WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD for anyone who hasn't finished Manifest Season 4, Part 1!
It may have only taken a year and a half for it to premiere, but waiting for Manifest Season 4 seriously felt like five and a half years. The missing plane drama finally made its Netflix debut, and frankly, it was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish.
Fans had already been preparing themselves for what would very likely be an emotional final season following the tragedy that struck in the Season 3 finale. However, I was not prepared for what the show put me through. The first 10 episodes of the fourth and final season take you on a journey, preparing you for the end of the series, which will come in the final batch of episodes sometime in 2023.
You have to remember that the series was originally supposed to have six seasons before NBC canceled it, meaning that three seasons' worth of stories has to be condensed into just 20 episodes. Even with the laughs, heartache, and, unfortunately, tears, Season 4 Part 1 of Manifest made a landing that stuck. Here are some of the feelings I had that I am sure are similar to what you were/are feeling about the show on Netflix.
Just… Completely Heartbroken
I was not ready for this season to make me feel the way it did, and I mean that in a "sobbing like a river by the end" way.
I knew there would be some hardcore emotions after Angelina killed Grace and took Eden. And Ben’s mental state took a big hit as well. But that was just the icing on a very sad cake. First of all, whose idea was it to jump ahead two years, flashback to when Ben came home after Angelina left, and have him STILL be depressed? Seeing him like that absolutely broke me. Especially since Ben was usually the one to keep the Lifeboat going and have hope, but after what happened, he gave up. It was so hard to see.
Meanwhile, something I was hoping they’d touch on, that I now wish they hadn’t, is Cal’s cancer. Halfway through the first part, he started getting sick, and his prognosis turned from weeks to days. As if Cal hadn’t already gone through a lot, since his family basically blamed him for what happened to his mom and sister, just when things were going well for him, this happens. And the cherry on top? Zeke sacrifices himself to save Cal by using his empath abilities and taking on his pain, and dying.
Zeke’s speech to Michaela made me sob and hearing her cry when she finally came home was like a punch right to the gut, over and over again. If this is what Part 1 is like, I’m scared for Part 2.
Anger
Ben was feeling anger, and he isn't the only one.
As previously mentioned, Cal’s family, mainly Ben and Olive, blamed him for what happened to Grace and Eden, because he told Angelina where the key was outside. Ben basically neglected his son for two years. He spent all his time looking for Eden and barely paid attention to Cal, who was navigating this new life he didn’t understand because he was five years older.
Cal had to beg his father to love him. Ben was not a good dude at the beginning of the season. While I understood where he was coming from, no one should treat their son like that. Ben needed some sense knocked into him. I really could not stand him in the majority of the first half.
Speaking of Cal, I get that Zeke did what he did because he felt it was his second chance, which is why he survived his Death Date. However, Zeke should not have died. He and Michaela were good together; they just celebrated their anniversary, he was close to all the Stones, he was even getting on Jared’s good side, and he goes and sacrifices himself? I know he was saving Cal in the process, but it’s unfair to make fans go through losing him twice.
As for Angelina, I have known something was off about her since the Season 3 premiere, and her craziness only heightens. Between Eden thinking she’s her mom, the fake Grace Calling, and the Omega Sapphire, my hatred for her has only intensified. That’s including every time you think she’s died and she hasn’t, which is surprisingly more than once. When will she ever stop?
Worried
Following the news we got in the final episodes of Part 1, I am completely worried for the passengers and now the rest of the world. What Angelina did in the final minutes of Episode 10 did not help at all.
Why have fans worried about the Death Date and what will happen with the passengers when it turns out that they have much bigger things to worry about: the whole world potentially being destroyed? Even though they’ve kind of hinted at it by saying that the passengers are agents of the apocalypse, I never imagined that an actual apocalypse would happen.
You would think that once Eden was found safe and sound, everyone would return to doing what they did and trying to solve the Death Date. Add in Angelina, the Omega Sapphire, and Cal’s cancer that came back (because the Stone family doesn’t already have enough on their plate), what more could be thrown at us? The fact that the Death Date is not just for the passengers but for everyone just throws a whole wrench in the plan.
Instead of saving 191 people (give or take a few who have died since returning), Ben, Michaela, and everyone now have to think about eight billion people. With the city basically turning into lava thanks to Angelina, what more could possibly happen?
We also have to consider how Michaela will act after Zeke’s death. Knowing how Ben was after Grace, I can only imagine what it will be like for Michaela, and it’s concerning.
Happy That Ben Finally Shaved. Goodbye, Beard!
When I first heard about Ben’s grief beard, I didn’t know what to think, but I knew I wasn’t that much of a fan.
Ben’s grief beard did not do it for me, and I’m not sorry to say that. When he finally shaved after getting Eden back, he was like a whole new person. And, I must say he looks much better without it. Yes, I was happy Ben got Eden back, but was I even happier that he finally shaved? Yes. I won't apologize for preferring clean-shaven Ben over bearded Ben.
Frustrated That We Have To Wait For Part 2
So are we all collectively just waiting for Part 2 after what happened?
We have no clue when Season 4 Part 2 will drop, and they expect us to wait for the final 10 episodes for who knows how long after what happened? Zeke is dead, Angelina is on a rampage, and now the entire world could be coming to an end. Even though Manifest is a good fit for Netflix, it just means that we have to get used to how the streamer releases seasons. And I am not a fan; mostly because I need to know what happens next.
While we know that Season 4 Part 2 will come out sometime in 2023, no confirmed premiere date has been announced. It will be a waiting game to see when we’ll get the final batch of episodes, but I hope it’s soon, because I cannot deal with what I just saw.
Pure Joy That Manifest Is Back
Now, despite what happened in these episodes and the fact that we’ll have to wait a while for Part 2, the fact that this show is actually back overshadows it all.
I was devastated when NBC pulled the plug on the series. I kept my hopes up like any Manifester, especially once it nearly broke records on Netflix. When the streamer saved the series, it was only a matter of time before we reunited with the passengers. And, being Netflix, they did not miss a beat.
It feels so good to be watching again and figuring out what happened to 828 and how the passengers can survive the Death Date. I have desperately missed this show, and I can’t wait to rewatch it all while theorizing just how it could possibly end.
I don’t know about you, but I already feel like rewatching these episodes, no matter how much pain they brought me. Plus, it’s been fun pointing out the differences between NBC and Netflix with these new episodes. Fingers crossed that Season 4 Part 2 will be here before we know it, even if we will have additional wild feelings. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s Netflix TV schedule to see what else to look out for, as well as shows similar to Manifest to keep you occupied.
