Season 4 part 2 of Manifest is here, and following the cliffhanger that part 1 left off on, it’s a lot to take in. Episode 11 of season 4 takes place after a brief time jump, where some things are pretty different as the Death Date is inching closer and closer, and most of the passengers have been detained. Ben and Michaela must try to solve a Calling, but it’s not easy as they’re basically being followed. Meanwhile, Michaela is still heartbroken over Zeke’s death, and a new discovery brings a surprising and familiar face back into play.
Keep reading to find out what happened in “Final Descent.”
Catching Up
A news anchor says that it’s been almost eight months since 700 people died during the “tristate fissure event,” and many bodies remain unrecovered. An 828 passenger, Anson Vasik, watches the news report, as it continues to say that the event is linked to the passengers. There’s a big explosion, and Vasik tries to run away. But when he calls 9-1-1, he’s immediately shot by a group of what’s presumed to be Xers. Cal, meanwhile, instantly wakes up, and his dragon scar glows.
Olive and Eden are making lunch, and when Cal comes into the kitchen, Olive tries to stay positive, even though she knows the last eight months have been hard. After Eden leaves to get dressed, Cal tells Olive that he woke up with his heart racing and he was sweating, and he had a nightmare, but can’t remember it. Not to mention, his scar glowed for the first time in months, not since he destroyed the Omega Sapphire … and when Zeke died.
Permanent Detention
Olive and Eden go to an 828 Detention Center to visit Ben, but Michaela is still reeling from Zeke’s death and stays in her “room.” Ben seems to be doing well, regardless, but his mood instantly gets better when he sees his daughters, even if they are separated. Saanvi, meanwhile, is working in the detention center’s lab, doing research on passengers. The more she stays in the lab, the more she can help passengers, and the less she has to be locked up.
Before bedtime, Ben tells Michaela about Olive and Eden’s visit, but Michaela is staying silent, telling Ben she’s tired. Ben points out that she never talks about Zeke, and it’s taking a toll on her.
“You’re gonna fall apart. Believe me. I know how it works.”
Michaela says she misses him every single second of every day, and she can’t wait to go to bed at night just to take away the pain. When she wakes up, and he’s not there beside her, her heart breaks all over again. Ben hugs her and comforts her. Michaela promises she’ll be there for him and the others just as he is for her, especially with the Death Date being only nine months away.
Longing for Lost Love
Michaela’s in her room, fiddling with her ring, when there’s a glow, and Zeke appears. She wonders if she’s losing her mind or dead, and Zeke says neither. When he says that he missed waking up to that smile, she says she misses everything about him, even his wet towels on the floor. Michaela wonders where they are. It isn’t a Calling, but it feels familiar. He says she’s been in The Glow before. He’s in The Glow; the divine consciousness has infinite time, and it gives them a way to connect.
“There are many kinds of joy, but they all lead to one. The joy to be loved.”
Zeke quotes The Neverending Story, having read it to Chloe when she was 12. Michaela notices the necklace which Zeke left on her grave, which he hasn’t done yet. She then notices his clothes; that’s what he was wearing in the cave. She realizes that he hasn’t left the cave and he’s still in 2018. They look up and see stars, but when an alarm goes off, Zeke disappears, and Michaela is back in her room.
A Desperate Calling
Bethany is frantically trying to escape, telling Saanvi she had a Calling that her wife is in danger. After guards come in, Ben and Michaela escape so they can help with the Calling, as they are co-captains of the Lifeboat. They don’t make it far, however, as Vance stops them. Ben tells them about Cal’s glow, and of course, Vance helps them, having already cleared the mess hall and telling them that the service entrance is still open.
Jared and Drea, as part of a Callings Unit, are on their way to Georgia’s. Suddenly, they hear a crash from Georgia’s house, and someone is rummaging through her things. They come across Officer Wicks from the Registry, who is the “literal definition of a bad cop,” but he uses the Registry as an excuse to not need a warrant. They all get texts about two passengers escaping from the detention center, not surprised to hear that it’s Michaela and Ben.
Cal, meanwhile, is back on 828 after his scar glows, and he can hear Georgia screaming for help. He finds the apple he was holding and sits down in Bethany’s seat, seeing a farm and a red car in his vision, as well as guns. Meanwhile at the 828 Detention Center, Bethany is in the infirmary with a Calling, but she’s under heavy sedation, so she can’t tell them what she’s seeing.
Premature Reunion
Ben and Michaela finally return home, and the kids are as excited as ever to see them. Olive asks them why they were let out, and Michaela admits they just left. But they can’t get into it since they have a Calling to solve, which could be why Cal is glowing again. Olive and Cal have moved Ben’s research downstairs, so it’d be easier for them to keep an eye on Eden. Michaela tries calling Georgia, but it’s disconnected. When Ben asks about the car, Olive and Cal admit they sold it. Olive and Grandpa Stone, who tried to get them out of the detention enter with a lawyer, have been working jobs, and Cal’s been watching Eden. Michaela and Ben apologize, but Cal puts the focus back on Georgia, and Olive gives Ben her phone. Eden pleads with her dad to not go, but Ben promises his youngest he’ll be back.
Ben and Michaela show up at Zeke’s mother’s house to ask to borrow the car, and she immediately obliges, telling Michaela she is always family. Michaela finds The Neverending Story and flips through, finding a card for Mother’s Day. Mrs. Landon comes back with keys and money for the kids, and Michaela gives her the Mother’s Day card, which is from Chloe.
Passenger in Need
Michaela and Ben show up at Georgia’s, who is crying. She says she got home just in time to see the Registry leaving. Michaela asks to see a photo she’s holding, which is from their wedding. Ben tells her that Bethany had a Calling and she’s worried bout her. Olive and Cal call to tell them about the Calling. Georiga tells her that it’s Vasik, the dad with the two young kids. She was supposed to meet him at an old barn in Conklin. Cal says he’s in danger.
They arrive at the barn and Georgia doesn’t tell the Stone siblings much, just that Vasik asked for help. Michaela checks his car as Ben and Georgia check the barn, calling out for him. They see someone in the field and Ben tells Vasik it’s not safe, but it’s not him. The guy shoots at them and they run, hiding in the barn. It’s the Xer, Billy, who kidnapped Zeke, and Michaela holds a gun to his head before he’s able to shoot Ben and Georgia, bringing up what he did all those years ago and how much she would love to rid the world of a scumbag like him.
“So I’m not the bitch you want holding a gun at the back of your head.”
After taping Billy to the car door, and using zip-ties on him, Olive calls Ben to tell him that Jared, Drea, and Wicks showed up at the house looking for him and Michaela. Ben tells her to sit tight and smashes Olive’s phone. Georgia tells them that she’s part of the safe house. Herself and a network of 828 sympathizers help with food, shelter, medicine. Nine of the passengers are together. She was sure she would help Vasik until Billy got in the way, likely for the bounty. Ben and Michaela tell Georgia to get to the safehouse for the time being and the two run. They come across a massive hole in the ground, in the shape of an airplane no less, and it’s like it is still smoking. Ben says they need to get back to the detention center so they can protect the others. Michaela isn’t on board with the plan, knowing they’ll be in isolation for who knows how long. Ben tries to talk Michaela into it and talks about the Lifeboat. He knows he’s the only one who knows more about the Callings and the Death Dates than anyone, so he decides to say goodbye to the kids and turn himself in.
Ben comes home and even before he can break the news, they know. Olive and Cal are rightfully upset, but Ben says he is doing this for them. The only way they can guarantee they have any future at all is if he leaves now. They only have nine months. Ben says his tearful goodbyes to Olive, Cal, and Eden, but really it’s only Eden since Olive and Cal will barely look at him.
Drea, Jared, and Wicks get to the barn, and Drea and Jared immediately recognize Billy, who is still attached to the car, along with a note from either Ben or Michaela.
Shred of Hope
As Michaela is walking down the road, she’s in the glow again with Zeke, who thanks her for helping his mom. Michaela pleads for more shred of hope that she won’t fall further into the abyss without him, and Zeke just tells her that he loves her, and will keep loving her because everything they’ve done will be burned into his soul.
“I am yours, now and forever.”
He tells her a quote from The Neverending Story about luck, and while Michaela doesn’t have any, he does.
Ben gets back to the detention center and turns himself in, and he tells Vance that something big is coming. Saanvi tells Bethany that Georgia is safe, but she won’t be able to come see her for a while. When Ben is back in his room, he hears Michaela on the other side and she reminds him that they co-captain the Lifeboat together.
Further Research
Saanvi later brings up her concern about the isolation pod and strapping the passengers to fMRI machines to Vance and Director Zimmer. They are not solving enough Callings to survive the Death Date. Vance brings up his proposal about giving the passengers day passes that will put them in the field supervised until their Callings are complete, but Zimmer won’t let up since she says they’re “controlling the situation.” Zimmer then transitions to a plan to find the 13 fugitive passengers, as NSA and Homeland Security have joined forces, authorizing a reward for each wanted 828er, which includes Cal (younger Cal), Adrian, and Angelina. Vance and Saanvi are not happy with it. After Zimmer leaves, Vance asks Saanvi if she’s heard from Dr. Gupta and she tells him she hasn’t, “not since she stabbed us in the back.”
Vance shows up at the site of the hole in the ground as Zimmer walks into a room with Captain Daly, who is clearly freaking out, strapped to a bed, and he’s quickly sedated.
Season 4 part 2 of Manifest is streaming now on Netflix! Check out the rest of our coverage on the series here, including episodic recaps and more!
