Manifest Review: Dead Reckoning (Season 1 Episode 9)
Well, that’s convenient! Manifest Season 1 Episode 9, “Dead Reckoning,” took a sharp turn in this fall finale by killing off a supporting character and making the protagonists’ lives a whole lot easier.
It feels so unnatural for Ben to suddenly abandon his family for some quest to follow this calling. Maybe his daughter, but certainly not Cal–he’s spent the last few episodes trying to connect with Grace and with his family, and this move feels shabby.
We started the series focused on Michaela, but now we’re moving much more into Ben’s territory, and I’m honestly not really a fan. Michaela is turning into a sorry supporting character in Ben’s tale, when I think that Michaela’s story is much more interesting.
Even though she has less of a family story, that just makes it so much easier to connect with the flight narrative. Given that she’s a cop and that she has actual sleuthing skills, it seems more likely that she’d be the one to really find the passengers and help them.
But no! The show wants to turn us towards its male protagonist, which feels misaligned with the core characteristics of Ben that were rather thoughtfully introduced at the beginning–a family man, a man who loves his kids–and now he’s just ditching all those for something that he didn’t even want to explore in the first place.
It was Michaela who heard the callings and wanted to get involved. It was Michaela who found the kids. So why are we suddenly focusing on Ben, brushing aside all of the obstacles (see: Vance), and bringing his story up front?
It’s illogical. Maybe it’s for shock value, but it feels cheap. Naturally, Ben will have opposition–he’s really not as sneaky as he thinks. I still think that Michaela would have had a way better chance at doing something rather than playing second fiddle to Ben as he struggles to repair his marriage and home life.
Similarly, Saanvi is getting overshadowed. Where’s the information about Cal’s cancer treatment? Was that the tie-in and that was it? Is there any information that she might have that could help their case?
In many ways, Manifest almost accidentally plays with the idea that Ben, a white man, is trying to escape the boredom, frustration, and difficulties of his home and family life by going off on some bizarre, foolish adventure. It’s an amusingly accidental analogy that ultimately speaks volumes to the show and to television narratives as a whole.
However, despite all the issues this show has had, I’ll miss the series a bit until the mid-season premiere. It’s at least interesting and isn’t completely devoid of narrative, even if network shows are always hit-or-miss. I’m still waiting for the show to really grow into itself with the science fiction or supernatural parts, but for now, I’ll settle for what it is.
What did you think of this episode of Manifest? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Manifest airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Olivia Popp
Olivia Popp is a freelance writer, artist, and entertainment fanatic who started living and breathing television ever since her parents told her in elementary school that it would rot her brain. Now, she's a film student and TV apologist with a penchant for providing forceful and unsolicited series recommendations to anyone within earshot. Ask her about science fiction, comedy, nature photography, filmmaking, tasty cheese, or even more television.