Manifest Season 1 Episode 5 Recap – Connecting Flights

It’s time to pack your bags and go on an adventure with Manifest! 

This drama is back with a gripping new episode, which promises to deliver shocking twists and turns. This episode shows a lot about the life of Grace, Jared, Lourdes, and Michaela’s parents while the plane is missing.

The beginning of this episode jumps back to before the passengers of Flight 828 were taken aboard the plane. The Stone family was going to Jamaica when Olive clarified how much she missed her brother and just wanted to get home. Grace admitted she didn’t know what’s going on with her marriage, but Karen assured her everything would be fine — until it most certainly wasn’t.

The family made it through security, boarded their plane, and waited for takeoff when Olive noticed other flights were arriving and asked if they could wait for Cal, Michaela, and Ben. Grace showed her the board, indicating the flight was actually on time, and therefore there’s no reason for them to wait any longer. But then it happens: Flight 828 switches from “on time” to “talk with an agent,” and all hell breaks loose.

Jared and Lourdes were drinking while talking about his relationship with Michaela, then suddenly Grace called him and updated him about what happened to Michaela’s flight. Grace started to panic, same with Little Olive — the flight was missing.

When Michaela leaves to get Bethany and Thomas, Ben is torn. He knows by helping Michaela, he could be putting himself at risk of being found. Yet, if he doesn’t help her, she will expose herself to the NSA and risk her life. But when Bethany suggests they all leave town for a cabin in the woods outside of the city, Ben gets even more conflicted. He can’t just turn away from the situation — he knows if any of them are going to be safe, then it has to be all of them together. Ben is too deep in his denial to see Michaela is right — they can’t walk away. As he turns to leave, Ben hears a voice: “It’s all connected.”

Ben goes home and tells Grace he will bond with Cal, but the calling keeps on messing up with him. He even asks Cal if he somehow hears anything unusual. Cal just says nothing except his voice, his mother, Olive, and even his grandfather.

Ben and Cal go to an amusement park, and they happily play every game. They toss a coin to choose what they will eat; it ends with pizza. While they are eating, Ben keeps hearing the whisper. Ben ignores the voice, saying, “It’s all connected,” and flips the coin to decide whether they should go home or stay. The coin comes up heads, indicating they should return home. Cal suggests they take the train to keep with the adventure.

Grace has a flashback: six months after the plane’s disappearance, she was so devastated. Olive brought her food. Grace asked what happened to her hand; Olive replied she cut it while making her a sandwich. Grace dragged herself out of bed, deciding it’s time to attend a support group to try to pull herself together. Grace shared for the first time in the group. Later, Danny approached her and was immediately drawn to him.

Jared and Lourdes packed Michaela’s things. They brought the items to Michaela’s parent’s house. Karen, Michaela’s mother, told them not to be sad but to remember Michaela’s happy moments with them — that’s what she wants.

Michaela visits Lourdes’ house, she sees something like her mom’s crochet, but it turns out his past mother did it for Lourdes. While she is there, she mentions what happened to Jared and asks for help to persuade him not to cover for her anymore. She apologizes and leaves.

Lourdes gets a flashback of her and Jared talking in the bar about his promotion. Suddenly, Jared had an urge to kiss Lourdes — the start of their relationship; they felt guilty thinking about dishonoring Michaela. Grace and Danny had dinner at her house. Olive got mad at her mother because Grace was not telling her the truth about her relationship with Danny. She also got mad because Grace thought she liked meatloaf, but it was Cal’s. Danny said Olive must have missed Cal so much, so Olive stood up and left the table; she believed Cal was still alive and thought he was just lost.

While Bethany is preparing to leave, Vance catches him. Vance interrogates her about Thomas, showing his picture, but Bethany denies the accusation.

After the toss of Ben and Cal, they head to the train station. While they are inside the train, many people take their pictures. When they stop at one station, Cal runs fast and says to his dad it’s also part of a game. Ben keeps chasing Cal until they end up in the basement where Thomas is.

Ben gets shocked because Cal knows Thomas, so he keeps asking his son if it is because of some sound or call. Thomas also gets worried because the NSA might have caught up. Cal starts playing, but suddenly there is a loud bang. Thomas and Ben are torn whether they will open it or not; they know Thomas is on the watch list, but Cal says the person outside is a friend. Ben decides to open the door, and it turns out the person is Bethany’s wife. She promises Bethany she is the one who will protect Thomas from the safe place.

Michaela visits her dad and tells him she saw the crochet in Lourdes’ house and gets emotional. Jared and Lourdes are already married, but her father explains Jared doesn’t stop loving him.

Another flashback transports us three years after Flight 828 vanished. Jared paid a visit to the Stones to confess his feelings for Lourdes. Karen bestowed her blessing and best wishes on him. After he’s gone, Steve admitted he didn’t think it’s a good idea. “He still loves our girl,” Steve said.

Jared is taking the rap for Michaela, claiming he was the one to do the shooting. But Internal Affairs are suspicious and know the truth. He meets with IA and sticks to his story. When he gets his punishment, it’s only a 10-day pay cut! Jared knows it is a setup from the NSA. He sees Vance, reminding Jared he expects him to keep providing intel about Michaela.

Danny visits Grace and refuses to leave until she listens to him. He thinks he can get over losing her, but he can’t get over Olive. He is aware Olive regards him as a father figure.

Michaela checks on Jared at the bar and inquires about his day. He doesn’t go into detail, but he says it wasn’t a big deal. She starts to tell him she still loves him, but he cuts her off and says he has to go home.

It doesn’t help Jared’s relationship with Lourdes, either. He doesn’t tell her about taking the blame for Michaela, but Lourdes finds out when Michaela comes to ask Lourdes for support in convincing Jared to admit fault. Lourdes seems supportive of Jared, but she confronts him when he gets home, questioning whether they are keeping secrets from each other.

This episode ends with Cal awakening from his nap, opening the window, and noticing an enveloping white light. Whatever it is, he is in awe of it. Cal appears to be distinct from the other passengers based on his drawing of a shadow man. 

Our Thoughts

What’s the deal with Cal? Is he the key to solving the mystery of Flight 828?

There’s no doubt Cal is a special kid. He can see things others can’t, and he seems connected to the events of Flight 828 in a very personal way. Does that mean he can help his parents and all the other passengers figure out precisely what happened to them that day? At the end of this episode, there is one notable scene: we see a mysterious shadow man watching both Ben and Cal outside their house. It might be the first instance where two characters can see something others can’t, so I’m curious to see how they handle this dynamic moving forward.