In less than a month, Manifest will finally land on Netflix for its fourth and final season. The former NBC show's tragic Season 3 finale featured a bunch of cliffhangers, but it looks like we'll finally get the resolutions to those plot points. One of the biggest developments of that episode saw Cal after touching the tail fin and disappearing -- only to resurface five years older. And this is going to be a major issue in the new stretch of episodes amid the already drastic time jump.
Manifest will pick up a full two years after the events at the end of Season 3. With this, Cal will have been in this new adult for quite some time when viewers catch up with him in Season 4. At New York Comic Con, Ty Doran, who plays the older version of the character, explained how he'll be struggling after this sudden change (via EW):
He’s in this older body but has not matured to the level that would be apropos of his stature now, I guess. So it has been weird to... He’s like a little kid. He’s so angsty, he’s got so many daddy issues, and he wants to help so bad. It’s been interesting... Where he begins and where he ends are two very different places, and I think he really grows up over the course of this season.
It sounds like there will definitely be some challenges for Cal when the series picks back up, but it’s also interesting to hear that he and Ben may not be as close as they used to be. Though that makes sense. Because of Grace’s death and Eden’s kidnapping, it's likely that Ben has been spending all of his time trying to find his daughter while also trying to survive the Death Date, which will only be 18 months away by the time Season 4 starts.
Cal's unexpected "growth spurt" is sure to change up the dynamics amongst the characters in a major way. And aside from his relationship with Ben, there's also the question of whether or not he still has that special bond with the Callings and 828. Though he's now seven years older in total due to the time jump, he still has a lot to learn, and there are sure to be plenty of growing pains as he evolves over the course of the season.
As for his father, Ben will be struggling quite a lot in the fourth season, so it’s not so surprising to hear that he’s not exactly there for Cal like he should be. Ben’s mental state won’t be all that great, and he'll have even grown a "grief beard" when we see him next. These final episodes of the show are sure to be bittersweet because, while it's great to have the show back, the producers are sure to put the characters through hell. It'll be emotionally draining for us, but it should make for some seriously compelling storytelling.
Manifest is a good fit for Netflix, and I'm confident that the streamer can do the show justice as it prepares to close out its run. There's definitely cause to be nervous for Cal, Ben and the other characters as they contend with other issues amid the time jump. And with that, fans will surely relish these last installments.
We already know quite a few things about Manifest Season 4, Part 1, which drops on Netflix on Friday, November 4! Do yourself a favor and check out the 2022 Netflix TV schedule to learn about what else is headed to the streamer soon!
