Manifest Season 3 Episode 13 Recap – Mayday: Part 2

We’re back on Flight 828. This time with Adrian and Angelina. “I like to think of these moments as life pushing the pause button to give us a chance to reflect,” Angelina says. “I don’t want to reflect. I want to get back to my seat,” Adrian replies.

She holds out a Good News booklet, telling Adrian they could talk. Adrian tells his fellow 828ers in the present that Angelina attempted to show him the light, but he wasn’t ready. It was thanks to her he discovered the truth. “And it is now our job to pass that Truth on to you,” Adrian claims God selected them. But if they misuse his favor, they will perish, not only for the travelers but for all of humanity.

Grace is troubled by Cal’s disappearance, convincing herself and Ben that he is safe. Cal promised to meet her shortly. Ben assures her he will return. He blames Dr. Gupta for what happened to Cal. Cal instructed her to quit experimenting with the tailfin, but she did not listen.

He says the tailfin must return to the sea. Cal was there because he had a calling. That’s how Cal will be back. Dr. Gupta says they won’t be able to do so. “Cal knew you wouldn‘t understand. Why won‘t you listen?” Grace tells Dr. Gupta. Dr. Gupta tells her if they lose the tailfin, they will lose all possibility of getting Cal back. The science is unmistakable. But Grace is unconcerned with science — it’s her son. Ben says there are certain things science cannot explain, so some things must be relied on faith. “Don’t bother. What does she know about faith?” Grace sarcastically and rhetorically asks. Dr. Gupta understands their despair, but they are clinging to faith when science is the only way to bring Cal home.

Later, Ben asks Vance, “What happened to having a plan, doing things your way?” Ben wonders whether it’s what he had in mind — toeing the party line? Vance says he has been on 828 since the beginning. He’s seen what Cal is capable of. He almost got blown up as a result of it. “You think I’m gonna give up now?” Vance has already stated his support for Ben. But he is not about to tell Gupta he would defy a Pentagon directive. Vance says federal forces would surround the area if he did so publicly.

Vance says he made some contacts and believed he could backchannel a coast guard transport. But once they get the tailfin out of there, “it’s gonna feel like the whole world is against us,” Vance tells Ben. “The whole world is against us,” Ben claims. Vance tells him it‘s why they have each other. They will need all hands on deck. Vance leaves, telling Ben, “Let‘s go save your boy.”

Olive follows Grace upstairs at home, where she is frantically looking for Cal’s notebook, and when she finds it, the pages are gone. Olive informs her that Cal occasionally pulls the pages out after drawing them. They search through his desk until they locate what they’re searching for.

Grace arranges the sketches on the desk and photographs them. Ben realizes it’s a puzzle after printing out the drawings at Eureka. It appears to be Cal’s image of the tailfin, albeit from a higher perspective. Saanvi claims she doesn’t recognize any of them if there are islands. Vance informs them they will be escorted by a boat and security officers.

Dr. Cooper tells them the previous testing set resulted in three additional earthquakes, and there are now electrical storms. Saanvi indicates dark lightning. She asks where they should concentrate because the storms are all over the area. Ben replies they need to narrow it down. As he assembles Cal‘s drawings, Director Zimmer enters with Dr. Gupta, perplexed about what is going on. She asks why employees are being diverted from the testing, to which Vance responds it is simply a contingency preparation. Zimmer motioned for him to take a seat. “Whatever you have up your sleeve here, it’s over.”

After looking at the sketches, Vance explains their idea concerning Cal’s disappearance and the tailfin to Director Zimmer. Dr. Gupta says their map is a child’s artwork which Ben desperately believes because he wants to rescue his son. Cal’s drawings are unique, according to Ben. Zimmer is aware of Cal’s talents. She tells Ben she is also a mother and wants him to have his son back, but she believes it will take Dr. Gupta’s study to make it happen.

Vance tells her he’s been working on the project since the beginning, and he’d bet his career on the possibility that the drawings contain a message. Gupta asks about what it is a map of. Ben responds they are working on it.

Olive discovers a dragon after restoring the original sketch from one of Cal’s paintings. Director Zimmer is not convinced and decides to pull the plug. Dr. Gupta stops her. Zimmer is in disbelief. Gupta, of all people, believes it‘s a message from Ben’s son? Gupta says it is a message for her. “Pitamahi,” the symbol at the bottom of the page means “grandmother” in Sanskrit.

Cal’s drawing isn’t a dragon, it’s a constellation. Gupta tells them it’s where she’d gaze if she wanted to see her grandma. “Perhaps faith has a seat at the table after all,” Dr. Gupta tells Bem. Vance tells Zimmer she has no authority in the facility anymore, so she must leave.

Gupta says the stars are visible on the eastern horizon at the time of year. Ben draws a line on a map from where they are currently to the constellation. Saanvi says it will bring them directly into the heart of an electrical storm. “Then that’s where we’re heading,” Vance replies.

Ben and Saanvi are aboard a coast guard boat traveling across the water with the tailfin on board. Saanvi spots the dark clouds. “Just like in my calling,” Ben says. He tells the crew they must proceed into the storm. While the captain is hesitant, he does so. The storm intensifies. But the coast guard turns the boat around when new instructions arrive. Ben informs the skipper they are already there. But the captain insists he is not steering the ship directly into an electrical storm. Ben begs him, “We just need to drop the tailfin.”

The captain tells Ben he does not take instructions from him. He obeys directives from the United States government. Ben says there are lives at risk. “If we don’t drop the tailfin, my son will die,” Ben begs the skipper. Meanwhile, Saanvi is out on the deck as the storm continues. She hits the crane release button.

The crane releases the tailfin, landing on the deck’s edge, still clinging to the rope. As Ben walks out and discovers what Saanvi is doing, she flees towards the tailfin. Saanvi strikes the rope, attempting to break it. Ben yells she will kill herself. “I’m the one who caused this! I have to fix it!” Ben and two other men run towards Saanvi, but lightning strikes the deck, knocking all three of them down. Saanvi successfully breaks the rope, but she falls into the sea. The tailfin quickly follows her. Ben jumps in, and the tailfin vanishes. He successfully grabs Saanvi and pulls her up.

Michaela receives another call, returning to the plane after successfully apprehending Eagan and Randall before they can hurt anybody, including Vance’s son. This time no one is seated in all of the seats. She talks to Adrian, asking why she’s returned. She believed they’d put a stop to it. Adrian turns around; his hands are covered in blood. Adrian tells Michaela, stuttering, that he merely shows the path. “The path to what? Killing?” Michaela asks him. He says Ben cannot be allowed to destroy the passengers. Michaela informs Adrian that Eagan lied, and Ben actually wants to help them. Adrian replies, “How can we be saved by a man who cannot see for himself?” Adrian tells Michaela her brother has gone astray. “You‘ve known that for some time. You just didn‘t have the strength to stop him,” Adrian adds.

Meanwhile, a coast guard officer informs the captain the tailfin is no longer observable. She had it on sonar one minute, and then it was gone the next. Ben tells Saanvi he kept gazing back as they swam back up. He was convinced Cal would reappear. “Maybe he will. Faith,” Saanvi tells him. Suddenly, they get drawn into the same calling as Michaela and Adrian. Saanvi tells Ben she has ceased receiving the callings. “Does this mean that I‘m redeemed?” Saanvi asks Ben. Ben says she just might.

Ben stands up and runs up to Cal, sitting in one of the rows. “We did what you said. The tailfin, it‘s gone,” Ben tells Cal. “Then there’s still a chance,” Cal muses. He assures his father it isn’t over. Ben sees Michaela approaching him. She thought she had put an end to the killing. Ben asks Cal about his whereabouts. Cal says he needs to go. Ben wonders how they stop anything he’s terrified of. “This is the way it has to be,” Cal replies.

Angelina enters the Stone house. Olive is on her phone. She closes the door just as Michaela discovers a trace on the plane’s floor. Angelina gets a chair and places it against the doorknob, preventing the door from opening.

Michaela discovers a bloodied prayer book on Angelina’s seat as she heads upstairs. Michaela screams for her brother. Grace is browsing through Cal’s notebook as Angelina suddenly walks in, saying, “I need my guardian angel.” Grace jumps out of bed. Olive hears her cry and rushes up the basement steps, but the door is locked. Olive screams for her mother.

As Cal shuts his eyes and Angelina, now with fire wings, gives Eden a baptism in the toilet, Michaela hands the bloodied prayer book to Ben and Saanvi and hears, “We’re connected.”

Olive continues to wail for her mother. Angelina goes away with a sobbing Eden. Ben tells Michaela they must go and walks up to Cal’s seat, but he is no longer there.

A hand reaches for Cal’s pet dragon in his room and walks into Ben and Grace’s room. A trail of blood leads to Grace on the floor. She has been stabbed but is still clinging on. Grace is rolled onto her back, and the unknown figure rests the dragon beneath her head for support.

Cal, aged 17, watches Grace rest in his arms, dying and saying, “Take care of each other.” Cal assures his mother he loves her and everything is okay. He understands what they must do now. Grace shuts her eyes and breathes her last. Cal sobs and embraces her.

Dr. Gupta is about to leave Eureka for the day when she hears a gasp behind her. Captain Daly, the 828 pilot who vanished on a test flight in Season 1, has returned to the cockpit of the recovered jet. But just as fast as he reappears, he again disappears along with the entire plane.

Our Thoughts

A mind-blowing way to end Season 3 of Manifest! While Season 4 is still up in the air, hopefully, we will get an answer soon, and we’ll be able to see what happens next as so many more questions have popped up.