In this week’s episode of Manifest, Jared finally tells Michaela that he’s been working undercover to get the Xers while Ben and Grace deal with an unexpected, early, and high-risk labor. Adrian also believes the Callings may not be all about saving people.
Find out everything that went down in “Course Deviation.”
Put your thinking caps on, Manifesters. An all-new #Manifest starts right now on @NBC. pic.twitter.com/RbpvgbnUXD
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
Michaela is still in the cell, talking to DiBacco, telling him the police need to worry about Adrian. The NYPD should be trying to find him instead of trying to pin the fire on her. Zeke comes in, in disbelief that Jared arrested Michaela; he knows she didn’t do it. Michaela tells Zeke there’s something else going on; Jared said he was saving her life. “His actions have made it pretty clear that he’s an Xer. He’s probably just covering his ass.” Why does Michaela still trust him? She says after everything that’s happened, she shouldn’t, but … “You always see the best in everyone?” Jared tells Zeke he needs to go, and before he leaves, Zeke tells Michaela he and Ben are getting her a lawyer and getting her out of there. Michaela pleads with Jared to tell her what’s going on, but all he tells her is to keep her mouth shut.
Should Michaela trust her gut? #Manifest pic.twitter.com/NWxvzgF38e
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
Jared tells DiBacco that Michaela’s lawyer is there; she’s getting out. “But this isn’t over.” As Michaela leaves the cell, Jared slips her a note. Jared tells DiBacco he’s got this covered even though Simon had told DiBacco to handle it; DiBacco’s going to offer to give her a ride, find themselves in a rough neighborhood, and Michaela won’t find her way out. Jared says that plan’s not going to work anymore because she’s leaving with her lawyer. “Don’t worry. I know exactly how to deal with Michaela Stone.” DiBacco says he’s still telling Simon this was Jared’s call.
👀👀👀#Manifest pic.twitter.com/dws7T4DEQq
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
After Ben and Grace get to the spot where Grace was in her Calling, she can’t get over how real the Callings feel. The bridge, the river, the rocky shoreline, that’s exactly what she saw. Ben doesn’t hear any cries for help, so they wait? Grace sees someone watching them, and when Ben finally catches up to them, he sees that it’s Adrian. He doesn’t want to be found. Ben tells him he’s a suspect in a murder investigation, but that’s not going to happen. Grace says this can’t be a coincidence; what is he doing there, of all places? “A Calling.” Adrian tried to ignore it, but it got louder, and he finally gave in. He dodged cop cars and traffic cameras along the way. Grace tells Ben they can’t turn him in, and Ben says the Calling helped them find him; he’s got to be held accountable. “Why would the Calling bring us together all the way out here only for us to bring him all the way back?”
Michaela gets to a park bench and opens the note from Jared that says, “Our place.” Jared comes up to her, and Michaela tells him to tell her what’s going on, “My mind’s about to explode.” Jared tells Michaela how he walked into a bar after she took him down in court and clicked with the bartender. “And then I realized I was in the belly of the beast.” So Jared joined them because of Michaela? He did because the best way to destroy a hate group is to blow it up from the inside. Michaela realizes that Jared’s been undercover; why didn’t he tell her? Jared needed her to believe that he was in so deep that they’d believe; it took a lot to gain their trust. Michaela brings up the blown police raid, and Jared says she was right; he tipped them off. He tells her the thing that killed him the most was that she bought it. “You were convincing.” Jared tells Michaela the bartender isn’t one of them, but she loves her brother, who is one of the worst. Michaela confesses she bugged her bar, and Jared says he knows. Michaela’s all in; she wants to help.
After Grace’s water broke at the shoreline, she and Ben get to the hospital. Dr. Gutierrez says Grace has internal bleeding; it sometimes happens when there’s been a prior trauma. The baby’s stable for now, but Grace’s blood pressure is dropping. Delivery would be an option, but Dr. Gutierrez says Grace has a condition called placenta percreta; the placenta has invaded the surrounding tissue, and that’s what’s ruptured. It makes this a much more complicated and more dangerous surgery. Grace would be risking her life.
At the precinct, Bowers tells Michaela she can hide behind her lawyer to avoid questions about the crime, “But you’re damn well gonna answer questions about your job.” Bowers demands Michaela and Jared to her office, creating a scene; once the door closes, she welcomes Michaela to the team.
It’s time for Michaela to help bring down the Xers. #Manifest pic.twitter.com/gh1kfEMYk3
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
Still at the shoreline, Adrian keeps wondering what the Callings want. He keeps hearing an echoing “Help,” and soon, he hears a genuine cry for help. A kayak is turned over, and a guy struggles to stay above the surface. Adrian dives into the river and saves the guy.
While looking through files, Jared says it took him a while to figure out exactly who was at the top of the Xer’s food chain, and Bowers shows Michaela a picture of Simon. Michaela tells Bowers she’s met him before; he’s in Ben’s department. Bowers says Simon’s a classic hate-group figurehead; he uses academic credentials to gain all sorts of followers in fringe online forums, meanwhile tapping uneducated recruits to start violence. Simon’s convinced himself that 828ers are terrorists controlled by evil voices they all hear in their heads. Jared says Simon’s done some of his own digging around and shows Michaela pictures of Ben’s boards. Bowers tells Michaela that Simon plans to release damning information about them all, get other people worked up, and incite them to attack passengers. The problem is Jared can’t get anything to stick in court. Jared gets a text from Tamra, saying she wants him to swing by the bar, and Bowers tells him to go and check in with them in an hour.
Grace tells Ben she wants the surgery; she doesn’t care who does it or what happens to her. “I just want my baby to be safe.” Ben tells Grace she could die, she heard the doctor, but Grace says she’ll take that risk. “The minute our baby is in danger, we have to get her out. We have to save her. It’s our job as parents to take care of our kids no matter what.” Ben reluctantly agrees, but Grace is already unconscious; the baby’s crashing. Dr. Gutierrez tells Ben that Grace can survive with a few transfusions, but he doesn’t think the baby will. Ben tells Dr. Gutierrez she wants the surgery, but he doesn’t advise it. He’s never done the surgery before, he can save the baby, but Grace could die. “Save the baby.” It’s what Grace wants.
When Jared gets to the bar, Tamra tells Jared it’s Billy; he’s gone too far this time. When they get to the back room, Jared sees Zeke tied up. Billy takes Jared’s phone and smashes it, telling him Zeke had him in his contacts; Billy thinks Zeke’s been tracking him. He tells Jared when Michaela got off scot-free, the three of them were going to welcome her home, but then Zeke showed up instead. They roughed him up a little to send her a message. Billy says Zeke’s face is all over Ben’s wall, and Jared tells him he did good, then tells him to follow him.
Oh no! They have Zeke. 😬 #Manifest pic.twitter.com/bO9EkXbPu1
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
Michaela’s starting to get worried, Jared was supposed to check in after 60 minutes, and it’s been 64. To Jared, 60 minutes is 60 minutes unless he can’t step away. Michaela realizes that Jared doesn’t have to check in with them; they can check in with him. When Michaela gets the bug online, she and Bowers start listening in. Tamra tells Jared she’s scared to death, and he says he’s got this and tells her to go. Billy comes out after Tamra leaves, and Jared tells him that was a big move, him bringing Zeke back there like that. Jared finds the bug underneath the bar and plants it in his pocket while he keeps Billy talking about Zeke, letting Michaela and Bowers know. Just as they’re about to leave, Michaela hears her and Jared’s song; Jared knows they’re listening. Jared wants them to hold off. Jared tells Billy they need to bring Simon in on this; he’ll know exactly how to handle the situation. Michaela’s writing down everything that Jared is saying: where Zeke is, who all is involved, etc. Billy agrees to bring Simon in on this. Bowers tells Michaela she’ll get a team ready.
“He’s gonna be okay. They both are.”
After Olive and Cal get to the hospital, Dr. Gutierrez tells Ben the baby’s heart rate is dropping, and the surgeon’s still three hours away. If Ben wants him to do the surgery, they need to do it now. Ben understands and tells him to do it. He looks at Olive and Cal by Grace, crying, telling her she has to be okay. Ben tells Dr. Gutierrez to stop; he changes his mind. Grace says they have to take care of the kids, and that’s what he’s going to do, no surgery. He tells him to give her the transfusions. “Just save my wife.”
Dr. Gutierrez comes in with the specialist he told Ben about — also coincidentally, the guy that Adrian had saved at the shoreline. Dr. Chmait tells Ben he’s done the surgery many times, but the baby’s heart rate has been dropping. They need to go now. Another doctor tells Ben he can’t come; what does he do now? “You can pray.”
Michaela, Bowers, and the team get to the bar, and after listening in through the bug, they go in. Simon comes out, and they’ve got him. Just before Billy is about to shoot Zeke, Jared punches him in the stomach, telling Billy if anyone is going to shoot Zeke, it will be him. Billy gives Jared the gun and points it at Zeke, acting like he’s going to shoot. Instead, he points it at Billy, telling him and his guys to put their hands up. Billy tells Jared he’s going to regret it and goes after him, but Jared grabs him. Michaela, Bowers, and the team come in, arresting everyone. Later, Jared spots Michaela and Zeke outside, and Zeke says he’s okay; thanks to him, Jared saved him. Zeke doesn’t know how Jared kept his cool through all that. “I may not be hearing voices in my head, but I’ve learned a thing or two in my years on the job.” Jared’s glad it still counts for something.
It counts for a lot. #Manifest pic.twitter.com/VM9yDcpI9R
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
Dr. Chmait comes out; the surgery was a success. Grace is recovering, and the baby’s in the NICU, doing fine. Dr. Chmait says it was a miracle that he was able to be there and tells Ben about him kayaking on the Harlem River, flipping over, and a total stranger jumped in and saved his life. Ben finds Adrian and tells him he did it; he completed a Calling. The man he saved was the one person that could save both of them; they’re going to be okay. If Adrian needed any more proof that the Callings are good, this is it. However, Adrian saw Grace fall on the rocks near the river. The only reason she was out there was because of the Calling. He tells Ben this is what the Callings have been doing all along — manipulating them, teaching them to trust so they will eventually blindly obey, not caring whether they’re doing good or evil. Ben says they’re helping people. “Signs and wonders.” Adrian knows now they have been returned from the dead to be agents of the apocalypse.
Would the Callings put Grace and the baby in danger? #Manifest pic.twitter.com/0MdvN39h4Q
— Manifest (@ManifestNFLX) March 17, 2020
After Adrian leaves, he ducks into an alley to avoid being seen. He starts to hear something and sees shadows coming further toward him, and he runs away. Grace wakes up, and Ben tells her the baby’s fine; she’s perfect. Both of them, plus Olive and Cal, visit the baby in the NICU and put her name card up. “Eden.” Later that night, Ben’s at home, and Michaela comes over, cracking open a couple of bottles of beer.
“Here’s to Eden, the newest member of the Stone family. She is small, but she is mighty.”
When Cal’s in his room, he sees those same three shadows, but when he turns on the lights, they’re gone.
There are officially only three episodes left of the season! The Stone family has a new addition, but what does this mean for Grace and the Callings? Is Adrian right? Are the Callings doing more harm than good? What exactly are those shadows? And are the Xers out of the picture, once and for all? Manifest airs every Monday at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on NBC, streaming on Hulu the next day.
