Manifest – Hard Landing

By: Luke Joseph

Since “Manifest” premiered the passengers on Flight 828 who have experienced the callings have used them for good. “With great power comes great responsibility,” Ben Parker once told his nephew. What would happen though if someone used those callings for their own personal gain?

The episode picks up from where it ended last week with the bus being pulled from the water and James Griffin (Mark Menchaca), the man inside, miraculously still alive. The flashback of James shows him and two of his buddies robbing a bank. However, before they have a chance to get away James ends up shooting them. Right from the start fans know something is off about this one. Upon waking up James finds himself in the hospital with cuffs on him. As Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) stands by she witnesses the familiar signs of a calling, but it’s not her experiencing it. It’s James. He begins crying and shouting out that there is going to be a bombing and many people including children will die. She tries to get him to open up more, but the doctors rule it simply as him having an episode resulting in them sedating him and putting him to sleep. Knowing that the information he contains is vital to stop a future terrorist attack from occurring she waits for him to wake. When James finally opens his eyes Michaela comforts him by stating how she can relate to what he is going through. She reveals what the callings mean and how they predict the future. She tells him the knowledge that he possess has the ability to save many lives. It’s in this moment when a devilish glint mirrors in his eyes and the wheels start to turn in his head. Rather than being the victim he shows his true colors as a criminal stating how he wants to cut a deal. If the NYPD lets him walk free on the two murder charges that are against him he’ll tell the location of where the bomb is going to go off in Midtown and if not a lot of innocent people are going to die.

Thankfully, Michaela manages to to convince her Captain (Alfredo Narciso) to let her try and pinpoint the location of the bomb before they make a deal with James. Knowing she really has nothing to go by she calls up Ben (Josh Dallas) and enlists his help. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the media has released information on James being not only a criminal but is like those of the returned, the public isn’t reacting in the best of ways. “I’m so glad we’re a family again,” Grace (Athena Karkanis) states after Ben reluctantly agrees to allow the family to help in this. Let it be known ever since Grace and Olive (Luna Blaise) are no longer in the dark the Stone Family operates better than ever. With all hands on deck they’re able to discover that James had been in the foster care system with one brother, Devon Carrick. They learn that he had died a while back because of a fatal wound in one of the correctional facilities. They also discover that James had a foster mother and Grace volunteers herself to check this woman out in hopes to find something that can crack James.

Meanwhile, Zeke (Matt Long) hasn’t made a great first impression on Jared (J.R. Ramirez). Upon learning that this is the reason why Michaela had stayed away he’s not keen on the fact she is blindly trusting Zeke. Jared doesn’t trust Zeke and it only grows when later in the episode Zeke is picked up by the police on the other side of town because he had been trying to pick a lock to enter a residence. When it’s brought up to Michaela’s attention she begs Jared not to book Zeke and he once again tells her she’s blindly trusting her callings. Jared is convinced that Zeke is a bad guy just like James but she refuses to believe it. Poor girl is trying to deal with James and she’s stuck in some weird love triangle.

“Maybe not everyone deserves to be saved,” says Angela Graham (Jade Wu) who was James’s foster mother. Angela explains how James and Devon were like brothers and Devon had even saved James’s life once. To really up the ante she sends Grace a picture of the boys as kids and in turn Grace sends it to Michaela. The fact that Angela is basically saying how not everyone deserves to “live” speaks volumes on how she views James.

In the interrogation room Michaela presents James with the file on Devon. She reads the file outloud, going over how both men had tried a rob a shop but one of the customers ended up trying to save the day. According to the report James had testified to the court that Devon had been the one to shoot the customer in the chest. However, really it had been James. Devon had gone down for his crime and sent to jail, eventually dying there. Michaela believes she’s finally found the connection between Zeke, James and herself. They had all lost a loved one and had to deal with the guilt and shame of that person’s death. She tells him how he’s been carrying the guilt of Devon’s death for fifteen years. What she’s causing him to recollect is enough for tears to well in his eyes. Just as he’s about to break, her Captain walks in and requests her to come outside. So close! She is so close in cracking him only to learn that the FBI and U.S. attorney have agreed to make the deal with James in order for the location of the bomb. “You did not come back from the dead to get away with murder,” she tells him but it looks like to her dismay he’s doing just that.

No longer having the power to do anything, Michaela decides to finally hear Zeke out on why he had been trying to break into someone’s home. It’s not just any someone though. It’s his mom’s house and he wanted to get in without her knowing he was there. Too much time has gone by. Too much history has occurred and he needs to make sure emotionally and physically she’s okay before he officially makes himself known. Believing him, she releases him and advises him to go check on his mom, the proper way this time. Seeing that Zeke has been set free it only fuels Jared to want to get dirt on this guy. Picking up Zeke’s discarded paper cup and placing it into an evidence bag.

Later that evening Ben and Grace are disappointed to learn that James is getting exactly what he desired. Ben starts to reconsider his beliefs not understanding what this means now. He had thought the callings had been meant for good. “What if it’s not about the callings themselves? What if it’s about how people choose to use them,” Grace offers as Ben realizes it makes perfect sense. In Cal’s (Jack Mesina) sketch James had been painted as a wolf. He’s a predator and he’s always going to be one. They’re starting to realize that these callings can be used for evil just as much as they can be used for good.

The episode closes with a wolfish smile from James as he tells Michaela she’s not seeing the bigger picture. He’s about to take these callings to a whole other level. Once he gives the exact location of the bomb the team is sent out. The bomb is located hidden in a snack stand and the bomb squad successfully defuses it. However, the story isn’t over. A predator has just been set on the loose and it’s only a matter of time before the real terror starts. It’s proven when Michaela sees a menacing wolf in the crowd, growling at her before running off into the night.