Manifest – Point of No Return

By: Luke Joseph

We start with a flashback, only instead of the passengers getting ready for takeoff or being in the air this has to do with them coming in for a landing. Ben (Josh Dallas) reassures Cal (Jack Messina) that everything is okay now and mentions how he had never been scared of the flying but more so the arriving. In New York, he’s back to having cancer and he doesn’t wish to die. We fast forward to the present and still being alive Cal makes it known to his family that he wants to return back to school. Everyone seems all for it except for Ben. He voices to Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) that this is simply a lull and as soon as the experimenting starts back up again on Marko (Nikolai Tsankov) so will Cal’s episodes. Speaking of experiments, they’re speeding the process up and in eighteen hours it will be up and running again.

“It might never be normal. Your family needs a new normal,” Michaela states hoping to get Ben to have a change of heart. She also reminds him that they need to continue to act normal because when they finally discover the missing passengers and choose to hit back the government won’t see it coming. Deciding to take his sister’s advice Ben not only agrees to let Cal go back to school but also asks Grace (Athena Karkanis) to join him on date night because they haven’t had a proper date since his return.

While Ben listens to Michaela’s words of wisdom she seems to be getting her own from the voice in her head. This time it’s telling her “don’t lose him,” making her believe it’s about Jared (J.R. Ramirez). However, that changes fast when her boss says she’s being requested to respond to a jumper call because the man that is threatening to jump was a passenger on Flight 828. His name is Harvey (Richard Topol) and when they arrive on scene Michaela tries to reason with him but he’s quick to dismiss her.

Even though Ben is trying to grasp the new normal, he’s still attempting to find a way to save the missing passengers and his son which means he still needs to go to work. Ben’s supervisor Ronnie (Michael Drayer) shows Ben various web pages all about Flight 828 conspiracy theories, but before the men can discuss anything further the fire alarm in the building goes off. Outside Ben spots Vance (Daryl Edwards) walking past him causing Ben to follow and Vance to reveal that they need to work together if they want to find those passengers. He explains to Ben how he went to check the farmhouse lead and discovered evidence which was enough to convince him that Ben’s beliefs might actually ring true. Vance might be on his side now, but Ben isn’t welcoming him on the good guys’ team just yet until Vance admits to Ben that he was simply doing his job. He goes further by telling Ben he respects him and then proceeds to hand Ben a new computer and new encrypted phone reminding Ben if he finds anything on the data to reach out to him. Though he might be hesitant about the partnership, he tells Vance he’ll consider it.

Work is meant to be work, but rather than doing his actual work Ben finds himself looking over the files that were on the USB drive. Needing to make a little more sense of what he’s seeing, he reaches out to Fiona Clarke (Francesca Faridany) and tells her that some of the information he’s overlooking is medical. He brings up electrical data and Clarke connects the dots almost instantly. She realizes that they’re trying to use electrical stimulation to mirror the callings. The people of Singularity are using her research to experiment on the missing passengers. “What they are doing is wildly theoretical and dangerous. We have to stop these people no matter what,” Clarke tells Ben and he’s in full agreement. Ending the call with her he heads over to see Ronnie in order to collect more information and notices that he looks completely distressed. He offers his assistance with the workload stating how he can create an algorithm that will blow through the accounts. Eventually, because he’s late and overwhelmed ,Ronnie gives in and Ben gets the access that he needs.

Accepting the partnership, Ben meets with Vance and tells him how he found the properties that are leased by UDS and have Singularity as their subsidiary. They come up with the idea to have Clarke plant a bug for them. Clarke meets with the leader of Singularity, Lawrence (Brian Wiles), slyly dropping her pen and using that short moment to plant the bug. She barely has a chance to speak of the research she brought because he’s sending her away. But he gets wind that someone had searched the database about the data. While Vance listens on the other end of the call he hears them mention how the patients have been transported to Brooklyn. There’s also something mentioned about a Major making Vance believe it’s to do with the military.

Back on the rooftop Michaela is having no luck in reasoning with Harvey. He’s completely upset as he tells her that people around him die. In his eyes he believes himself to be the human version of the Grim Reaper. He tells her that it needs to end and the only way for it to stop is for him to end it. Without giving her a second to process what is going to happen next Harvey jumps. Now, with Harvey dead, Michaela and Jared head over to his apartment to investigate and see if they can find anything that might explain why Harvey was so convinced all hope was lost. What they find is ‘I am the angel of death” written in red on his bedroom wall. They not only find that proclamation, but also news clipping of two obituaries and a shirt that says O’Ryans Tavern. After discovering that there is a link to O’Ryans Tavern they head together to the bar. The bartender explains how Harvey was seen as a celebrity considering his Flight 828 status. He told people how he knew the plane was going to crash even before it did. This, in turn, caused red flags to wave as Michaela pieces together that the two patrons possibly died because Harvey told them about the calling. Oh, if that’s the case it’s easy to understand why she’s suddenly nervous seeing as she just told Jared about the calling as well.

Returning home from a long and grueling day of work she’s about to get kicked again when Grace confesses that she had spotted Lourdes (Victoria Cartagena) earlier at the store and noticed that she had purchased a fertility kit. Grace says, “I want you to be happy. I want you to have a full life, but it sounds like Jared is moving on.” Wow, Michaela, girl you really can’t catch a break, can you? But wait! There’s more because instead of that soak in the tub and nap you wanted as, instead, she’s being called back to the Tavern because the bartender is dead. Cause of death? While on a smoke break the electrical lines fell and hit her. That’s three people who learned about the callings thanks to Harvey and now they’re all dead. Convinced this isn’t just a coincidence she tells Jared she refuses to put him at risk and when he doesn’t accept that answer she tells him she knows about how he and Lourdes are trying to start a family.

Pulling a “Ben,” we see Vance decides to use his work resources and requests that his employee Tabitha (Jeena Yi) triangulate the data. Of course, she agrees but states she needs a file number and Vance brushes it off telling her he will take care of it. After an enchanting evening and some loving with his wife, Ben gets a text message from Vance telling him he needs to see him. Stealthily creeping out of the bedroom, but making a pit stop to Cal’s room, Ben notices that his son still isn’t sleeping. Cal tells his dad that he’s afraid to close his eyes because everything will be gone. We can’t blame him seeing as though his first day of “new normal” actually turned out well. Olive had gone above and beyond for her twin, looking out for him, inviting him to sit and be nostalgic with their old friends and even having pizza for dinner with his best bud Kevin (Sean Kaufman). All and all, it was a great day and he doesn’t want to say goodbye to that. Ben reassures his son that won’t happen and he’s doing everything in his power to see to it that it remains that way. Ben meets with Vance and he’s told about all the information that’s been discovered. Unfortunately, they still can’t find a direct connection and that’s when Ben thinks back to how Ronnie had told him that the UDS is behind it all. Putting two and two together he believes the properties that were purchased haven’t been officially processed yet. Instead of the files being on the computer they’re most likely on a hard-copy and Ben decides he can use Ronny’s pass to get into UDS and obtain the records. It goes off without a hitch as Ben enters UDS and makes his way into the records department. After flipping through files, he finds a box from Brooklyn and discovers the building for which he’s been searching. Finding what he wanted, he hightails it out of the building without being detected.

The next morning Ben and Michaela meet up with Vance and he tells them he found the building for which they’ve been looking. However, they can’t delay as they need to move and fast if they plan on saving the missing passengers. Speaking of the building, let’s check in with Lawrence – a/k/a the bad guy who is checking in with the doctors. To his satisfaction they’ll be back online soon. One of the doctors powers up the machine, sending a shock to Marko, and in turn Cal as he sits on the couch with his sister. Cal is now wincing in pain.