Although NBC's Manifest is one of the relatively few big network TV shows that managed to finish its full season as intended back in spring 2020, fans have still been waiting almost a full year to find out what happens after Zeke's survival of his death date, the meth addicts disappearing from under the ice, and of course the impossible discovery of the Flight 828 tailfin in the middle of the ocean. Now, as Season 3 is on the verge of premiering, stars Melissa Roxburgh and Matt Long are hyping the kinds of reveals that are in store after the time jump.
Melissa Roxburgh and Matt Long, who play Michaela Stone and Zeke Landon on Manifest, spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets recently about the third season, and they shared what they were dying to explore in Season 3 and what they thought fans would be especially excited for. Looking back at the Season 2 cliffhanger, Roxburgh previewed what's ahead in Season 3:
The discovery of the tailfin was massive because it's a physical answer or a physical question, whatever way you look at it. But up until then, it's kind of all been like cerebral and following Callings. But this was the first little thing that we've been able to hold on to. So I think that was really exciting to go into Season 3 on. And then as far as what I think fans will freak out over is the finale of Season 3. It kind of re-births the show in a way.
Michaela, Ben, and other survivors of 828 and other scenarios like Zeke's have managed to accomplish a fair amount, but not with much in the way of solid proof or evidence. If anything, it's a leap of faith for characters like Jared to go along with everything that the Callings entail when he can't experience them for himself. The tailfin was a "massive" discovery for Season 3, according to Melissa Roxburgh, and if she's already hyping the finale before the Season 3 premiere even airs, it's probably safe to say that fans are in for something thrilling.
Rebirth coming to Manifest in Season 3 isn't altogether surprising considering that Season 2 ended with Zeke surviving his death date despite every expectation that his end was nigh and Michaela would be a widow tragically soon after getting married. Zeke saved Cal and survived; now, Zeke has the chance to live his own life to the fullest, or as fully as possible when married to somebody very much still facing a death date of her own, unless Manifest delivers a deadly twist for Zeke.
Matt Long opened up about Zeke in Season 3, and also teased a "massive reveal" on the way:
I was most looking forward to what Zeke's new life would be. He survived the death date at the end of Season 2. And I wanted to see how he came back. And he has really been reborn in almost every single way possible, except he still has the love of his life. And he's still involved in this story. And then I agree with Melissa [about] the finale. We also have a midseason finale that is huge. We got such a big piece of the puzzle at the end of Season 2 with Zeke surviving his death date. We thought we maybe understood how that was possible. But it's not as simple as that, as we find out in the midseason finale. It's a massive reveal that has implications for everyone in the show. It's not nearly as simple as we thought. And then the finale of the season is just explosive, unlike anything we've had, like Melissa said, and people are going to be absolutely shocked.
Matt Long not only agreed with Melissa Roxburgh about the Season 3 finale being massive, but also hyped the midseason finale that will change what fans (and presumably characters) thought they knew about death dates. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen; even though Zeke survived, he's still an outlier at this point, and the Manifest stars' comments suggest that the plot is only going to get more layered as the third season picks up. But at least one big reveal is on the way!
See how Manifest Season 3 gets started with the premiere on Thursday, April 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ahead of the big Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime crossover. Manifest was among several NBC shows that had to be delayed in the 2020-2021 TV season, but Melissa Roxburgh and Matt Long's comments about the finale indicate that fans don't have to worry about the third season being cut short if the entertainment industry has to go on break again.
