Manifest Season 2 Episode 11 Recap – Unaccompanied Minors

Finally! The shadow people! Since the first season of Manifest, this has plagued me. It was such a big thing during the season, but the program appeared to lose track of it somewhere along the way. Finally, we’ve gotten to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the enigma has been solved. Does someone employ them? Are they collaborating with the Major?

As you can see, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Hopefully, we’ll be able to solve this enigma soon enough.

Michaela and Ben look to the information board. They talk about the shadows seen by Cal. Ben almost starts to believe what Adrian said: that the callings are lulling them into obedience, allowing them to aid in the execution of a terrible plan.

Michaela disagrees, telling him his calling has always been to aid others in need. Ben shifts the conversation and asks Michaela how Zeke is doing. Michaela reveals she is terrified. Zeke is running out of time as his Death Date approaches.

Zeke meets with his sponsor and discusses his sister’s death anniversary. His sponsor advises Zeke to concentrate his time on the closure he seeks.

Before going to work, Michaela sits outside and prays to whoever or whatever is in charge of the callings. She claims she requires direction to continue believing in the teachings. She doesn’t understand why the guy she loves is freezing to death.

On her way to the police station, Michaela hears someone yell, “Stop! Thief!” She observes a young guy rushing out of the store and chases him down, ultimately catching up with the petty thief, who begs her to let him go. He claims he only snatched a candy bar. Michaela takes the candy bar and threatens the young man that she will arrest him if he does it again. He rushes onto a bus.

Michaela gives the candy bar back to the store owner. He says the robber stole a large quantity of cold medicine; he also robbed a bodega nearby a few days ago. Michaela tells Jared about it at the precinct. The two decide to work together to identify the petty thief, who appears to be part of a meth-making squad.

Baby Eden is at home. She cries aloud, so Grace sings a lullaby; baby Eden starts to sleep. Ben is amazed as he learns Cal is also singing it to Baby Eden. Suddenly, he sees a vision of a fast train; worse, he might die.

“We should all go sometime as a family,” Cal says to TJ as they walk outside. TJ is surprised Cal treats him like family. Suddenly, TJ gets a calling, so Cal asks if it’s the three dark shadows, but it’s not. It is a colorful phoenix mural art.

TJ tells the Stone family it is a phoenix with bright and colorful pictures, but he felt sad upon getting it. Grace suggests the vision of TJ and Ben might be connected, so Cal searches it. It turns out the phoenix mural can be found in a subway downtown — Bowery.

Meanwhile, Zeke is being prepared for an MRI by Dr. Saanvi Bahl, who is concerned about the rate at which Zeke is deteriorating. He’s getting closer to death, but she tells him to have confidence; her solution needs some fine-tuning.

Ben and TJ talk while walking to the subway when a man drops a matchbox. TJ picks up and gives the matchbox to the man. They go down and see the phoenix. They keep their eyes open for what might happen. Ben notices the man with the matchbox again; he‘s planning to jump on the incoming train. Ben and TJ jump at him to stop him.

Jared and Michaela head to the bus station and speak with the bus driver, who picked up the young petty theft man. He claims he has no recollection of the individual. They decide to look at the bus’ video camera footage.

After the test, Zeke receives a visit from his mother, concerned about why he still appears to be ill. He tells her he’s still recovering from being burned and inhaling smoke from the nightclub fire. As his mother departs, Saanvi arrives and informs him he has an additional muscular injury. She promises him they will not give up the fight against his Death Date.

Ben and TJ bring the older man to the hospital. They notice the matchbox, which is a music box. Ben starts to play it. Then he remembers the lullaby Grace was singing to baby Eden, which she learned from Cal.

Jared and Michaela track down the shoplifter at his school and ask him about his employer. He confesses the bus is the drop-off for the medicine, but that’s all he knows.

Grace and Cal visit Zeke. They are playing chess when Ben comes in. He tells Cal to meet with TJ; his lullaby might be a calling. Cal forgets what the lullaby is, so Grace starts to sing it. Zeke also sings it and remembers it’s his dad’s song.

Ben realizes the man who attempted suicide in the subway is Zeke’s father. He tells Zeke, but Zeke refuses to talk to him. He is still upset his father abandoned the family after his sister died.

Ben understands his anger but emphasizes it could be an opportunity to put the chapter of his life behind him. Zeke recalls what his sponsor said to him earlier about the closure.

When Zeke walks in, TJ sits with Zeke’s father, talking about second chances. TJ and Ben offer Zeke and his father some space to talk.

When Michaela enters Zeke’s room, he is no longer there. He enters and hugs her just as she is about to seek him. He informs her about his father and Ben and TJ’s calling. He’s decided to take a short journey with his father to remember his sister. Michaela asks about his treatment. Zeke admits he’s finished with it. Michaela becomes agitated, but Zeke says he doesn’t want to squander more of the time he has left in the hospital while tethered to tubes. He wishes to spend the remainder of his time with her.

Later, Saanvi attempts to enter her workplace but discovers she has been shut out. Security enters and informs her that her hospital privileges have been removed. They accompany a squabbling Saanvi out of the hospital.

Jared and Michaela trace the shoplifter to a possible meth lab location. Michaela believes Jared’s working with her to get back together — an idea given to her by Drea. Jared claims she is mistaken; he has accepted her with Zeke. But they must be friends and have her in his life. Michaela almost cries when Jared suggests he and Zeke might even become friends. She admits Zeke may not have much time left; he is dying. She discloses everyone aboard Flight 828 has a Death Date.

Their talk ends when the bus driver arrives at the location.

Jared and Michaela break in. Jared pursues one of the men, who leaps out a window. Michaela proceeds along a corridor, through a door, and down a flight of stairs to locate the meth lab, the bus driver, and Jace Baylor (James McMenamin), who has been arrested for meth trading. As she is about to make the arrest, she receives a call telling her to let him go. She chooses to disregard the summons and slaps Jace with shackles.

Ben and Grace enjoy ice cream with sprinkles at home when Ben vows he will spend less time sorting out all the connections with the 828 passengers and the callings; more time with her and the kids.

Meanwhile, Michaela informs Jared about the call to let Jace go at the precinct, but she’s not sure if it’s about him or Zeke. She also admits it‘s the first time she ignored a call.

Michaela later discovers Zeke is waiting for her at her apartment. He admits that most of his life has been filled with mistakes and remorse, and he wants to end it on his terms. Zeke proposes to Michaela — she accepts!

Ben tucks Cal into his bed. He asks Ben if Zeke and his father have reconciled. Ben believes they are, then says goodbye. Cal notices the three dark shadows again as Ben walks away. The scene shifts to Jace, the bus driver, and the shoplifter all locked up together. The scary shadow beings are shown to be their shadows.

Our Thoughts

On the surface, this episode is all about healing relationships. Zeke reconciles with his father, Michaela and Jared put their differences behind them, and Ben reaffirms his faith in the callings. Like the phoenix from TJ’s vision, their faith emerges from the ashes of doubt and suspicion; “Unaccompanied Minors” succeeds on that level. But the mounting dread around the three shadows and Saanvi’s loss of hospital privileges is a counterbalance to that theme. We’re no closer to a Death Date solution or a response to the Major’s inspection.