One thing becomes evident at the conclusion of Manifest Season 4 Part 2— thank god, thank the divine, thanks fans, and thank Netflix for reviving this show, believing in it, and giving it another shot at a proper ending, the one that was always planned since Flight 828 went missing. 

Because it was… absolutely incredible. 

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead for the final 10 episodes of Manifest Season 4***

The series hasn’t always been smooth sailing, or, I should say, it hasn’t been without its turbulence—frustrating fans with vague twists and turns about what happened to the passengers, death dates, callings, and more for four years—but the second half of the season proved that Jeff Rake always knew how it was going to end. He had the blueprint, and he delivered it flawlessly to those fans who stuck around for the journey.

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that I hate series finales because they never stick the landing, but Manifest came quite close, and I’d go as far as to say that for such a complex series, it got as close to perfect as it possibly could.

It gave not only viewers the closure they needed but it also gave the characters what their hearts desired—and they’ve been fighting for. 

Flight 828 disappeared and landed five years later, completely upending the lives of passengers and stripping them of any chance at returning to what once was. During that time, they chose to power through and live as best as they could—through all of the hate crimes, lab tests, and government lockups—all in hopes that they could find some answers about what happened to them. And that included solving the Callings in hopes of balancing the scales and saving the Lifeboat when the Death Day finally came knocking on their door.

While it would’ve been much easier to leave the series as an open-ended finale, allowing viewers to come to their own conclusion about what happened, Rake decided not to do a disservice to loyal fans who campaigned for the truth and begged for clarity, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle along with the passengers week after week.

Instead, we got a full conclusion that went into depth and provided so much insight into all of those questions that have been floating around for years, including the “why.” Why these passengers? And the beauty of this is that there wasn’t a good reason for this one. Rarely do we get a reason in life for why things happen to certain people—so this felt fitting. The simplicity of it was that it was just because. They were a group of random people connected by a situation—a mix of good and bad, who, given the choice, could decide if they wanted to be better or continue on their same path. There wasn’t anything special about them, nor were they chosen for any specific qualities—it just was what it was. 

And they all mostly rose to the occasion. As the Death Date closed in on them, Cal figured out that the Peacock calling was a hint that he needed to merge two sapphires together. And when Angelina, who considered herself an angel and the chosen one, decided not to stop the end of the world but rather encourage it so that only her “flock” would survive, Saanvi discovered that the driftwood she threw into Storm King Mountain also contained sapphire and would suffice. 

Cal, hailed as the Holy Grail throughout the first half of the season, made the ultimate sacrifice for his family, connecting with the sapphire, which resulted in a huge beam that lured all of 828 to the same point in time. They always said that it was connected, and the moment of all the passengers uniting and waiting for their judgment day was simply proof of that. They were always in this together, from beginning to end, helping each other figure out how to navigate the complexities of what was being asked of them.

Cal’s sacrifice then miraculously unearthed the actual missing plane, in perfect condition, waiting for them to board. 

It was all surreal, but that was kind of the point. There were biblical references, sometimes to the point of annoyance, but the one that kept bubbling up to the surface was Noah’s Ark, and Flight 828 was Noah’s Ark. 

The passengers were tested many times throughout the course of the five years for a reason. When judgment came, their actions and flaws were weighed against each other, with those who didn’t take their second chance and make the best of it, quite literally disintegrating into a pile of ash. The divine assumed that those passengers didn’t learn the right lesson from their second chance, harnessing the power for the wrong reasons.

 The visuals on this were stunning—particularly for Angelina’s death (which was much deserved and necessary)—though actually seeing the effects of the death date shouldn’t have been all that surprising as we’ve seen it before with the methheads.

Those who survived their judgment day—including Eagan, Adrian, and Saanvi—all made it into the glow, and this time, the doors opened for them as they exited the plane, walking right back into 2013 as they should have all those years ago. And it’s as if they stepped through a time machine, with only a few hours passing since their takeoff.

Seeing the passengers arriving in their old clothes, the ones we first met them in, was enough o give me goosebumps, but it was also oddly comforting. Everything they went for wasn’t for nothing—it put so much into perspective for them, showing them what was possible and what their hearts truly yearned for; the leaps they were too afraid to make, the things they took for granted, and the road that lay ahead. 

It was their actual second second chance. And it was both a blessing and a curse because while the passengers all kept their memories of the last 11 or so years (including what transpired in the 5 that they were “missing”), their loved ones who weren’t on the plane with them had absolutely no idea that anything was amiss. 

Ben was thrilled to see Grace alive in this timeline as the only thing missing in his life was his wife, however, he couldn’t share that he knew anything about their daughter, Eden, who didn’t exist at this time just yet. The only consolation is that Ben has always believed that’s what meant to be will be, so he had no qualms that eventually, they would add Eden to the family down the line. 

MANIFEST SEASON 04. Ty Doran as Cal Stone in Manifest Season 04. Cr. Netflix © 2022

Mick and Ben’s mother was also alive, while her father never had a stroke. They were all reunited again, getting the chance to spend more time with the people that have been gone for so long. 

Olive and Cal were also kids again (and Cal’s CGI effects were a little hard to accept but I get it, the kid has aged and no amount of makeup could undo that), but neither of them remembered anything that happened. And so while they may have gotten their childhood back—and the possibility of growing up together—it’s a bummer that they won’t remember all that they went through together to truly cherish this moment. The clean slate allows them to live without the burden and heaviness of what they went through, but I feel as though Cal proved he was strong enough to carry it even since childhood. 

The Stone family, despite all the hits and losses, truly grew together while working toward stopping the Death Date, and it would have been nice for the kids to carry that with them. Cal didn’t even remember Saanvi, and Olive had no recollection of her romance with TJ since he was an adult while she was a child. TJ did, however, connect with Violet, who was alive in this timeline, and he got his mom back, so I would say he’s probably thrilled with the outcome either way.  

It was also heartbreaking to see how Vance didn’t remember any of them, despite being such a crucial part of their lives for so many years. Vance and Ben’s bromance was one of the best things to have happened to the series, but it’s just a reminder that there are tradeoffs in life that are necessary. 

The passengers will forever be bonded and connected through this shared experience—it’s one that no one understands aside from them. Saanvi may not be a part of the family in the same way she once was, but with Ben informing Grace that she’s going to cure Cal’s cancer, she would still be part of it in a new way. 

As for Mick’s endgame, it was always Zeke. And as someone who shipped her and Jared, it makes sense when you look at it through the scope of that final episode. There’s a reason Mick hesitated all those years ago, and it’s because she knew deep down that she and Jared wanted different things. She had the pleasure of seeing that in real life thanks to Flight 828, so when she landed back in 2013—and Jared had no recollection of all that they’d been through as exes, friends, partners, and a couple—she chose to set him free and no longer take a place in his heart. She knew that his destiny was to be with Drea, who Jared met while leaving the airport shortly after. And it felt right. When Mick said “you gotta have Hope,” it gutted me because it showcased just how massive her decision was and how much consideration went into it. She wasn’t just thinking of herself, she was thinking of everyone. 

Mick, however, recalled Zeke telling her that he was at the airport the night her plane landed—one of the many near-misses of their fated meeting—so she ran to fetch his cab, calling him her “husband” and promising to explain everything afterward. Zeke was definitely confused, but he was also in awe of Mick because he felt their connection. And even if you didn’t ship Zeke and Mick in the post-828 timeline, their reunion here, even with his lapse in memory, just made sense. It all fit into place in the way that it should have, but might not have without all those experiences granted by the missing plane. 

Some things, like Vance investigating the mystifying and “impossible” disappearance of 11 passengers on 828, still needed to happen, but in different ways.

And I’m sure the passengers that survived will tell you that nothing is impossible, including a fitting finale that covered all of its basis and gave fans exactly what they wanted and then some. 

Turning it over to you because I totally understand if this finale wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and you expected something way different. What did you think? What parts did you love? What did you hate? What would you change?

And that’s what you call a break in the case.

On Riverdale Season 7 Episode 10, Jughead and Tabitha Tate dug deeper into the death of Brad Rayberry, who was assumed to have died by suicide, a cause of death that didn’t quite sit right with Jughead once he became to learn more about Rayberry’s life. 

With another death—well, deaths, as it was Ethel Mugg’s parents’ death that first shook the small town to its core—you would think that the cops would be more inclined to look into this case a little deeper. However, they simply leaned into the oldest trope in the book because it was easier and didn’t require them to exert too much effort. Typical. 

Jughead, on the other hand, thought it was peculiar that someone like Mr. Rayberry would do what he did after asking his boss at the comic book shop to send half of his paycheck to his wife in South Carolina. His suspicion became even more warranted when said wife, Mrs. June Simpson, explained that Rayberry was a very optimistic man who was just trying to save up enough money so that they could move to Paris as ex-pats. He was also feeling reinvigorated by his desire to get his novel published—at Jughead’s insistence—which again, didn’t seem like the kind of behavior from someone looking to end their life. 

Mrs. June was helpful in filling in the blanks, even clearing up some of what Sheriff Keller told Jughead. There are always multiple sides to every story, and how you interpret them depends on what you take away from them. Keller assumed that the fact that Rayberry protested the Korean war and was committed to an asylum meant that he was someone who would be more likely to die by suicide, when the reality of the situation is that he served in WW2 and became addicted to opium due to a war injury, hence his disapproval of another war and his willingness to seek help for his addiction. 

It turns out that Jughead’s perception of his mentor and good friend was on the money the whole time—he was a good person who dealt with a lot of hardships yet always looked on the bright side, even if it may not have seemed that way when they first met.

The big break in the seemingly cold case didn’t come until the final few minutes of the episode thanks to a neighbor named Mrs. Martin, who revealed that she heard the milkman stop by Rayberry’s house at an unusual hour. 

And her testimony coincides with the one Ethel Muggs gave following the death of her parents. We’ve got a serial killer on our hands—and it’s the case of the milkman. Who is this person? How does he identify his victims? And why?

The teaser for the upcoming episode—which looks as though it would be the perfect Halloween episode if it were to air during the fall season—will dig a little deeper into the murderer’s identity, with everyone joining forces to get justice and answers. 

Working Rayberry’s case brought Jughead and Tabitha closer together, and while they are very aware of their feelings for each other, seeing the difficulties Rayberry and June went through is a sign of the times. It was also a reminder—not that she needed one—that Tabitha should get back out there and fight the good fight. Jughead’s battle is back at home trying to figure out the serial killer’s motive, while Tabitha’s fight is out in the real world evoking genuine and necessary change. 

Interracial relationships were at the forefront of the episode, with Cheryl and Toni also trying to navigate the complexities of not only being a black and white couple but also an LGBTQ couple in a time when it wasn’t socially accepted. 

Cheryl wanted to be more involved in Toni’s world, requesting to attend the Black Athena literary group, which wasn’t an idea that Toni came around to initially. But when Clay invited Kevin to his poetry reading, Toni had no choice but to extend the invite to Cheryl, and while it was slightly awkward for everyone involved to address race in such an open way, it was also necessary and comforting. 

Riverdale — “Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven: American Graffiti” — Image Number: RVD710a_0004r2 — Pictured: Casey Cott as Kevin Keller — Photo: Justine Yeung/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Though, I think the more important takeaway from this whole plot was that Cheryl understood why it was necessary for Toni to have her space and to remain protective of her club. Cheryl was always welcome—and she promised to attend the public events—but this club was something that Toni fought for. Cheryl’s support was more than enough, as was the promise to read more books written by Black authors so that they could discuss them together. It was more special that way as it showed Cheryl’s effort to better understand Toni and her experiences. This couple has always been one of the show’s strongest—but the ’50s are giving them the most to work with, despite all the odds stacked against them.

The series is obviously trying to propel Betty and Archie and Veronica and Reggie, though, honestly, I feel like the girls kept interrupting a pretty epic bromance that was unfolding right in front of their eyes. The girls couldn’t just let the guys be guys, and that’s all they needed at this moment. 

Reggie and Archie bonded—and argued—over Archie’s Hot Rod, and eventually, they found common ground when Pop gave Reggie his jalopy that needed some TLC. 

It was a breakthrough moment for them as Reggie came clean to Archie about taking his car for a “joyride” to visit his parents because he was homesick, which was a feeling Archie understood all too well. They found common ground and a brotherhood that was stronger than any potential relationship. Archie needed a friend as his best friend was his dad, who went off to the war, and Reggie simply needed someone in Riverdale to be in his corner; a found family, if you will. 

And, at the end of the day, Betty and Veronica were still there, and still thirsty for a proper date.

I also loved that Reggie reached out to Betty to help out with his new ride. When she said there wasn’t an engine she couldn’t fix, he listened to her and believed her rather than dismissing her or brushing her off because she’s a woman. The world needs more Reggie’s. 

So much of this season has focused on Betty’s sexuality and her desires/urges, which is fine, but it’s nice to see this other side to Betty—one where she isn’t so sex-oriented. There’s so much more to her that makes her such a catch, and it’s nice that we’re getting to see some of those sides.

Elsewhere, Fangs had one of his biggest shows, proving that he’s on his way to becoming one of the hottest rock n’ roll musicians of his time and hopefully, getting accepted by Midge’s parents as a respectable husband. With Midge expecting a child, it doesn’t seem like they have much of a choice, but I love that Fangs wants to prove himself and earn their respect, making it impossible for them to turn him down. 

What did you think of the episode? Why do you think the milkman targeted Rayberry? Is he on Featherhead’s payroll? Or was it just a sheer coincidence? And is there a reason the cops are trying to convince Jughead it’s a suicide case? Are they covering for someone?

And with so much going on, it’s easy to forget that these characters still need to get back to the present timeline to get closure on their respective storylines, the ones that actually matter in our reality. How will they make their way back from the ’50s? Is everything that they are doing here leading them to the moment when they return home?

Welcome back, Drew Crew! It feels great to be back in Horseshoe Bay, doesn’t it? The supernatural never stops in this seaside town, though it does have its ebbs, flows, and lulls as evidenced on Nancy Drew Season 4 Episode 1, the premiere episode of the fourth and final season (an absolute bummer!). 

Nancy (Kennedy McMann), who now spearheads Nancy Drew Investigates out of Icarus Hall, has been taking on minor cases that veer into “normal” territory—think locating a missing cat—to pay the rent, all while the case of the missing bodies (the cliffhanger for season 3) and the curse placed on her and Ace (Alex Saxon) looms over her head. 

That’s a lot for anyone to take on, and then you add in Ace’s arrest in the case of the grave robbery, and well, Nancy feels an immense amount of guilt for letting the case get cold as she thinks she’s somehow led to this moment and this is all her fault. 

12 Reasons Why Ace is the Best Character on ‘Nancy Drew’

Of course, the Drew Crew is on top of it, dethawing the situation almost immediately as their friend’s fate is in their hands.

There’s, naturally, much more to Nancy’s guilt as she’s still grappling with the fact that she had to shatter Ace’s heart into a million pieces due to the lover’s curse Temperance placed on them. She hasn’t told Ace about it because she knows he’d do anything to break it—even something potentially deadly and dangerous—but it’s the big elephant in the room that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. 

From my experience, when someone tells you that you can’t have something, it makes you want it even more, and in this case, forcing herself to stay away from Ace is driving her crazy.

And it doesn’t help that Ace continues to be in Nancy’s orbit, which is to be expected because he’s in her friend group, but it almost feels like the curse is purposefully pulling them together in order to be extra cruel by reminding them that they can’t be together. Throw it in their face, why don’t ya?

I was surprised that Nancy clued in her dads about the curse as Carson (Scott Wolf) barely even knew that the supernatural existed in the past. Though, I don’t mind having him in the loop. Nancy is an adult and on her own now, so it’s nice that she has this open relationship with both of them and that they both get along so swimmingly. The supernatural is literally Nancy’s life, so it wouldn’t make sense to keep Carson and Ryan (Riley Smith) in the dark. 

Sometimes, I forget that Ryan is Nancy’s dad simply because of his age. And it doesn’t help that he’s now buddied up with Bess as it makes me think he’s just a part of the Drew Crew. 

Nancy fights her feelings for Ace as best as she can, but as I mentioned in my review of the Nancy Drew Season 3 finale, Ace is perceptive, and he’s not just going to take Nancy’s rejection at face value, especially because every time they’re around each other, you can feel the chemistry, not to mention that both times they got super close, something in the vicinity shattered. That doesn’t just happen for no reason though it definitely adds a little oomph to the forbidden love/attraction plot. 

He doesn’t just believe her when she says she doesn’t have feelings for him, and he has the little note she wrote in the bottle with his name on it as proof. 

There’s also no one that knows Nancy better than Ace, so he knows when she’s lying. His arrival at Icarus Hall is his way of essentially testing his hypothesis, and Nancy finally gives in, telling him they can’t be together because they are cursed. While that isn’t something anyone wants to hear, it does give him hope! Curses can be broken with the right spell—but now he knows for certain that the girl he’s in love with loves him back! And there’s no better motivation to find a solution. 

The writers know they can’t end this series without finding a way to bring Ace and Nancy together because they are endgame! 

In the end, Nancy found a way to exonerate Ace by proving to the new sheriff in town—who definitely didn’t believe in the supernatural at first but now has no choice and is probably questioning accepting this job in the first place—that he didn’t steal the bodies from the graves, they merely got up and walked away on their own. Yep, Horseshoe Bay can now count zombies are residents. Nancy was able to prove that they were responsible for moving themselves around town, however, she still has no idea why, and that’s the piece of the puzzle that she absolutely needs because it seems as though they are on a mission to take over Horseshoe Bay, and it may or may not have something to do with the curse. The blood pouring through the town lines was ominous, to say the least. 

QUIZ: Which ‘Nancy Drew’ Character Are You?

The imagery (including the costumes), the scenery, the perfectly timed jumpscares, the new chapter of everyone’s lives that are still—and even more than ever—intertwined by the mystical and supernatural, and how everyone just knew their place in this mystery-solving machine—lent itself to one solid premiere. No one skipped a beat, nothing fell through the cracks—they’ve done this before, and they’ve done it well, and again, I can’t emphasize that, it’s a shame it’s all coming to an end. 

George (Leah Lewis) had her doubts about her decision to study law, which Carson put to rest. He may not be involved in all of the investigations, but he’s the group’s dad dad, and it’s nice to see him involved in some capacity. George also got closure with Nick (Tunji Kasim), who explained that he sold the engagement ring out of necessity, with George giving him permission to move on and date one of those thirsty women in town throwing themselves at him. It will be weird to see Nick with anyone else when he finally does decide to put himself out there, but George wants to navigate the single life, it’s not fair to ask him to wait for her. 

Bess (Maddison Jaizani) and Addy are still going strong, though I’m standing by my theory that Addy is somehow connected to something menacing. Bess, as the new leader of the Historical Society, is finding that being in possession of dark artifacts comes with a plethora of responsibilities, and when she turns down the odd Glass couple, who Ryan owes, she witnesses their persistence and vengeance firsthand. They really meant to do harm to Ryan and Bess for not getting what they wanted by placing the talisman on his engine. Thankfully, the duo walked away from the car accident unscathed, though the Glasses’ wrath seems like just the beginning. 

And caught in the middle of all of it is Tristan, the Glasses son, who has taken a liking to Nancy Drew. I feel the sparks there, though, to be fair, I think Nancy can have chemistry with any person—dead or alive—but I’m not interested in exploring this because I’m team Ace. We all are, actually, so back off! We don’t need yet another obstacle standing in the way of Nancy and Ace finding their way to each other. 

Ryan, and now Bess, need to be very careful around this new family as they won’t hesitate to do harm to get what they want, it seems. And how will Tristan play into this?

And finally, there’s the end of it all, closing in on us quickly. I mean the end of Nancy Drew, of course. 

The premiere—which tapped in perfectly into the franchise but also what fans love about the series—proves that Nancy Drew is one of the shows that deserves to live on for several seasons—and it’s a damn shame that its biggest curse was The CW.