Manifest Review: S.N.A.F.U. (Season 1 Episode 7)
On Manifest Season 1 Episode 7, “S.N.A.F.U.,” Michaela takes a bit of a detour, derailing from the progress made in the last episode surrounding actually getting back on track with figuring out the mystery of the flight.
On the other hand, Ben makes progress as he continues his sleuthing. However, it’s a bit unbelievable to consider his near-meteoric rise by finding the badge and being in such fortuitous positions — it’s Michaela who’s been the one to succeed in past episodes.
The Fiona Clarke storyline takes a turn for the creepy and supernatural, and I’m not sure how believable this part is either. Although the generic classification of the experimentations helps us better understand where this show is coming from, it still refuses to go either supernatural/spiritual or scientific, and that’s where I struggle with it.
The show seemingly doesn’t want to go purely science fiction, because it keeps lingering in a spiritual realm without justifying the spirituality as actual science or science fiction like other shows. Good science fiction needs to be somewhat grounded in more concrete terms, whereas this show doesn’t want to decide either way.
The show is not really sure what to do with Cal either, considering that he is a kid but also can serve the storyline in other ways. Because he can’t really process the intuitions at the same level as Michaela and Ben (given his age), his intuitions seem like deux ex machina moments more so than actual, believable plot points.
The show remains interesting because there is action and mystery happening throughout each episode, but Manifest still struggles with what message it wants to deliver. Hovering between a family drama and a science fiction/religious (it’s not even fantasy!) mystery, it still remains scattered and takes a step back from the development of the last episode.
The show is also wasting Saanvi’s potential by dividing its attention too strongly between Ben, Michaela, and the others. While Michaela is ultimately our protagonist, Saanvi is in a perfect position to propel the plot forward as well as foster a great connection with Cal. But the show simply dropped that in and left it hanging.
Ultimately, Saanvi is actually in an even better position to help Ben and Michaela (given her proximity to science and potentially the science involved), while the siblings are busy putzing around with their strange schemes and dealing with family issues. I really hope that this changes!
I agree with Jared that the voices are distracting Michaela from her police work, but let’s be honest: She doesn’t even care about her police work anymore. It’s the mystery that she’s focusing on, and it’s the mystery she needs to focus on in order for her mind to be cleared. Naturally, Jared doesn’t see that, even when Michaela pretty much explained everything last episode.
Again, it would be nice to see some cohesiveness between characters each episode. It might be an ensemble cast, but we’re still left floundering.
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.