive in tracking down a passenger wanted for murder. And an ex-partner of yours has the juice to put it right at the top of their pile.
Michaela changing his flight status to get him into the Bird's Nest was a typical Michaela move, but at least it was worthwhile for him in the end.
Heck, it was worthwhile for everyone. Amuta wanted to put the past behind him, but we've seen time and time again that ignoring the callings will lead to bad things.
The realization that the ball of light or energy picked the plane is interesting because it makes everything that's happened to the survivors more worthwhile.
They've been scrutinized because they survived the impossible and are being rewarded by being constantly checked at a government facility.
None of them can lead everyday lives because they're being hauled in for questioning when they least expect it.
It's a lot.
Knowing that Daly was obsessed with feeling the peace and tranquility of the light made his actions on Manifest Season 1 more plausible.
Many thought he killed himself and Fiona, but it looks like they wound up back in that ball of light that made everyone feel peaceful, or as Amuta put it, the moment everyone died.
Cal's realization that touching the plane took him inside to meet with Daly and Fiona was utterly bonkers.
Michaela: Uh, Captain. Michaela Stone.
Amuta: Stone. Right, the detective. Not anymore, but it looks like you're still flying.
Amuta: Private jets now. Boss brags he's got an 828 pilot and puts up with the fact that I have to get rubber-stamped here every time I touch down in New York.
Michaela: Look, I know you saw what I saw. The lightning. We're sharing a Calling.
Amuta: I'm due at Teterboro. I have a plane to fly.
Michaela: This isn't something that we can just turn our backs on.
Amuta: I'm sorry. I don't have time for this.
Michaela: Amuta, please! Amuta! Come on. No...
It's hard to tell why Daly wanted Cal to stay there, but he probably won't be happy that chasing Cal also brought him back to New York in the present.
It also begs the question about what happened to Daly after the plane exploded at Eureka. Did he return to the light, or did that end his life right there?
Is Fiona still at the place with the light, and if so, could Grace be there? She wasn't on the plane, sure, but she did experience some callings while pregnant with Eden.
So. many. questions.
Ben's tenacity to get the case reopened paid off, but it sounds like he'll be put through the wringer countless more times before he's reunited with his daughter.
At least he got to feel Eden's presence, even if it alerted Angelina about what was happening.
Ben has been searching for any trace of his daughter, and thanks to more flashbacks, we also got to see that his relationship with Olive was derailed due to it.
Olive's life has been filled with missing people through no fault of her own. Much like her father and brother, she's been searching for meaning, and she got it when she managed to feel that Eden was alive.
They say that twins are linked in ways people will never explain, so there was no telling whether she could connect with Eden.
You could see the relief on her face when she realized that her younger sister was alive and that all of the family's torment could lead to a bit of happiness.
Adrian hiding Angelina and Eden in some refuge for 828ers and ignoring their callings will not end well.
Turning to Eagan with the intel was either a stupid move or calculated. Adrian is clearly struggling because he's helping to hide a child from her family.
Adrian: I've been thinking, maybe we can call in an anonymous tip. You know, at least let the Stones know she's alive. Maybe even reunite them.
Angelina: Um... I'm the only family this little girl knows. She and I are meant to be together.
Adrian: Because you took her?
Angelina: Eden and I are connected in a way that transcends blood. I think we're even starting to share the same Callings.
Adrian: I'm supposed to protect the people here, and harboring a fugitive puts them in danger. I'll give you some food, cash, but in the morning, you need to go.
My theory is he knew Eagan would reach out to Ben and dangle the information like a carrot to solidify his freedom.
Eagan could also use a redemption arc, so maybe he'll try to turn over a new leaf now that his actions have landed him in prison.
Then again, it's hard to believe he'd willingly hand over this information without getting something in return.
Michaela, Jared, and Drea could work together to land him a deal to get clemency. Maybe I'm overthinking it, so I'll just need to watch Manifest Season 4 Episode 4 to find out what happens next.
"High Flight" was thrilling because it moved the plot along at a breakneck pace, signaling that the creatives are laser-focused on delivering a worthwhile conclusion to this hit series.
What are your thoughts on Eden communicating with her father through callings?
Do you think Angelina will hand Eden over if Ben catches up with her?
What's your theory on Adrian telling Eagan about Angelina and Eden?
Are you stunned by the revelations about Daly and Fiona being on the plane, in the light, with Cal?
Hit the comments below.
Catch Manifest Season 4 on Netflix.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
