This article contains spoilers for Manifest season 4 part 1.
While watching the tenth episode of Manifest season 4, it would have been easy to forget that the final season still had ten more installments to go with all that was coming to a head. Many of the most sought after answers seemed within reach, or at least a satisfying number of them. As a result, there are surprisingly plenty of questions finally answered in this midseason finale even though there is obviously a lot of story left to tell.
No one should kid themselves, though. Manifest will never provide all the answers to a story involving the unfathomable motives of a divine consciousness. Just as Saanvi learned in season 3, viewers have come to understand that faith has a seat at the table, but when Saanvi reminds Dr. Gupta of this realization, the former Eureka scientist merely responds, “And perhaps someday we’ll understand how.” The keyword there is “perhaps.”
For now, it’s enough to know that in the six seconds that Flight 828 was in contact with the divine during its fateful journey, everything that would become the next five years of callings was expressed in a kind of an omniscient setting of the stage. From there, the missions became a matter of remembering things in the right order, a plan unfolding to get everyone in the right position (in both space and time) either to combat or survive the coming doom.
Calling it the “death date” or “Maat’s judgment” is almost beside the point, especially now that we know it’s a total apocalypse for all of humanity, not just an expiration date for the passengers. Manifest has proven here in season 4 that it’s neither about religion nor science; it’s about mysticism. The Oracle at Delphi and Moses on Mt. Sinai had totally different gods, and the Freemasons, who apparently protected the omega sapphire in New York for centuries, merely pay homage to a “grand architect.” They all felt a connection with a greater power, whether out of worship or respect.
That’s why Manifest season 4 chose to bring back so many characters from past seasons, including Marko, Thomas, and Radd: to reinforce that everything is connected to the larger mission. Even the fact that Zeke beat the death date had a beautifully tragic logic behind it. The empathic powers that his rebirth imbued him with gave him exactly what was needed to sacrifice his life for Cal’s in a move that will no doubt be crucial for the continued involvement of the “Holy Grail.”`
As for what Angelina has wrought, it’s like Saanvi said. If Eureka messing with the piece of Noah’s Ark caused Mother Earth to react in Manifest season 3, what damage could be done by abusing an entire sapphire? Especially one of the “omega” variety, which appear to be associated with historical sites where direct divine contact was made, such as the mountain where the Ten Commandments were delivered. The Major’s industrial sapphires may have caused physical pain, but the purest of holy gems can still cause harm.
This was abundantly clear with the false callings that Angelina was able to manifest (pun intended), which presented their own danger to those trying to avert disaster, but with an omega sapphire shard embedded in the misguided young woman’s singed palm, like some sort of infinity gem being added to Thanos’ gauntlet, the destruction is most likely just beginning.
The same could be said of the fate of the beleaguered passengers of Flight 828, who were already persecuted by having to report to the Registry weekly. Now that a lava flow has begun in New York, the crackdown is bound to continue. Drea and the newly hired Jared can only do so much from within, and who knows how long the Stones will be able to avoid capture?
Even Saanvi and Vance have been declawed now that Gupta has raided their clandestine facility. Vance was already operating on a slush fund from an old op, so unless they somehow convince the new powers that be that they can be helpful in stopping Angelina, they’re almost certain to spend some time on the sidelines in the second half of Manifest season 4.
That leaves Olive and TJ to research their way to a solution of some sort. Could the twin factor come into play, or might Eden, the only empowered non-passenger if Zeke doesn’t survive, prove herself to be as strong if not more powerful than her big brother Cal in the battle to come? Fiona, who finally made her triumphant return since disappearing in Manifest season 1, seems convinced Cal has everything he needs, and perhaps his sister, or sisters, are part of that.
There might even be a further part to play for the wheelchair-bound victims of the Major’s experimentation in the first season of Manifest. When Marko is returned to the hospital ward with the snow globe that Eden gave him in his lap, the memento explodes, and rather than injuring the man with shards of glass, it appears to awaken him, or at least elicit a reaction that belies his catatonic state. People with perpetual callings might come in handy!
Even with another batch of ten episodes to come, Manifest season 4 has delivered a wealth of answers to some long held questions, which are sure to satisfy even the most frustrated fan of the show. There will likely always be a debate over the significance of sapphires or dark lightning, but as long as the loose threads continue to be tied up, the show is almost certain to conclude with a good amount of closure. And we can thank god, or whatever divine consciousness you prefer, for that.
All 10 episodes of Manifest season 4 part 1 are available to stream on Netflix now.