A Peacock, peacock feathers, ancient Egyptians — what does it all have to do with Flight 828?

We’ve been asking ourselves that question for two seasons, but on Manifest Season 3 Episode 3, the mythology begins to bubble up to the surface.

This isn’t the first time we’ve stumbled upon the peacock symbol, as it’s been a recurring theme in both Manifest Season 1 and Manifest Season 2.

It’s promising a sign that we aren’t completely abandoning the symbolism because it’s part of a larger plan. 

However, we’re kind of past the point of continuously seeing the peacock without any context. Audiences want to know how it fits into the overall mystery of the plane’s return. 

We find comfort in knowing that there is a piece of the puzzle out there just waiting to be found that may provide some of the answers we’re seeking. 

The Callings tried to lead Ben to the papyrus, but sadly, Eagan decided to dispose of it while pawning off some of the other artifacts he stole from the storage unit. 

Even without the papyrus’ missing piece, we know the peacock is a symbol for two things: immortality and resurrection. 

Both immortality and resurrection have been mentioned several times throughout the series. Ben’s current theory even revolves around the idea that they were resurrected after Flight 828 exploded. 

The peacock may be simply a constant reminder that they’ve all been given a second chance to course-correct and live a better life. 

What if the Callings encourage those who have been given a second chance to do better, and if they do, they continue down the road to immortality and beat the death date.

And what if those who continue down a path of sin will die within a certain time frame?

Olive and Angelina’s research of the artifacts TJ sent over from Egypt alluded towards this very theory as the drawing featured Maat, the Egyptian goddess of justice in the afterlife. 

They mentioned that her judgment was a “metaphorical weighing of the souls.”

Further investigation revealed that Matt represents the ethical and moral principle that Egyptian citizens were expected to follow in their daily lives.

Maybe those who were resurrected were judged on what they did with their second chance. If they lived a virtuous life, they could beat the death date and achieve immortality. 

And those who didn’t would be “condemned” to permanent death. 

If you think about previous cases, Zeke survived the death date because he turned his life around, made amends with those he hurt in the past, and followed the Callings with the purest intentions. 

On the other hand, Griffith was a criminal before his death and squandered his second chance by refusing to cooperate with the Callings.

The methheads are now at a crossroads. Two of them, Korey and Pete, seem to want to take advantage of their fresh start and make better choices, but then we have Jace, who is hellbent on getting revenge and making the same mistakes he did before his death.

What remains unclear is why these are the chosen people. It’s unlikely that everyone on Flight 828 was a bad person before their death. And there isn’t one single theme linking all the non-passengers either. 

You also have to wonder what that means for Saanvi, who managed to eliminate the Callings entirely and is responsible for killing the Major, which is hardly making the most of your second chance even if it was an accident. 

Saanvi is going through a lot, and I wish she had someone to talk to about it. Can you imagine bottling up the fact that you murdered a high-ranking official?

Read the full review at TVFanatic.com! 

Is it just me or is this season of Manifest more action-packed?

The pace and momentum picked up even more on Manifest Season 3 Episode 2 as Angelina and her Callings were thrown into the mix. Not a moment wasted!

Not only did her Calling connect to the methheads, who have been resurrected from their underwater slumber, but it continued down the religious trajectory with a vision of Archangel Michael, best known as a healing angel who served as the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil.

Could the Calling be implying that the passengers of Flight 828 were sent back to Earth to fight against the darkness?

The Calling also brought Angelina and Peter together, but what’s the connection?

It doesn’t seem like their paths have crossed before in a meaningful way, and yet, the Calling’s wanted them to find each other. 

Pete wasn’t just a random stranger in the background of her photo. 

Why?

It was a little frustrating that Mic didn’t even try to get any answers before bringing Pete into the precinct.

She could have still done things “by the book” while also getting some clarity as to how the methheads relate to 828 and their latest passenger. 

The Captain gave Mic a stern talking to as she returned to work, but at this point, I think she’s realizing that whatever Mic is messed up in, it’s not normal.

Even the most rational person cannot rationalize three guys emerging from a lake after three months of being presumed dead.

The Captain knows that logic doesn’t apply here, so maybe she’ll be on Mic’s side soon enough?

And how is Drea assisting with cases but not asking any questions? Olive openly talked about following Callings. Wouldn’t that make you want to question what’s going on?

Drea and Mic seem to consider each other really good friends, so it’s borderline insulting not to clue her in at this point. 

If she’s going to be putting her life on the line, she should at least know what’s at stake. 

I’m glad that Pete chose to break free from Jace’s toxic grasp.

He and Korey were both aware that they needed to make the most of their second chance, and they weren’t interested in ruining it by making the mistakes of their past.

Jace is the one we should really be concerned about because he’s dangerous and vengeful. 

According to Ben and Mic’s theory, the trio remained dead for 84 days, which likely means they have 84 days to live.

But what happens if they follow the Callings? Will that buy them more time as it did with Zeke?

The chase sequence gave audiences a good dose of adrenaline, even if it was cut short by Jace firebombing Mic and Drea. 

Also, why wouldn’t the Captain send Jared along for the ride? I’m not saying Mic and Drea can’t handle themselves, but it would be nice to have some backup when dealing with dangerous criminals.

MANIFEST — “Deadhead” Episode 302 — Pictured: (l-r) Holly Taylor as Angelina Meyer, Luna Blaise as Olive Stone, Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/WBTV/NBC)

I didn’t think I’d be interested in adding another passenger to the mix, but it’s nice that Olive has someone her age that she can team up with. 

Olive may not get the Calling’s, but she has plenty of experience navigating them, so helping Angelina figure out what they mean is giving her some purpose.

Ben is his own worst enemy.

What part of Vance’s “don’t come save me” speech was unclear?

Instead of heeding Vance’s instructions to let him handle things in Cuba, Ben couldn’t help himself and needed to find a way to help his partner.

Vance was able to fake his death for more than a year, so it’s safe to say he probably had an escape plan for Cuba anyway. 

I know Ben thinks he’s doing the right thing, but what makes him think Powell can be trusted? What if he was wired? 

Vance has chosen to remain under the radar and has purposefully kept his circle tight.

If he thought he could trust his partner, don’t you think he would have told him the truth on his own terms?

Ben, come on! I think it’s been made pretty clear that government entities cannot be trusted when it comes to Flight 828. 

Read the full review at TVFanatic.com

Manifesters have been patiently waiting for this day to arrive, and rejoice we must because Manifest Season 3 Episode 1 is packed with action that will hopefully move the central mystery of Flight 828 swiftly along. 

In the premiere, we’re still trying to figure out the how behind the 828’ers returns, but there are also several new mysteries taking shape throughout the hour, including a brand new passenger and the possibility that religion plays a much deeper role in the return that previously imagined.

Manifest has hinted at religious undertones before, so Ben’s revelation isn’t exactly new.

The series is filled with biblical references and parallels. For starters, all the characters have names with biblical origins: Grace, Ezekiel (Zeke), Michaela, and even newborn, Eden. 

The 828’ers have been called false prophets, they’ve been seen as angels who have returned to the Earth, churches have been built around their miraculous existence — the writing has always been there. 

And it’s not lost on anyone (especially because the episode calls it out) that the fisherman’s ship responsible for finding the tailfin is named after Saint Anthony, the patron of lost things.

So again, Ben’s “aha” moment that they’ve all been resurrected isn’t exactly jaw-dropping. Though, admittedly, it does fit in nicely for a premiere that lends itself to Easter weekend.

The theme of resurrection doesn’t just apply to the 828’ers because, in those final moments, we see the trio of methheads, who kidnapped Cal and then mysteriously disappeared in the frigid lake on Manifest Season 2 Episode 13, also resurrect.

There’s definitely some credibility to Ben’s theory. 

MANIFEST — “Tailfin” Episode 301 — Pictured in this screen grab: (l-r) Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone, Matt Long as Zeke Landon — (Photo by: NBC)

In addition to the “how,” we’re continuing to ask ourselves “why.”

Why are they the chosen ones? Is their mission to help people on Earth? Are they still stuck in some kind of purgatory?

One of the biggest issues with the first two seasons of the series was that nothing was getting resolved as the questions began to mount.

It looks like this season — even with Ben’s vague “we’re about to find out” answer when Mic questioned why this is happening — will tackle actual plot development that aims to answer the questions surrounding the central mystery. 

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At least, that’s what we’re hoping happens. The random side plots are engaging, but I don’t think the audience will hold out for much longer if no progress is made this season.

With the tailfin, Ben and co. are starting to form a working theory that’s backed up by something tangible. 

The episode kicked off in Cuba where the tailfin was retrieved. 

Ben arrived at the destination with Vance and another agent hoping to find some answers. And he immediately hit us with a dramatic removal of his glasses.

Wow, I’ve missed those.

While he wasn’t certain about what he was looking for when he got there since he was going off Cal’s drawings, he knew it had something to do with 828.

However, the tailfin revelation put him in a tailspin as it proved that something sinister likely happened to their flight.

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Getting blasted across the room after coming in contact with the tailfin also quelled questions about the tailfin’s authenticity. 

There was also the shared Calling between Ben, Mic, and Cal, who saw themselves burning up along with a brand-new passenger. 

This Calling doesn’t seem all that subtle. Paired with Ben’s previous vision of the flight exploding mid-air and his glowing hand after coming in contact with the plane debris, it seems pretty obvious that they likely didn’t survive the initial flight. 

Read the full review at TV Fanatic now!