Manifest – Estimated Time of Departure

By: Luke Joseph

Jamaica is what people define as paradise because only happiness can be found there. Your troubles sail away and you’re only filled with good thoughts. The Stone family can relate when fans get a flashback of their family vacation. Ben (Josh Dallas) and Grace (Athena Karkanis) almost forget their son had cancer because they’ve never seen him more alive. Unfortunately, everyone eventually has to say goodbye to paradise and face reality again. Too bad they didn’t know what was in store for them.

The didn’t know that three of their family members would board Flight 828, disappear for five years and return to unimaginable complications – James Griffin (Marc Menchaca) being one of them. Ever since the bomb scare in Times Square the media and public is ruling him out to be a hero. Not only have his charges been dropped, but he’s back on his way to freedom. His first order of business? Exposing himself, the calling and his abilities to the world. It’s not surprising that everyone hears “stop him,” taking it to mean they need to stop James. That’s not the only complication that arises. Cal (Jack Messina) has had another calling but he refuses to share it with his family. He tells them he will only speak to Zeke (Matt Long) about this issue.

Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) faces her own complications when she’s pushed into a toxic love triangle between Jared (J.R. Ramirez) and Zeke. Speaking of, Jared confronts Michaela about how Zeke has a criminal record ranging from drugs to assault. When she asks how he obtained this intel he admits he had his fingerprints run. She’s quick to assure Jared that they’re only friends and she’s just trying to help him get back on his feet again. Later she returns to her apartment finding Zeke in a distressed state. He tells her how he went to visit his mom but she refused to let him in. Michaela confronts him about his criminal record and he comes clean explaining the assault. He was drunk and didn’t take kindly to a guy treating his girlfriend like crap. He stepped in but it included his fist. Chivalrous but no good deed goes unpunished, which explains why Jared remains suspicious and even has someone trailing Zeke.

“Ever since dad came back we haven’t had something that’s ours. Until this. For the first time I feel we’re finally connected again,” Olive (Luna Blaise) confesses to her mom. Still, both her and Grace are feeling powerless over everything that is happening. Meanwhile, at the red carpet, James is eating up all the attention that he is getting from the public. His eyes are on the prize with fame and fortune being in view. Giving one more effort Ben and Michaela confront him before he takes the stage begging him not to go through with this but he’s not listening to any of it. Unbeknownst to them Zeke is hidden in the crowd and he’s ready to “stop him” in a more abrupt manner. Earlier he had purchased a gun on the down-low (Jared thinks it’s drugs) because he believes the only way to stop James is by eliminating him. However, another source comes in causing James to suddenly double over and begin expunging lots and lots of sea water. Eventually, he drops to the floor dead. Odd as it may be, Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) is able to get the autopsy report deeming it was death by drowning.

Was it fate stepping in or punishment? Either way it intervened and stopped Zeke from using the gun. Michaela spots him later and confronts him. He hints about how he had planned to take things into his own hands. Again, he’s in a distressed state causing him to walk away and Michaela to look on in helplessness. Thankfully, even after Jared once again shows her further proof how he’s a junkie, she refuses to give up on him. Going to the real source, his mother (Maryann Plunkett). “I love my son and I will never stop loving him. But for an entire year he can’t be bothered to show his face and then he shows up on drugs with excuses and lies. Nothing’s changed,” says sadly. She’s wrong though. Everything has changed. She opens up to his mom about how she came back because she was on Flight 828. She explains how it’s not just about the airplane. Not anymore. Immediately his mother feels guilty at realizing she turned her son away, but Michaela assures her he will come back and when he does she should let him in.

Upon skimming the coroner’s report something catches Ben’s attention about James’s death. He notices that he had lived exactly the same amount of time he was gone. That gone being eighty-two hours and eight minutes. Get it? Flight 828. He then begins to do the math for the passengers on the flight, but Olive beats him to it when she says their expiration date is set for June 2nd of 2024. Of course, Grace refuses to believe it which draws Olive to explain her findings. The date is interpreted by the peacock (June), the Gemini Twins (representing the number two) and Cal’s wood dragon (Chinese Zodiac 2024). As they come to the realization that this could be it, Olive begs her parents not to let Cal know because she doesn’t want him to go through with knowing he’s going to die again. She’s his sister and she finds it to be her job to protect him. Unfortunately, he already knows. Cal states, “I know, I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

Return to paradise, that’s what Ben wants to do. Since they feel powerless to do anything they want to head back to a simpler time. But,time doesn’t work like that. Life still moves on and so did Grace when she reveals to Ben that she’s pregnant and it’s most likely Danny’s. Great, just when I thought we were done with this guy he comes back in.

As the finale draws to a close fans are led to two major cliff hangers. The first being Saanvi who is taking a doctor’s advice and visiting with a very discreet therapist to deal with her PTSD. Did anyone else predict who the therapist would be even before we saw her? If you guessed the Major (Elizabeth Marvel) you’re absolutely correct. The next cliffhanger deals with the newly forming love triangle. Believing Zeke to be a druggie, Jared busts into the apartment and begins searching for the drugs he had obtained earlier. The macho man talk begins and Jared mentions how he and Michaela are meant to be together but Zeke doesn’t believe it. He might even think he has a chance and Jared isn’t having it. Fists are thrown, tables are broken and a gun is drawn out as Zeke points it at Jared. He tells Jared the gun is what he had purchased, not drugs,because he wanted to protect Michaela. Jared sees this moment of vulnerability to grab the gun. As they fight for the gun Michaela rushes up the stairs wanting to “stop him” only to enter as a gunshot is heard and the screen fades to black. So, does Zeke have man-slaughter to add to his criminal record or was his expiration date up?