Fans were indignant when NBC axed the show, but Netflix stepped in to ensure the passengers of Flight 828 got a proper send-off
Published : 13 Jul 2023, 07:30 PM
It was just another plane ride. But as Montego Airways Flight 828 hit an unusual storm, things took a turn. Lightning danced around the plane like snakes to music. Then it all stopped. When they reconnect with air traffic control, they are diverted by a confused control centre. The NSA puts the 191 passengers on board at a gridlocked airport. Why?
"The problem, ladies and gentlemen, is that your plane departed Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Apr 7, 2013," They explain. "Today is Nov 4, 2018. You've all been missing, presumed dead, for five and a half years."
So starts Manifest, the NBC TV show saved from cancellation by Netflix. The streaming service ensured that the series' many fans – an enthusiastic crowd despite the middling 7.1 IMDb rating – could enjoy a proper conclusion to the tale of Flight 828, one that had kept them biting their nails since 2018.
Unlike other fans, I was lucky to be spared the heartache, tension, and cancellation drama. I caught up with the series near the end of 2021. By then, I had three smashing seasons available and the promise of a riveting final round of episodes to close out the story in 2023. While that may seem daunting for a newcomer, don't worry. Manifest is gripping, edge-of-your-seat television, and it won't take long to get its hooks into you.
The story's focus is the Stone family – college math teacher Benjamin, his sister and NYPD detective Michaela, and his son and 10-year-old leukaemia patient Cal.
Even as the confused passengers struggle through a world that has almost moved on from them, they begin to realise their experience has had a more direct impact. They are plagued by visions and voices uttering commands. And the only way to stop them is to carry out their instructions. Instructions that end up saving lives, which they refer to as Callings.
Despite the fantastical aspects of the story, the characters are grounded in the genuine family dynamics of our everyday world. Ben comes home to find that his wife, Grace, has found someone else after years of mourning. Cal struggles to connect to his twin sister Olive who has grown five years older than him. Michaela loses her fiancé to her best friend and is racked with survivor's guilt.
Still, the scale of the show is much larger than that. As the world catches on to the significance of the callings, it sows new divisions. Some see the passengers as angels sent by God. Others view them as freaks. Throughout the show, plots are unveiled, secrets are unearthed from hidden nooks and crannies, and blood is spilt. The series feels like the TV equivalent of a Dan Brown novel as mythology and science waltzes hand in hand, providing thrills for every flavour of geek out there. It doesn't hurt that the show has a particular penchant for cliffhangers.
As someone who usually turns to rom-coms for comfort viewing, Manifest was something new. I binged the first 10-episode half of season 4 in two days, a historical feat in my household. And honestly, it may have kickstarted a new interest in the thriller genre.
I was late to the show's fandom, so I missed some of the treasure hunts of digging deep into its many clues to try and unwind its answers. But I was still unbelievably thrilled to dig into the slight hints in each scene that would blossom into major plot points in later episodes. As Cal Stone says, "It's all connected".
It was truly engaging and enthralling to dig into a show this way.
The series finale debuted last month and had a lot to live up to. After all, it would have to pay off all the tension and mystery that had glued fans to their TVs for so many years. But, as many people will remind you, when going on a long trip, it's about the journey, not the destination.
This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.