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Manifest: Mayday, Part 2

Saanvi: “But I stopped getting the Callings. Does this mean that I'm...”
Ben: “Redeemed? It just might. Cal. Cal! It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. We did what you said. The Tailfin, it's gone.”
Cal: “Then there's still a chance. It's not over.”
Ben: “Mick?”
Michaela: “I thought I stopped the killing, but...”

The passengers are tense and not getting along. Many believe that the Stones are evil, and one passenger does something terrible to them.

The episode begins with Adrian and Angelina – Angelina, after having set the house on fire, is no longer welcomed by the Stones – talking about super religious stuff. This can’t be good. Adrian, who is probably neutral with respect to good and evil, but who learned manipulation from his not-so-nice preacher daddy, uses Angelina’s faith to influence her and others.

In the meantime, Ben and Grace are at Eureka, totally freaked out by the fact that Cal vanished when he touched the tailfin. Grace remembers that Cal said he would see her soon, so she takes comfort in that. But how? When? They think nothing will happen until they return the tailfin to the ocean, but that’s not so easy to do. Where does it need to go? And how are they supposed to do anything, when the Eureka people are against it?

Eagan and Randall go to steal information from Vance, which is sort of reasonable, given they don’t trust him at all and they have no other way to access it (although breaking into the house of an NSA director is pretty nuts). They go on a weekday, when the entire family should be either at work or at school. But one of Vance’s teenaged sons is home with a sore throat. Randall is ready to murder Vance’s son, and for once Eagan draws back. Eventually they get arrested. The storyline gives Michaela, Jared, Zeke and Drea plenty to do. It means that Eagan and Randall are probably in prison in the beginning of season four.

Tests on the tailfin are causing earthquakes and electrical storms. Dr. Cooper gets a few lines to warn everyone.

Jared learns that Saanvi killed the Major. In response, he breaks up with Sarah, the Major’s daughter. At this point, Jared has broken up with one woman per season – Lourdes, Tamara the bartender, and now Sarah, all caused by Michaela’s return. It sucks for him. And, of course, Zeke is still alive. Interestingly, Jared doesn’t quit the police force, the way Michaela did, despite his knowledge of Saanvi's involvement in the death of Major Fitz.

The end of the episode / season is completely shocking. After barricading Olive in the basement – a great reason for her to have moved down there – Angelina stabs Grace and kidnaps baby Eden. From the expression of 12-year-old Cal’s face on the airplane in the Calling he shares with Ben, Saanvi and Michaela, I think he knew this, but said it had to happen this way. Anyway, when Grace is stabbed, Cal is returned to the Stone residence. However, he is no longer twelve, but as the self he would be had he never left the timeline. At least he gets to say good-bye to his mother. She is not angry with him – she is happy to see him. We should also remember that Grace made it clear, when the unborn Eden was in danger, she was ready to die to save her children. Well, she may have just done something like that.


Still, Ben is going to be shocked in season four. His son may be back, but his wife is dead and his baby girl has been kidnapped. Furthermore, at the end of the episode, the pilot shimmers into view – Dr. Gupta sees Daly for a moment – but then he, and the entire airplane, disappears. We can presume that with no airplane, no tailfin, and no Noah’s Ark fragment, Eureka will have less or even nothing to do in season four.

Title musings: “MayDay (2)” is the title of the episode, but I covered the meanings of MayDay in the last review. Certainly the second part of this two-parter also deserves the title because it is full of terrible tension. Grace dies, murdered by Angelina, who also kidnaps baby Eden.

Instead, let’s talk about Manifest, the series title. I absolutely love this title and the many ways it applies to the series. First there’s the fact that manifest refers to a list of passengers, which is completely appropriate. Second, there’s the verb, to manifest, in which something – often with religious or supernatural overtones – becomes real. Third, there’s manifest the adjective, in which something is obvious.

Then there are the words that are derivations, such as manifesto, a position, a point of view, and even a declaration. I believe Manifest has a clear message – it’s all connected and we’re all in this together – a signal that we, as a species, will sink or swim together. The title for the series is terrific.

Bits and pieces

Adrian as a character is still not clear with respect to good and evil. Apparently he ignored the Calling with all the blood dripping.

Given how little time has passed since the previous episode, we should still be in August 2020. At least they were able to shoot the episode without showing any snow.

Dr. Gupta seems convinced that science is the only way, until she receives the picture Cal left her. That, with Dr. Cooper’s warnings, are what probably get her to release the tailfin.

I like how Drea Mikami uses her grandparents’ being interred in World War II to gain sympathy from Erika Burgess.

Both Vance and Ben are devoted fathers. It’s really nice to see.

Ben never seems to get that Vance may be lying. Ben is such a straight arrow.

After restoring “The Last Trial” papyrus, it makes sense that Olive can find the message in Cal’s drawings.

Josh Dallas has done several underwater scenes. I can’t even open my eyes underwater. Well, no one’s paying to film me.

Saanvi can get Callings again!

Now I can feel good about having never liked Angelina.

Gee, if the tailfin could make Cal disappear, you’d think it could make itself disappear, like the rest of the plane does later. Which would have saved everyone a lot of trouble, but I guess it would have disappeared the plot.

Quotes

Ben: Really appreciate you standing up for us back there. What happened to having a plan, doing things your way? Or is that what you had in mind? Toeing the party line?
Vance: You done? Took you long enough to march in here. Ben, you run headlong into every problem you see. It makes you a great dad, but sometimes you could use a little finesse.
Ben: Is that what that was? Finesse? Because from where I'm standing, it looked like surrendering.
Vance: I've been on 828 since the beginning. I've seen what Cal can do. Hell, I nearly got blown up because of it. You think I'm gonna give up now?

Grace: Look at me. When you first came back, I couldn't understand why this was happening to you, not to somebody else. But now I see. The Callings don't happen to you. You happen to them, Ben.

Zimmer: Well, now I've heard everything. You, of all people, think this is a message to Mr. Stone from his son?
Dr. Gupta: No. It's a message to me. Pitamahi. This is Sanskrit for "grandmother." This isn't your son's dragon. It's – it's a constellation. It's where I used to look, hoping to see my grandmother in heaven. Perhaps faith has a seat at the table after all.

Adrian: Have you heard the Good News? I may not be able to protect you, but God can. "Behold. I am sending an angel before you to guard you along the way."
Angelina: I think she may have already been sent.
Adrian: What are you waiting for? Go to her. Go to her.

Jared: Mick, I'm tired of these damn Callings. I don't care what they want. I don't care what they said.
Michaela: This isn't about you.
Jared: Yes, it is. How do you not see that this directly affects my life? Now I have to go end it with Sarah.
Michaela: What are you talking about?
Jared: She finally got closure, Michaela. What am I supposed to do? Just stay with her and... and not tell her? Get married, have kids? Just have my whole life based on a lie?
Although Jared is rightfully complaining, his readiness to break up with Sarah makes me think he didn’t really want to be with Sarah anyway.

Jared: He was supposed to be gone, Mick. I'm sorry, but he was supposed to be gone. That's the only reason I stood there and watched him marry the love of my life.
Note that Jared did not stay around for the actual wedding. On the other hand, he has been around Michaela and Zeke a lot, so maybe that is what he means.

Ben: As we swam back up, I kept looking back. I was convinced Cal would reappear.
Saanvi: Maybe he will. Faith.
Ben: I'm trying. But I don't understand.

Overall rating

A little loose with the logic at times, but a great hour and quite shocking with the murder of Grace and the return of Cal in an older version of himself. Three and a half out of four words in Sanskrit.

Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.

3 comments:

  1. Well, I was indeed shocked by the major happenings in this one -- or I would have been if I hadn't been slightly spoiled by an article. I wish I had watched the series as it was airing.

    Congratulations on finishing season three, Victoria! Looks like you're going to finish the first half of season four by the time the second half arrives, and that's no small feat.

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  2. I never advocate for the death of tv characters, usually. BUT. That Bitch needs to die!

    At the end when Adrian was standing in the galley with his hands full of blood, I got the impression that he knew what was going to happen. And, technically, Angelina’s death isn’t on him, but morally it should be. On both him and Eagan. Their group is as bad as the X’ers.

    So did Cal go five years in the future? And obviously Daly is still alive , but what abt Fiona? Why wasn’t she next to the Captain on the plane?

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    Replies
    1. All great points and questions, and Manifest will address them. But I won't, because I don't want to do spoilers. But I felt the same things you were feeling when I first watched.

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