Eight months can change everything. On Manifest Season 4 Episode 17, we pick up following a lengthy time-jump, taking us to weeks before the Death Date.
While the pace of the second half of Manifest Season 4 has been shaky, there were good and bad developments as we inch closer to the series finale.
The D.C. thriving under the most harrowing circumstances wasn’t a surprise. Vance knew there would come a point resources would be limited, but he understood that Ben needed to be in charge.
Under Ben’s leadership, it’s astounding just how far these people cut off from society have come.
If you watch Manifest online, you know the government and media wanted them to disappear and cut them off, but they’ve been a symbol of hope during some of their roughest times.
It’s unfortunate that their resources and power would implode just one month out from the Death Date, but hey, at least they had Drea.
Jared: Why didn’t you tell me?
Drea: I wanted to… but you were off saving the world. And I didn’t want this to stop you from doing that.
Jared: You never answered my question. Am I the father?
Drea: I mean, biologically. Uh, but whether or not you wanna be an actual parent, that’s a whole other story.
Jared: That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
I was curious how Drea would fit into the final episodes, given that she let Jared return to Michaela without fighting for him.
She liked him more than she liked her, but Drea has proven to be one of the most understanding people on the show.
She’s had a considerable interest in keeping the people from the plane safe, so it wasn’t too surprising that she was drilling through the wall of a nearby building to help save the passengers.
It was a convenient development — which is the running theme of the final ten episodes. The writers don’t want it to be an easy road to the finish line for Michaela and Jared, so adding this pregnancy storyline is another bump in the road.
The best part of the storyline is Drea could have used being pregnant with Jared’s baby to split up him and Michaela.
Even if she tried, I don’t think she would have succeeded, but you can already tell that Michaela feels a certain way about it.
Angelina: Cal, you’ve finally returned. Welcome home!
Cal: Who the hell are you to welcome me to my own house? You do not belong here! None of you do!
Angelina: Uh… I… I was called here. Called to you.
Cal: Liar.
Angelina: Like it or not, Cal, I’m here because of you, to be closer to you. It’s time you accept that we are…
Cal: After everything that’s happened, it’s psychotic to think I’d want anything to do with you. God called on me to judge the passengers, to identify the righteous eight who are worthy to bring in the new world.
Cal: We only have a month left to save this world, and you’re the biggest threat to the Lifeboat.
Angelina: God made me the judge. I’m the Archangel, and I know this world will end. Join me. Be amongst the righteous who will survive.
Cal: Do not touch me!
Michaela has been with Jared for eight months. While they’ve been battling to solve the callings, they’ve been together, and I don’t know what it will mean to add Jared’s child into the mix now.
Obviously, a dark cloud hangs over everything in the form of the Death Date, so there’s no telling whether anyone will even be alive on Drea’s due date.
There’s so much uncertainty in the narrative right now, but at least this hour was infused with hope.
Cal making his way into the D.C. and telling the truth about the callings was huge because it probably illustrated to the survivors losing hope that they can still find a way to get on the lifeboat and survive the apocalypse.
It was realistic that some people would rather leave because they liked their chances on their own.
Truthfully, many of them probably had cabin fever from being confined into such a small space with limited resources, but then again, some people are just lone wolves.
Angelina and her band of followers taking over the Stone’s house wasn’t unexpected, either.
Ben: How’s Chloe doin’?
Polly: Okay, I think. But without Saanvi here, I worry about milestones she should be hitting.
Ben: I miss Saanvi too. Believe me. But even though I’m no doctor, I have raised a few kids. She looks happy and healthy to me.
She’s so devoted to yelling to everyone that she’s right that she probably thought she’d get the chance to say it to Cal and his family.
Cal chewing her up when she welcomed him home will go down as one of the most satisfying scenes. He’s over her tricks.
Unfortunately, the calling from Markos will likely make him entertain the possibility they’re better together.
Cal has been desperately trying to evade Angelina at every turn, but he will be thinking about every scenario with the death date approaching and more clues than ever.
One wrong move can change the fate of humanity, so I have to imagine he will entertain the possibility of working with her… until he learns about her and Autumn’s wicked act.
Cal: I sat in her seat. It must be her Calling.
Michaela: Autumn? Are you sure?
Cal: Mm-hmm.
Jared: Are we really about to blow our cover for Autumn Cox?
Michaela: I mean, she’s complicated, but no, we have to solve her Calling no matter how we feel about someone. We can’t pick and choose.
Swapping out Astrid’s anxiety medication with rat poisoning was cruel, but Astrid was wearing the necklace Evie’s mom gave her on Manifest Season 1.
Are we to assume that it could have healing properties and could keep Astrid safe?
It’s all connected is the show’s most prominent theme, and with three episodes left, it’s time for everything to connect.
It’s hard to have theories right now because things are moving in many different directions, but the best parts of this episode were all of the reunions.
Seeing Ben reunite with his family, Joe considering reuniting with his son, and everything in-between was a great way to show the survivors’ struggles on a more human level.
To date, few people have shown them grace, but they’ve beaten the odds to craft a welcoming and fulfilling community — the complete opposite of what Angelina did.
That’s all I got, Manifest Fanatics!
What are your thoughts on Drea’s pregnancy? Are you surprised she helped save the passengers again?
What do you think will become of Michaela and Jared following the bombshell?
Do you think Cal will work with Angelina? What are your theories about Astrid wearing the necklace?
Hit the comments below. Tell me your best theories before the hit drama wraps up for good.
Manifest Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.