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Ellen Tamaki Interview About Drea and Mic on Manifest Ellen Tamaki Interview About Drea and Mic on Manifest

Manifest

Manifest Interview: Ellen Tamaki Talks Drea and Mic’s Relationship, If She Can Be Trusted, and the X’ers

Credit: Manifest/ NBC

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Ellen Tamaki, who some of you may recognize at Niko from Charmed, entered Manifest at the kickstart of season 2 as Drea, Michaela Stone’s brand-new partner.

It didn’t seem like a good fit at first as Mic was adamant about staying partnered up with Jared, her ex-boyfriend, but overtime, Drea began to prove herself as a trustworthy ally.

She would assist Mic in her cases and raids, cover for her when she needed to “handle something” related to the Callings, and stepped in when Mic went undercover as a druggie with Zeke.

Manifest Ellen Tamaki Interview Drea

MANIFEST — “Coordinated Flight” Episode 205 — Pictured: (l-r) Ellen Tamaki as Drea Mikami, JD Williams as Walter — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)

All of that culminated on Monday’s Manifest episode “Carry On when the partners exchanged notes, surmised that Jared was an X’er, and Drea went undercover to scoop out the shady bar he attends to get more dirt.

We got to chat with Tamaki about her time on the NBC series, the dynamic between Drea and Mic, what it’s like working with Melissa Roxburgh, and well, we tried our best to get as much scoop about the remainder of the season as possible.

Check out the interview below:

Your character Drea and Mic make a very dynamic duo… tell us a little about that. 

When I first came on the show it was a mystery. You know, we’ve wrapped the season, so I know what goes on for the rest of the season, but when it first started they wanted her [Mic] to have the new partner and they wanted some new faces in the precinct, and they’re like well what better way to do that then to kind of like create like this new relationship for her [Mic] that isn’t romantic.

I love seeing women on TV who have more relationships than just romantic ones, and I think there can be something so dynamic and professional about female friendships and that’s kind of what we have been discovering throughout the season is the way that these two characters get along and learn from each other. Drea comes in at the beginning and is just so infatuated with Mic and is trying to get Mic to warm up to her a little bit.

Ellen Tamaki and Melissa Roxburgh on Manifest

Credit: NBC/ Manifest

Yeah, and I feel like that happened on this Monday’s episode. They teamed up, but behind-the-scenes, you and Melissa were just in the car and you had all these snacks while you were filming. 

Yeah, well the thing is Melissa’s my pal, so it was only a matter of time before that started to bleed into the scenes that we’re shooting. The way that TV works is we were in that car for like four hours, there’s a camera set up looking at both of us, there was one looking at me, there was one looking at her, and so, we got hungry, and we’re cracking each other up, and yeah, we had a bunch of snacks, and I think I also tweeted something or maybe Jeff [Rake], our showrunner, tweeted it that we just started kind of ad-libbing at the end of the scene and editors kept it in because it fit our characters and gave it some kind of authentic like “Ellen and Melissa” banter as well.

It’s funny because you guys had so much fun filming it but this scene and what was happening was very serious because they believe Jared is an X’er. 

Right.

It’s such an intriguing storyline. Why are they so eager to believe that he’s an X’er and to believe the worst in him?

It’s been a long journey between the two of them [Mic and Jared] you know like everything they went through last season and so far this season. We can’t deny that Mic knows Jared better than almost anybody and she’s gonna know if something’s up and if something’s really wrong.

And inherently, these two women — we have to make the assumption that they’re good at their job, they’re good detectives, and they’re good cops, and you have to have an intuition about that.  I think it’s absolutely right of them to be really suspicious especially because it’s this hate group… a  really dangerous group!

There’s also this other side of Michaela that’s protecting her family as well, and I think it’s right of her to be cautious and for them to really seek out and sniff out what’s really going on.

https://twitter.com/JR8Ramirez/status/1225128697419784193?s=20

There are many who believe — myself included — that Jared’s undercover. I know you probably can’t tell me… but…

Obviously, I can’t say anything, nope. But with this show, anything is possible you know. If you’ve been keeping up on it at all, you know. But I also think, in the same vein, that it is possible that someone that you think you trusted for so long maybe not be who you thought they were.

Do you think it’ll like negatively affect any of their careers? I mean, Mic went and told the Captain what she found. 

Well, I think what’s so interesting about the dynamic of the precinct this season is that Captain Bowers showed up and was like “oh no, no, no,” like “I am not here to stand for this undocumented kinda woo-woo way that you’ve been solving all of these cases” you know, and she kind of shows up and lays down the law in a certain way that’s like “maybe this slid last year but not anymore.”

And so I think the tap Mic wasn’t allowed to place in the bar and all these things could have really serious repercussions down the line for her professionally or even for Drea professionally. I mean, Drea, keep in mind like I, Ellen, watch the show. I know about the Callings, but Drea has no clue about this huge side of her partner you know.

Ellen Tamaki Interview Manifest

Credit: NBC/GIF

Right… which leads me into my other question… is she going to get sucked into this mystery more? Or is Mic going to open about these Callings to her?

Over the past couple of episodes, you see that Drea is willing to do anything to help the cause. The entire precinct has turned on Michaela and she’s like you know “how do you know that you can trust the people? How do you know that someone not leaking?”

And turns out you know there is a leak somewhere, but she is just staying so loyal to her because I think, at the end of the day, Drea does have a good intuition and does care about her job and cares about the force and wants to do her best and is learning from who she believes is the best. And whether Michaela is the best because she’s having these Callings or the best because she truly is an excellent, moral cop, I think it just makes Drea just want to stay by her side and do the right thing.

Ideally, I guess if, at the end of the day like to be really really close friends with someone, I think you do want to share a lot of special things about yourself, but the Callings are pretty insane, though. How do you know that you can trust someone with information like that? I don’t know. If you had Callings, would you be able to share that with your work partner? I don’t know.

Ellen Tamaki Manifest Interview about Jared and Mic

MANIFEST — “Return Trip” Episode 206 — Pictured: (l-r) Ellen Tamaki as Drea, JR Ramirez as Jared Vasquez — (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)

And I feel like Mic did try to share that with Jared before but he never truly believed her, so maybe not…

Yeah, because if you open that part of yourself up to somebody and they reject it well then you’re just gonna put another wall up. It’s going to be even harder for you to open that part of yourself to someone new. I’m sure Michaela really needs to protect herself and protect her family.

On a show like this with so many complex mysteries and supernatural elements, you can’t really trust anyone. And a lot of fans don’t seem to trust Drea. 

laughs

Or that she has Mic’s best interest in mind really… what’s your take?

From what we’ve seen so far all she has done is have Mic’s best interests in mind.

Before we even hear Drea speak, the first thing we kind of see of her is that she can’t wait to get to Michaela, and she’s always kind of watching her out of the corner of her eye, and so I understand, yeah totally, that is that people may think she may have ulterior motives, but I think up until now she’s really proven herself.

She showed up right in the nick of time when it came to the bust when they go to meet the drug dealer. There’s just been a lot of times when I feel like, “how many times does Drea have to prove that she’s there with Mic’s best interests in mind?”

I believe in her. She’s a character that I really love to play because I think she really lays it out on the table and loves what she does and loves being a really good partner.

Ellen Tamaki Interview Manifest

Credit: NBC/Manifest

You work with Melissa a lot. Is there someone on the cast that you’ve been really wanting to work with more that you haven’t gotten to share any scenes with?

Yeah.

And don’t say everyone…

I mean, that’s the judicious answer, right? To be like “everyone’s amazing,” but it’s true, this is one of the greatest shows I’ve worked on, cast and crew and you know everybody involved, but the person who actually came to mind is Parveen, who plays Saanvi.

I ended up getting close to her hanging out New York and we were able to have like a couple of days on set together, but we didn’t have to get to have a big story-arc. Our characters have two totally separate situations going on and they’re really complicated stories, but I think it would be really cool to work with her and to see how these two women could maybe start figuring stuff out together.

We joked before that there is going to be like the “Drea and Saanvi” spinoff. But I would love to see where her science could meet his detective side of things and see an interesting subplot develop out of there.

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Plus one-ing this whole crew

A post shared by ellen ⛩ tamaki (@etamaki) on

She might need Drea’s help because that cure she gave herself that eliminated the Callings seems to have some dangerous side-effects. 

Yeah, Drea to the rescue!

Do you/ did you have any of your own theories… since your a fan of the series?

Gah, it’s hard because we did wrap, so I know what’s coming in the next couple of episodes, but I remember when I was shooting kind of around now in the season, I love the way that the writers reveal information to us because I kind of was like rolling with it like a little bit, hanging on every word because I didn’t know exactly where Drea was going, and at one point, I had a writer say to me, “well, we just had something really fun happen in the writers room.” And I’m like what is it?” And she’s like “we just changed a huge part of your storyline,” and I was like “can you tell me what it is?” And she’s like “no.” And I’m like “can you tell me what it was?” And she’s like “no.” So, of course, I had a lot of theories about where Drea is headed and what that could be.

I also love thinking about the new baby and kind of how that baby’s gonna come into play in terms of the Stone Family, and how Grace gets Callings now, and how the baby is now going to factor into the world of 828’ers.

We’re close to the end of the season… can you sum up the rest of the season in one word?

Something I love about watching is that I never feel any lacking in mystery and exciting things, but what’s different about shooting it and watching it is when I’m shooting, I’m really one-track mind. I’m only shooting scenes with Mic and the rest of the precinct, but then when I get the whole script and I see how it fits into the whole thing that really is what the season is about for me.

It’s about how all of  these puzzle pieces fit together, so I guess the word that I would give for the rest of the season would be “jigsaw.” To see how these puzzle pieces fit together to figure out this massive mystery, these big questions, and they find a good way to put all these pieces together in a really beautiful way at the end of the season.

Manifest and Charmed Actress Ellen Tamaki Interview

Credit: The CW

You were on Charmed for a good chunk of the season and you played a detective on both the show and Manifest… what other types of roles are you really hoping to dig into?

It’s really funny, but when Charmed came along, my family was cracking up about that like “oh, Ellen,” cause in my day-to-day life, people who are closest to me have always just been like “you? A cop?” But when I got this second one people started going like, “okay, well, you’re the oldest sister. I guess you’re kind of bossy,” and we were just joking around trying to figure out where the casting came from.

But when I think like into the future and the projects I want to work, I feel like I love and gravitate toward roles that are super grounded and driven and moral. I’ve read some scripts recently that are really fascinating about incoming new Congresswomen who want to evoke change in the government. Or maybe even in the vein of a detective, but the scrappy detectives who figures out that there’s something wrong with the system and she goes on and tries to fix it.

But it’s also acting and maybe one day I want to play someone that is in a ball gown and goes to the Met Gala. That’s something that I just do love about acting is that you can go into all of these different very far reaches of a character where anything is possible.

I’d also love to work on something really physical. My training is in physical acting, and I once played Billie Jean King, the tennis player, and so I think that if there were something where I could use my physical acting training maybe like a superhero that I would love to dive into.

Catch Ellen Tamaki on Manifest on Monday’s 10/9c on NBC! 

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

Manifest

Manifest Midseason Finale Review – Inverse Illusion (410)

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Manifest Recap Season 4 Episode 10 Inverse Illusion

And that’s a wrap on Part 1 of Manifest Season 4! Remember when I sad this season was forthcoming with answers, well, that same can’t be said for the midway season finale.

Manifest Season 4 Episode 10 was absolutely bonkers, in the best way possible, but I also have zero idea how to make sense of any of it. I was on top of it all until this episode where the confusion set in once again. Did we learn anything in these 10 episodes? Sure, we have a lot of the pieces of the puzzle, but they aren’t exactly fitting into each other right now. 

We know that Cal is definitely the dragon and Holy Grail as he seems to possess the powers of the sapphire within himself, but the rest is a little murky. It seems as though the final half of the season will be a battle between good and evil—Cal versus Angelina—to save the entire world. And while it’s clear that Cal is undoubtedly stronger as his powers come from within whereas hers were external from the Omega Sapphire she stole, she’s still a small sociopath that continues to rise from the ashes and keep finding ways to be worse than she was before. I don’t think I’ve ever hated a TV show character more in my life.

The sapphire seemed to be the key to unleashing the Callings, but in the wrong hands, it was a dangerous weapon that could bring upon the world’s destruction. The moment Angelina got her hands on it, she yielded a lot of power.

When Grace showed up in front of Ben as a what seemed to be a Callings, it was so good to see her. I disliked Grace initially when the series started, but it was nice to see Ben feel whole for a brief moment. And kudos to Athena Karkanakis for nailing Grace’s body infiltrated by Angelina because it was bloody brilliant. Ben wanted so badly for the moment to be true and believe that she came back to give him all the answers that he completely disregarded the obvious signs that it wasn’t actually her—Grace never said “my love” and she would never cryptically talk to Ben and urge him to bring Eden to her. She would also never tell him to hand Eden over to Angelina, which is what she did at the cemetery. That’s when Ben noticed Grace’s eyes weren’t her own, and it was very clearly a trap by Angelina. It was the first true moment that we saw the immense power that the sapphire possessed.

You can tell who the better and more loving parent is simply by how they interact with Eden. Angelina was all about manipulation, whereas Ben trusted that his daughter would do the right thing and choose him, which she did. Children are incredibly perceptive, and Eden finally understood what true love was by spending time at the Stone household surrounded by their warmth and care. This obviously didn’t sit well with Angelina, who let out a shriek so loud that it literally brought all the 828ers to their knees. 

And this is where the beginning of the end truly began for them. A new order to detain every passenger on U.S. soil was enacted, and they began rounding them up like cattle, much to Jared and Drea’s horror. The two of them couldn’t do anything but stand and watch the situation unfold. What a first day on the job for Jared, huh?

It wasn’t immediately clear why they were being detained, but when Gupta showed up at Vance’s HQ to seize all of their equipment, it started to make a little more sense. Saanvi and Vance don’t trust many people, and they were truly foolish to trust Gupta, who was worked for The Major and had a hand in those extreme experiments on the passengers using sapphire to reach a divine state and generate more Callings. Why wouldn’t they consider that she was the enemy or working against them? They divulged way too much to Gupta, who realized they located the Omega Sapphire and was there to shut it all down as she knew the immense power it possessed. 

The look on Saanvi’s face—and the way she completely exploded in anger—was so good. She didn’t mean to kill The Major before, but I truly believe this version of Saanvi wouldn’t hesitate to do some damage to Gupta. It’s a disappointing turn of events as it truly seemed like she was becoming an ally. People disappoint you, I guess. But what’s her end game? To simply hold passengers agains their will until the Death Date? 

The only person that they should be holding in lockup is Angelina, and it boggles my mind that she’s evaded capture this whole time when she’s a clear threat to about 8 billion people. 

With the sapphire in hand, Angelina saw herself as the most powerful being in the world. Or, as she informed Ben and Mick, an archangel sent by God. She was able to control Callings and manipulate people the way she manipulated Eden. Her perception of angels is skewed because if she’s anyone, I’m convinced she’s the devil incarnate. Yet she believed in her delusions that she was to bring vengeance upon the evil and to lead the righteous to salvation. All because she had a stone… a stone she was completely powerless without. The moment she lost it, she was aware of how absolutely pathetic she truly was. 

Cal, whose sample lit up as he was dying and whose dragon tattoo began to move, pulled her into a Calling back on Flight 828 and even tried to stop her from delivering more, but she still tried to manipulate him by conjuring up Grace’s image to convince him to give up and let go. It seemed as though it was working, but then Cal informed her that the whole time he was sick, the one thing his mother never did was tell him to give up. The nerve of Angelina to impersonate the woman she killed. He’s not a little boy anymore, and she needs to understand that.

The fissures of lava continued to open up the more Angelina used the sapphire, and we learned that it was the same as when Saanvi missed the Noah’s Ark driftwood. Missing these objects is what created the bubbling lava cracks, which had dire effects on the world. There were a lot of crazy and intense moments at the school/church as Angelina brought on the apocalypse with her carelessness. Flight 828 is just a backdrop at this point, which is unfortunate because the plane mystery is what drew so many people in in the first place. While I don’t mind the mystical, mythical, and Biblical references and inspiration, the the lengths Angelina took it to were a little much for me. However, it did occur to me that maybe Flight 828 returned because Angelina was never meant to experience the peace of the divine since she was rotten, and their mission has always been to stop her and save humanity. 

While Mick and Ben were battling Angelina, Zeke was trying to hold things down at home with Cal, who was seemingly fighting a losing battle. At first, their final day together started off pretty chill with a ball game and a game of Monopoly, but things escalated rather quickly. When Cal informed his brother-in-law that it was time and asked him to get Olive, Zeke was an emotional mess. When he heard Olive and TJ working to find a solution, he was inspired by something they said. Olive suggested that Cal can save all of them, but who can save Cal? That’s when Zeke realized he knew exactly what needed to be done—he needed to sacrifice himself for the kid/now teen who went above and beyond to save him in previous seasons. Cal did everything to help Zeke, and he now had to repay the favor. He finally understood why he was given the powers of an empath.

As he grabbed Cal’s hand and began to take away his pain, he started getting sicker. And his call to Mick absolutely broke me because it was so devastatingly beautiful and summed up their romance so well. They truly were soulmates from day one, and she made him feel alive and taught him what it was like to live. He said that she was his “breath,” his “blood,” and his “soul,” which is where I began sobbing harder than Mick. 

It was the most selfless decision, but one that was almost evident when Mick and Zeke shared their sweet morning kiss and when she left the house that day. There was something ominous looming in the air. Even if you’re a Jared and Mick shipper, this is not a time to rejoice. Calm it down, wait your turn.

Ben was able to save the children trapped inside the collapsing and lava-filled church, and they made it back home in time for Mick to say her final goodbye to Zeke. As she sat on the ground holding his lifeless body, Cal’s body regained color and he returned to life. 

But what now?

Surely, the registry is just moments away from getting Ben and Mick and locking them up. They don’t know Gabriel’s true identity, so he’s safe, and with Zeke gone, it’s in the hands of Cal, Olive, TJ, Jared and Drea now. And maybe Vance, who may still be free since he wasn’t a passenger though he definitely aided them.

While Ben surely thought that Angelina was finally no longer a problem, he’s about to find out just how wrong he is about that. As mentioned before, she rose from the rubble and ashes looking even more unhinged with her sapphire-infused arm and walked into the world proclaiming, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” as the world split open in lava fissures around her. 

This truly is the beginning of the end, but again, what does that even mean?

Other Thoughts

  • It was nice to see Angelina’s Calling connect back to the shattered angel she had a few seasons back. 
  • Olive and TJ determined that the sapphire, in the right hands, could help them balance the scales of Maat and save the Lifeboat, but it’s easier said than done, obviously.
  • Mick’s been holding onto the guilt of Evie’s death, which Angelina was able to use against her. It was a low blow, but simply more proof that Angelina sucks.
  • Also, the way she looked pleased with herself when telling Ben that Cal was dying was pure evil.
  • Can anyone undo the damage that Angelina has done or is the world doomed?
  • Where are Daly and Fiona and why can’t we know more about it?
  • Is this what Adrian meant about the end of days and false prophets?

What did you think of the final of Manifest Season 4 Part 1? What are your best theories? 

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Manifest

Manifest Review – Rendezvous (409)

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Manifest Recap Season 4 Episode 9 Rendezvous

This changes everything!

With the hunt for the sapphire stone in full swing, the Stone family was once again pulled into a very realistic Calling that took them all in different directions before bringing them all together—along with many of the clues they’ve dug up and unearthed over the season— for one interconnected moment. 

The characters are constantly using the phrase “it’s all connected,” so I’m glad that the writers are tapping into it. Even Olive and TJ were surprised by how connected it actually all is. It seems that they’ve had the answers this whole time, but they simply didn’t have the roadmap to figure it out. But as the Callings intensify, they are making a lot more headway… though, don’t be fooled—we still have plenty of questions. 

The overarching Calling—the ashes falling around them—reappeared again, and we were right to think it might be the final Calling ever. And it was quite foreboding as it made them all realize that the Death Date goes beyond the passengers; the warning, which found non-828ers on the plane as it took a nose dive before lava from a volcano began to consume it, proved that the Death Date was of world ending proportions. 

Adrian may have been onto something with his “horseman of the apocalypse” ramblings, which just proves that the answers have been here, cryptic they may be, this whole time. 

But this newfound end-of-the-world information alters everything we thought we knew. 

This season has been spectacular, and that extends to the penultimate episode, Manifest Season 4 Episode 9, which moved a million miles a minute, connecting pieces from prior seasons to the present day on the journey to locate the Omega Sapphire, the supposed rock that would allow them to tune into the God frequency in order to generate more Callings and defeat the Death Date. 

I wish the Callings would stop being so cryptic. They’re so advanced and intense now, why couldn’t they evolve and become more straightforward? Do we really have to look to ancient texts and tarot cards to make sense of a pressing danger to humanity?

The episode kicked off with Mick and Zeke gearing up to celebrate their three-year anniversary, a party that Jared crashed, unintentionally. When Zeke welcomed him into the home and allowed him to stick around, he likely didn’t expect that he’d be spending much of his wedding anniversary teaming up for a “good cop, bad cop” role with his wife’s ex-boyfriend. But honestly, I like that these two can be cordial around each other, with Jared even giving a toast to the happy couple and acknowledging that while he didn’t always ship this relationship (you don’t say!), the best man and woman won. Does this mean that Jared and Mick shippers should give up? Jared’s being friendly and civil, but I fully believe he would betray bro-code the moment Mick allowed it to happen; he’s never going to get over her. 

When the Calling pulled civilians into the mix, it threw everyone for a loop, and they all had to play their part to get the much-desired answers.

Mick and Saanvi grabbed the compass and went out into the city to locate Thomas, the 828 stowaway, who they saw in the Calling desperately trying to lift the cargo hatch at the back of the plane. 

Meanwhile, Cal and Ben figured out that the seat light that turned on in the Calling was above Marko’s row, and somehow, in that moment, Cal knew he needed to connect to him. Since Cal’s cancer progressed rapidly—Alex informed him he had probably had a few days left, something he kept from the family so as to not take away from their happy moment—Zeke and Jared went to the nursing home to try to attempt to bring Marko to the house. 

Jared’s been hesitant to join the registry as a detective since it means he has to moonlight as an 828 hater, but this mission proved to him how critical it is that they have a supporter on the inside. Drea can’t keep holding it down on her own. 

They were able to break Marko out of the facility temporarily so that he could deliver his message to Cal—via drawings—and his sketch revealed a volcano ready to erupt, which honestly, was just a forewarning of the dangers to come. 

There has been plenty of volcano symbolism throughout, including the snowglobe that Eden gave him, Cal seeing a volcano while looking out the window, Ben’s Calling of him holding Eden and talking to a mysterious figure in a volcano (is it Daly?), and even the Noah’s Ark driftwood that Saanvi threw into the fissure. 

It’s not a new development, but the fact that the volcanic lava made its way onto 828 surely is. Are we to believe that 828 flew into a volcano? Does it have something with the natural disasters that occur and seem to connect to Flight 828? Or is the volcano simply supposed to be an omen? Did Flight 828’s return mess with the natural balance of the universe and is their existence now causing the world to end?

The volcano card also played a role in Mick and Saanvi’s mission, which brought them to a boiler room where they previously helped hide Thomas. Once inside, they heard a pounding as Eagan, and his volunteer buddy, Kenroy, crashed through a wall. Eagan, as we know, has been volunteering at the Masonic Temple in hopes of finding the Omega Sapphire for himself. 

Together, the foursome solved the puzzle inscribed in the walls of the underground room that matched to each individual tarot card, before taking a hint from the volcano card that they needed to light the final piece on fire, which revealed the Goddess Maat that Olive previously saw on the papyrus during her research at the college. And lo and behold, that’s where the last remaining sapphire was hidden. 

You would think that they would all learn by now that they can’t trust Eagan, but nope, Mick allowed him to grab the sapphire, and he bolted with the moment the opportunity presented itself. Even worse, he trapped them inside the underground room, and while it wasn’t entirely certain how they would find a way out, especially with Kenroy, who was revealed to be Leo, injured, it was soon a non-issue as Thomas walked through the door and reunited with his true love. It was a slice of happiness amid a pretty bleak episode all around. 

Since the sapphire is the only thing that can help them tune into the Callings and possibly save themselves—and now the world—from destruction, not to mention it might be the only thing to save Cal, losing the rock was a huge blow.

But Eagan was the worst of their problems!  

When the apocalyptic Calling finally hit again, they were all back on the plane, and they saw Eagan standing with the sapphire in hand. He was so close to handing it over to Mick when he just poofed out of the Calling. In reality, someone knocked him out and stole the precious rock from him. 

Who could it be? Considering that Cal got a call from an unknown number, and we later saw that Eden connected with that call for over 40 minutes while sitting downstairs with everyone, my guess is that Angelina is the culprit. Her storyline is far from over, and in a way, I’m happy about it. If Angelina played such a huge role in the beginning, we’re overdue for a final altercation between her and the Stone family so that they can get their revenge on the heartache she caused. 

Eagan may be selfish, but the true villain of the season with the potential to sink the Lifeboat and drown everyone in it is Angelina. By being on the phone line, she would’ve heard everything that the family was talking about, thus making it easy for her to locate the sapphire. And something that powerful in the wrong hands is dangerous.  

Part of me wonders if there’s even a point to the whole sapphire hunt, or if these Callings are even going to help them stop the inevitable. 

And the big question of “why” remains. I think there’s a good chance that their existence is bringing on this destruction, but we’ll see. 

Why did Cal come back after going into the light? What was he meant to do? Was he meant to die? The scene with Olive coming to terms with the fact that she might lose her brother again was devastating. And it doesn’t make sense if he’s such a crucial piece of the puzzle—the Holy Grail with all the answers. Why did he get cancer again? The timing of his diagnosis comes just after the dragon tattoo appeared. Is the dragon a metaphor for the plane, which can help get everyone through the volcano and onto the other side? Does it even matter that Cal is sick when they’re all set to die? Did Cal simply accomplish what he was meant to and now he must go back to “peace” and “bliss”?

And what about connecting with the divine will help them prevent what’s happening? Why is Marko such a heavy presence lately? Can they someone use his connection to the divine to get the answers they’ve been looking for? Maybe they don’t need the sapphire after all. 

The season has been pretty forthcoming with answers, moving the plot along splendidly, but there are a hell of a lot more questions now as we see the end in sight. I just hope Manifest manages to wrap it all up in a way that’s logical and satisfying, and most importantly, deserving of this second chance.

The worst thing that could happen after being renewed is an ending that is less than satisfying, but if this season is any indication, I think we’re in good hands. 

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Manifest Review – Full Upright and Locked Position (408)

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Manifest Recap Season 4 Episode 8 Full Upright and Locked Position

Manifest delivered yet another action-packed episode with Season 4 Episode 8, and at this point, it’s safe to just say the whole season was an adventure. 

As we near the end of the first half of the season, it’s clear that we’re going to make a lot of headway when it comes to figuring out how to tune into the Callings.

The biggest mistake that Saanvi made was trusting Eagan. He’s made it clear that he’s only ever willing to do the right thing if it benefits him. He allowed himself to be a lab rat to see if he could tune into the Callings, but Saanvi wasn’t willing to go to the extreme lengths that the Major did to get answers. As a passenger herself, she’s not interested in hurting anyone or risking their lives for the science. But she deduced that the Major didn’t have the right kind of sapphire to tap into the Callings, which Olive later realized was an ancient rock called the Omega Sapphire, which connected to Mount Ararat and was imbued in the Noah’s Arc fragment Saanvi threw into the fissure. 

While they have no idea where to even begin looking for the last remaining one, Eagan recognized Marko’s drawing and didn’t say anything before quietly slipping away and becoming a volunteer at the Masonic Temple of the Omega. Surely, you get where I’m going with this.  It’s frustrating to see Eagan once again do minimal work and reap the rewards—he’s such a pesky nuisance this season, and if it wasn’t for Angelina, he would surely take the villain crown.

Thankfully, TJ returns from Egypt with plenty of answers that can help Olive win her quest. After they share a sweet kiss, he informs her that they have a lot of work to do to find the sapphire. 

“It really is all connected,” Olive states, which, of course, is the ultimate catchphrase for our 828ers. While Eagan might have a leg up on them, it’s only a matter of time before they find him and realize that he’s only in it for his own selfish reasons. 

It’s nice to have TJ back, and he’s a welcome sight for Olive, who’s had a bit of a rough night. 

In fact, most of them had a rough night as Cal was arrested as a potential 828 murder suspect, Ben went to extreme lengths to get his boy back and found out about his cancer relapse in the process, and Olive and Zeke were forced to fend off that actual serial killer who was targeting Eden next. 

Mick and Jared were right about Angelina’s mother being the killer, but they failed to consider that she had a partner-in-crime: her husband and Angelina’s father. 

The writing was kind of on the wall for this one, and I’m kind of upset I didn’t see it either. Angelina’s parents willingly kept her locked away, which is all the proof we needed that they were unhinged and dangerous. They thought they were doing the lord’s work by protecting their daughter, and when they got her back, they decided to punish every single person who aided her and helped her stray from the righteous path. It was twisted and extreme. 

Angelina’s mom targeted Adrian, but even Angelina wasn’t spared from her mother’s delusions, as she was tied up alongside him to “watch” as they rid the sinners that led her astray from her life. And you know who else they considered a sinner? Baby Eden. 

This poor innocent child has been through so much, and now Angelina’s father tried to kidnap her once again to prove to Angelina that she’s no guardian angel and does not have god’s protection. 

Zeke risked it all to fend off Angelina’s dad while Olive got Eden to safety. Once Zeke was shot, it was up to Olive, who proved to be the heroic big sister by pushing him out of the window and to his death. It’s only natural that she was shaken up by it, especially since she unknowingly let him into the house. 

Meanwhile, Angelina managed to free herself, but she left Adrian behind to die because he “deserved everything” coming his way after he stole her guardian angel. Honestly, I’m a clown for thinking Angelina was redeemable in any way. And so is Adrian for consistently extending his help to a person who couldn’t be more ungrateful. This is a reminder that when people show you their true colors, you should believe them the first time. 

While the whole Angelina storyline really went to the next level this season, I’m kind of glad they rolled with it and showed us why she is the way she is. It would’ve been so random if Angelina was simply someone who went off the rocker, but tying it back to her family made it all more believable. But it’s also terrifying because despite everything, she’s still out there, which means she’s still a threat to the Stone family.

Zeke eventually confided in Mick about his relapse, and he didn’t even have to say anything for her to understand the pain. Her response was comforting as she simply hugged him, proving that she’s in his corner no matter what. They made a vow to each other, and she doesn’t plan on breaking it. And this is why we love Mick.

Ben went to great lengths to try to save Cal, who was the last person seen with Violet and thus, the number one suspect in her murder. 

Of course, the cops only knew him as Gabriel, so Ben couldn’t risk Cal getting fingerprinted or getting his blood drawn. If they figured it out, he would become a lab rat, which wouldn’t have been ideal. Drea helped as much as she could, but there were limits to what she was able to do without getting caught. 

Ben followed a Calling that led him to one of the first passengers he helped, Radd. This time, Ben’s son needed help, and together, they figured out the melody that Ben kept hearing over and over was a phone number for Alex, Saanvi’s ex and Cal’s doctor. The moment he heard her voice, Ben realized that Cal’s cancer had come back. I think part of him knew for quite some time, but he was simply ignoring the facts and hoping they would go away. It was an unfortunate way for Ben to find out the truth, but it was the leverage they needed to secure Gabriel’s release in the knick of time. 

I’m surprised the cops didn’t put two and two together when Alex informed them about the cancer considering Cal was also ill, but I’ll just let that oversight go. 

Ben realized he’d been so preoccupied with his grief and finding Eden that he pushed his son aside, and now, he might lose him forever. I truly feel for Ben at this point because it’s just one thing after another. 

Dr. Gupta made an appearance to help Saanvi with her research. Since Gupta worked with The Major and the passengers that were experimented on, she understood what was necessary to generate a Calling. The Major didn’t know when to stop, intensifying the subject’s pain in order to get a clearer Calling, but as mentioned previously, she needed to resort to extreme measures since she couldn’t acquire the supercharged sapphire that would minimize and limit the risk.

Saanvi wanted to replicate the findings without making the same mistakes since it left those that were experimented on in a constant state of Calling, or, to everyone else, braindead. Playing god is a dangerous role, Gupta informed her, but while Saanvi is desperate for information, I know she’s not going to be as negligent as the Major. And knowing how determined she is, she’s the only person capable of getting this done. But will it be enough to save the Lifeboat from the death date?

It’s also not lost on me that the Omega Sapphire is a one of the seven most powerful stones. The Stone family… it just can’t be a coincidence. 

In the end, Mick and Jared were able to save Adrian and arrest Noelle, and Jared’s chief recognized that he was wrong for telling Jared to stay in his lane when he’s great detective. The Chief then offered him a job with the 828 registry, noting that he was too good and skilled for patrol. Honestly, having another man on the inside is definitely going to be beneficial for the passengers, but will Jared accept the job?

Will they find the Omega Sapphire? And will it help trigger more Callings? Is that even the answer? Will it be enough to save the Lifeboat from the looming Death Date? Why did Cal’s cancer come back after he was given another shot at life? Is his health deteriorating like Zeke’s when he was facing a Death Date? And will Gupta’s dragon constellation story from season 3 ever come into play with Cal’s dragon mark?

Share your thoughts about the episode with us!

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