Supernatural drama “Manifest” first aired on NBC and was cancelled after its third season. It was then renewed by Netflix for a fourth and final season with twenty episodes popular enough to put the show in the number one slot.

The show follows siblings Ben (Josh Dallas) and Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) Stone, along with Ben’s wife Grace (Athena Karkanis) and their children Cal (Jack Messina) and Olive (Luna Blaise). Their familial bond, which is beautiful to watch, paired with the gripping action of the show was enough to draw me in.

A Dystopian Allure

“Manifest” sets a dystopian scene while mixing in the realism of the everyday life of a family. A plane disappeared for five years, leaving all the passengers’ loved ones to mourn their disappearance and presumed passing. The miracle was the plane landing five years later, as if not a day had passed. The passengers returned home to their families and friends who had already moved on and needed to navigate finding a way to fit themselves back together into one unit.

The passengers from Montego Air Flight 828 quickly discover that they are now exhibiting the ability to have callings — voices and visions that allow them to help those in need of their assistance. Without pursuing these callings — and following through with them — the passengers learn they will die in five years, the same amount of time that passed after their disappearance. The passengers can only survive if every one of them follows the orders they receive in their visions.

Piecing Together Reality and Fantasy

Blending the mundane occurrences of everyday life with fantasy creates an allure to the show, especially when the series was added to its new home, Netflix.

The concept is similar to the appeal of Harry Potter — regular human beings that have some hint of magic in their life. Of course not as extreme as having an entire secret wizarding world at your disposal, but a power that allows you to explore beyond the realm of most others. As humans, we tend to enjoy yearning for the possibility of more, something beyond what exists right in front of us in plain sight. 

The show seamlessly weaves together the familial scenes of the Stone family alongside moments of intense action as a result of the callings the plane passengers experience. Saanvi Bahl (Parveen Kaur), who plays a Montego flight 828 passenger, brings the show to life with her brisk energy, assisting with the callings through her extensive medical background.

The show eventually introduces more miracles similar to the 828 Manifest, and consequently introduces more characters such as Matt Long’s Zeke.

Manifest brings about a reality just slightly out of reach of our own. This unique concept is what seems to draws audiences in. Its initial cancelation was upsetting to many, but those same fans got to rejoice when hearing of its renewal for a final season. I couldn’t imagine leaving the big questions of season three unanswered and will definitely be tuning in when the final season airs. 

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@KedemLee