“Manifest” Is A Must Watch Show
By Isabella Smarro, Managing Editor
“Manifest” aired in 2018 on NBC and was directed by Jeff Rake. It includes many diverse themes such as action, drama, family, romance and sci-fi.
The plot revolves around lead characters Michaela Stone, Ben Stone and Cal Stone. They are portrayed by Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dalles and Jack Messina respectively.
The group encountered a powerful and abnormal storm while on Flight 828 and the plane’s wings constantly were struck with lightning. Everyone was shaking, but the turbulence quickly ended so no one suspected anything else was wrong.
They were soon faced with news reports, cops and crying family members once they got to the airport. Soon it was revealed that even though the flight was about five hours, time had gone forward five years on the ground. This is the basis for the rest of the series.
Each character gains a “gift” after attending the flight. These include voices inside of their heads also known as “callings,” visions and signs. At first, they think it’s bad, but soon they realize it’s for the greater good.
I thought this twist fit in perfectly since an airplane isn’t that entertaining by itself, so adding side effects for the passengers was clever. Now all of them hear voices, but some use it as a sign to solve a problem that’s about to happen.
This causes a great desire to see what happens next episode, for these life-dangerous accounts all connect at the end. I feel like a curious and excited kid going on a treasure hunt while I watch it.
One of the best love encounters is between characters Zeke Landon, portrayed by Matt Long, and Michaela. One day Cal has a vision that he has to save someone, so without telling his parents, he takes a bus and leaves home.
After a car chase, Cal, his parents and aunt Michaela end up in the middle of nowhere stuck in a cabin. This was until a man, Zeke, covered in snow crashed into the middle of the front room floor. They find out that he was missing for over a year, dead in a cave without reason and came back to life. The family decided that he’s one of them and should stay by them.
When everyone got to New York, Zeke and Michaela ended up falling in love with each other. This message may in general sound very flat and typical for a storyline but they share the same “callings.” When this happened for the first time, I remember their eyes linked to each other like glue. I was in love with their affection as it felt so real.
With the romance hitting overload and every episode keeping you on the edge of your seat, this show couldn’t have anything else to look forward to, right? Well, that wasn’t so as a good batch of character developments ensued.
Flight 828 had over 191 passengers, with only three being the main characters the question came up: What about all the others? Director Jeff Rake does a very good job of spending about one or two episodes explaining the life of each one. Each time a new problem happens in NY, it typically has to do with one of the passengers.
During season two, a special event at a club caused a handful of them to be in the same place at once. This caused drama and devastation, while two flight members died in a fire. Even though it would be nice to see someone have a happy ending, I’m also enjoying the downhill effects-a little more fun to watch.
At the end of the day, Manifest is a great show to watch when you want something to fill up your time while also bringing imagination to your head. Even with COVID, the show recently just put on their 3rd season in June 2021. During the end of each episode, credits say they put the production together with safety to regulations. With all this said I shall gladly rate this creation with a 9/10.