Manifest – Turbulence

By: Luke Joseph

The episode starts off right where it ended. Scratch that, it gave viewers a quick flashback of Kelly Taylor (Julienne Kim) right before Flight 828 takes off. She’s on the phone explaining to someone how she had been booked onto another flight and from the way she’s speaking it’s clear she’ll never fly Montego airlines again. “I’d rather die,” she says. Well, Kelly’s wish does come true because she never has to fly this airline again, but she’s also never going to see the light of day again as well. We fast forward to the present where police are at Kelly’s house photographing her dead body.

Back at the Stone residence the family is trying to have a normal night with Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) and Cal (Jack Messina) playing word games and Grace (Athena Karkanis) finishing off with some work. Unfortunately, quiet nights don’t exist when Ben sees the news discussing Kelly’s death. The anchors explain how ever since Kelly’s return she has been very vocal about the government and with the worried look Grace, Ben and Michaela each share it’s safe to say they don’t think this is just a coincidence. “Own your truth” are the words that Cal arranged on the refrigerator with the magnets. Rather than hearing voices, it seems this time they’re appearing before them. Speaking of truths, Cal catches his sister Olive (Luna Blaise) sneaking out of the house but since it’s a twin thing she assumes he’ll keep the secret.

At the lab Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) reaches out to Ben after she discovers that there is an unidentified marker that has been found in Cal’s blood. She’s quick to reassure Ben that it’s not dangerous, but it is making her curious. Maybe this marker is the reason why Cal’s disease hasn’t won? Either way Ben throws his two cents in and reminds her about the vitamins that each passenger had been instructed to take before getting taken into quarantine.

Michaela is really struggling with the PTSD of losing her best friend and when she does finally get back into a car it’s no surprise she’s paralyzed, which results in her asking Ben for a ride. On the drive Michaela instructs Ben that he has to stay in the car not only because this is police business but he’s a civilian as well. However, Ben isn’t having any of it because he needs to know what’s going on.

The Stone Siblings partner together and when they arrive at Kelly’s house a simple flash of Michaela’s badge is enough to gain them both entry. Police believe the cause of death was a robbery gone wrong, but also because she was a passenger on Flight 828. Any other investigating will have to wait because NSA Director Vance arrives at the scene and is quick to let it slip to the other officers on scene that Michaela and Ben were passengers as well.  Before they take their leave they approach Mr. Taylor (Joe Urla) who reveals how he had told his wife not to talk about what had happened but she hadn’t listened to him because she followed her “calling” that resulted in her speaking to the media.

“Own your truth.” See, it’s not just by chance because after reviewing Kelly’s tapes that phrase keeps popping up. Michaela tells Ben and they’re both convinced that Kelly calling out the government was the main reason why she had been targeted. Again, the Stone siblings seek out Mr. Taylor and he explains how his wife had kept using that phrase on constant repeat. But it’s him confessing how his wife was paranoid with the black SUV’s parked outside their house and the clicking sounds she heard on the phone that really get Michaela and Ben’s undivided attention. Just as they are about to leave they see all of Kelly’s friends and loved ones coming together for the funeral and it’s enough to push Michaela to have a flashback. After losing her best friend, Evie, Jared and Michaela plan to attend her funeral but the second Evie’s parents (Andrew Sensenig and Adriane Lenox) set sight on the girl responsible for killing their daughter it ends with the door being slammed in her face.

Yes, Grace ended her relationship with Danny but before we give a congratulatory pat on the back it should be known that she might be regretting her decision. At least that’s what she tells her co-worker Rob (James Liao). Seriously Grace?

Michaela decides it’s time for her to own her truth when she finds herself going to visit Evie’s parents.  This time the door isn’t slammed in her face and she’s given a warm welcome. She then finds out that Evie’s mother Beverly has dementia. Glen explains to Michaela that he’s not going to put his wife through the heartbreak of losing their daughter again and it’s just easier to make her believe she’s still alive. Seeing her best friend’s family has taken its toll on Michaela and when she’s at the station it’s no surprise that Jared is quick to notice it. “Don’t waste your miracle on your pain,” is the advice that Jared offers her. Eventually, once Michaela collects herself, Jared shares with her the information he has dug up on Kelly Taylor. It turns out Kelly had owned a mall, which is probably where she not only got her hair done but also the place responsible for the bruises she had upon her return.

Clearly spooked with what Kelly endured, Ben starts to search his house for any bugs or wires. And though he doesn’t locate them, he does find a condom in the night stand. Uh oh. Before he has the chance to process, the doorbell rings and he’s greeted to Cal’s best friend Kevin (Sean Kaufman). Five years has definitely changed because Kevin is all grown up and now towers over Cal. Still wanting to find some sense of normality, Ben asks Kevin if he plays Fortnite in hopes to get the boys to play together. Unfortunately, Kevin isn’t here for Cal; he’s here for Olive who isn’t present. Well, now we know why Olive was sneaking off. Inside Ben reveals to Grace that he had found footprints in their yard, but Cal is quick to rat out his sister and, honestly, can you blame the little guy? He not only lost his best friend but in a way his twin as well. That drama is going to have to be put on hold after Michaela arrives and tells Ben she has a possible lead.

The Stone siblings don’t just find the lead, but they chase after her as well when they corner a woman who explains she had run because she thought they were immigration coming for her. It looks like Mr. Taylor runs a tight business because he’s very strict on the rent and if he doesn’t get paid he calls immigration. Kelly wanted to own her truth by shutting this all down in hopes to right her wrongs. At Mr. Taylor’s interrogation Michaela is disappointed to find out he has an alibi while the other suspect at the scene had blood on him. She’s still convinced there’s more to this, but Jared warns her to let it go and start thinking like a cop because people are watching her – those people being Director Vance, who earlier had confronted Jared threatening his job if he doesn’t keep his eyes on Michaela. At the holding cell Michaela encounters Isaiah (Olli Haaskivi) and he knows exactly who she is. He tells her he didn’t kill Kelly but held her as she died.

Ben comes home to find his worst fear coming to life when he discovers the front door open. He heads inside and grabs his bat. He ends up finding a man in the closet but before he can give him the proper beat down he learns he’s one of Grace’s friends. Olive had forgotten her shinguards for soccer and since he had keys to the house Lindsay (Lawrence Ballard) had been nice enough to get them for her. It might have been a sincere gesture, but it’s still enough to work Ben up questioning his wife on how many other men have keys to the house. It’s a low blow, but Grace needs Ben to understand that she was on her own for five years and over those years she found others who helped take care of her. Grace vows to Ben he won’t need to encounter any of those other men because as far as she’s concerned Ben is home. Yeah, because Danny hasn’t knocked on the door yet Grace.

Finding a distraught Glen, he tells Michaela how he lost Beverly and that the police instructed him to stay at the house. Frantic about his wife he gives Michaela the keys and begs her to go find her. It’s something she’s been avoiding but can no longer do as she forces herself into the car. Again, she has a flashback of a very drunk Evie (Simone Bart) making Michaela want to call Uber so she could be picked up, but her friend rejects it. After some back and forth Michaela reluctantly agrees to drive her back home. Even though Michaela lost Evie she can still help Beverly and it’s that thought which is enough to cause her to start the car. Thankfully, she finds a very distraught Beverly wandering in the middle of the road, but a car is about to hit her. Michaela swerves in front of the car and blocks it from hitting Beverly. The passenger isn’t just anybody though – it’s Christine (Joy Jacobs), the woman who has been helping Mr. Taylor! And, yup, you guessed it! Kelly’s necklace is in the car. The police interrogate Christine and eventually get her to confess to murdering Kelly. She had been the Taylor’s maid, but after Kelly’s death her and Mr. Taylor had become lovers and she believed once someone is dead they should stay dead. Three times Michaela has been at the right place at the right time and it’s not a coincidence. Jared wants answers and all she can offer is something has changed inside of her but the less he knows the better. Lucky for her it’s enough to satisfy Jared’s curiosity, causing him to tear and rip up Vance’s card. Atta boy Jared.

The episode ends with Saanvi requesting to see both Michaela and Ben because she has news to share with them. She reveals that the marker that was found in their blood could be a sign that they had been near death and then brought back. However, in order for her to test this theory, she needs brain tissue. The hope had been to use Kelly Taylor’s, but it’s a no-go now because her body has gone missing from the morgue and Ben connects the dots knowing the feds are responsible for this turn of events.