‘Manifest’ Season 2, Episode 3 ‘False Horizon’ Review: The Trap

This week on Manifest, it’s a trap against a trap against a trap. And to see it all unfolding against each other, let me tell you, it’s frustrating! For the past few episodes, it’s just been the Stones against the Major. But now, there’s the believers and some additional characters working for who knows that are added into the Manifest mix. Though sometimes this can be a little overwhelming, it does one hell of a good job to slide us back to the edge of our seats. It also does one stellar job of keeping us guessing up ’til the next episode.

This week on Manifest, it’s game on for the traps and lies to begin. Ben (Josh Dallas) and Vance (Daryl Edwards) try to lay out a trap for the Major through Saanvi (Parveen Kaur). Meanwhile, Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) finally manages to drag Zeke’s (Matt Long) ass back to court to give him a proper hearing. On the other hand, Grace (Athena Karkanis) gets another calling, one she has no idea how to answer.

Setting The Trap

After discovering that someone’s sending out information from Saanvi’s research to the Major, Vance immediately spins a web that’ll lead them to her. The plan is to feed Saanvi false information that there’s another passenger receiving stronger callings than Cal. Then, they’ll let it get to the Major and lay out a trap for her in Philadelphia.

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Unfortunately, this plan involves lying and using Saanvi. And Ben isn’t a hundred percent on board with that. However, Vance reminds him that it’s better she stay in the dark rather than unnecessarily risking her life. So, although he almost couldn’t stomach it, Ben does what he’s told to do. He delivers the information and he watches Saanvi rejoice over the news. Then, he proceeds to lie through his teeth.

In addition to that, Saanvi’s also dealing with some issues regarding her personal life and we get to know her more as a character. As it turns out, she was supposed to board Flight 828 with a special someone, Alex. But, he didn’t show up. Until now, Saanvi has been dealing with her feelings over him. And in a message she was trying to compose for him, she reveals why she’s been so torn about him all this time. All this time, Saanvi was portrayed as a victim by a man who stood her up. But, she’s actually the third party in a relationship. And although Alex wasn’t shown in the episode, I think we’ll see him soon in Manifest.

Under The Bus

Meanwhile, Michaela’s making moves to set Zeke free starting with getting him a public defense attorney. This relentless pursuit once again lands her in a heated conversation with Jared (J.R. Ramirez). But, she refuses to budge. Michaela tries to beg Jared to do the right thing, but he’s just as stubborn as her.

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It takes some time and a lot of effort from Michaela to finally get a hold of Zeke. But, she does it. And thankfully, she sees him back in court a little more agreeable than last time. This time, Michaela also takes the witness stand. And there, she remains adamant that it was all an accident. Her conviction to set Zeke free even amounts to throwing Jared under the bus for it all. And it all pays off as Zeke’s charges are reduced to a misdemeanor and he’s set free immediately after processing.

Mommy Calling Manifest

On the other hand, Grace has another calling. After chatting with Erika (Susan Pourfar), another mom at her yoga class, Grace sees a gargoyle on top of Erika’s car. At the same time, she hears her voice saying “Open her eyes.” Immediately, Grace thinks the calling has to do with Erika. So, she and Cal (Jack Messina) track her down.

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Once Grace finds Erika, she tries to strike up a friendly conversation. But, Erika kind of freaks out and excuses herself quickly as if she’s afraid of something. The next time Grace sees her, it’s outside yoga class. She tries the friendly approach again. However, Erika’s done playing nice. As it turns out, she’s one of the antis of the returned. And after a little back and forth with Grace, she spitefully tells Grace, “I hope you lose that baby.”

Speaking of children, Olive (Luna Blaise) seems to be doing better than before. But, it isn’t necessarily a good thing. As it is, her feelings of isolation in her family has pushed her to join the believers. She even stood up in front once to testify that the community had made her feel that she belonged. But, this whole believer thing all smells fishy. Nothing’s ever that good in Manifest. And I think Olive’s setting herself up for a higher fall on this one.

Professor Stone

Elsewhere in the episode, Ben sets out to impress some people at a university for a job offer. For his test run, he was invited to give a lecture on some advanced mathematical theories. On the way, he meets TJ (Garrett Wareing) once more who informs him that he’ll be sitting in his class. Apparently, TJ’s not the only one with that thought. With the news of Ben, a Flight 828 passenger, giving a lecture, other students who weren’t even math majors sat in the class as well.

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At the beginning of the lecture, Ben manages to easily deflect any questions about Flight 828. However, they soon start piling on quite quickly that Ben starts to lose control. Thankfully, TJ pipes up and asks a question that ties in one of Ben’s research studies to Flight 828. This gives Ben enough room to divert the conversation back to the topic and keep it going smoothly from there. And since Ben managed to get through the entire thing while keeping students from dozing off or pulling out their phones, he gets the job. But, get this.

The man who decides if he gets in or not is actually the husband of Erika. And once the two meet up, the husband tells Erika that he has successfully laid out his trap. As they drive away, the camera pans to a gargoyle statue on top of the school walls. I wonder who’s side they’re playing for in Manifest.

Catching the Fly

Afterward, Ben pays Saanvi another visit. He couldn’t take lying to her any longer so he tells her the whole truth. Hurt, Saanvi kicks him out. And after finding out that there was a leak, she also fires her lab assistant Troy. All this in addition to her fragile mental state sends her rushing back to her psychologist, the Major.

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Ben’s actions might’ve sabotaged their initial trap. However, it’s not for nothing. In fact, it helps them get further than they’ve ever come. Somehow, Saanvi manages to figure out who her psychologist really is. So, after feeding her some false info in their session, Saanvi sets up a camera of her own in the lab. And lo and behold, there’s the doctor that recommended the Major to her in the first place skimming through her research blood samples. Fortunately, Saanvi smartly swapped out the contents of the bottles for fake ones.

That, in itself, is the proof Saanvi needed to confirm that she was the leak. And she readily admitted to it. More than that, perhaps their team’s biggest achievement of the night is finding the real identity of the Major. After skimming through photos of the top guns of the Department of Defense, Saanvi singles out the snake that’s been spinning her through circles all this time: Major General Kathryn Fitz.

Manifest continues next Monday, January 27th, with “Black Box” at 10/9c on NBC.