‘Manifest’ Season 4 Part 2 Review: A Thrilling Conclusion

After years of trials and tribulations brought upon them by the divine Callings, the passengers of Flight 828 are making their final descent in Netflix’s Manifest Season 4 Part 2. For five years, the “Divine Consciousness” (as they’ve recently begun to call it) has been testing the passengers, preparing them for the inevitable end of the world that coincides with their mysterious death date: June 2, 2024. They’ve learned several things about how it’ll play out, including the ability to survive as Zeke (Matt Long) did if they unquestionably follow the Callings. But, the horror with the Meth Heads also taught our beloved co-captains, Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) and Ben Stone (Josh Dallas), that the passengers will be judged together when their judgment day arrives.

Considering the mess that the other passengers have created, some even escalating to murder, can any amount of good outweigh the bad? That’s the driving force for much of these final episodes, as the passengers attempt to follow and solve as many Callings as possible, but there is a major hindrance standing in their way.

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The Passengers Have a New Normal in ‘Manifest’ Season 4 Part 2

When we catch up with the passengers in Manifest Season 4 Part 2, they are still struggling to adjust to their intense new normal. After the events of Part 1, which ended with Jared (J.R. Ramirez) witnessing a passenger torn from his young son as the passengers were rounded up, it’s no surprise they’re being treated like criminals, They’re held, like prisoners, in the so-called “Detention Center” solely for the passengers, controlled by the NSA from which they aren’t allowed to leave. Each has been given curtained-off squares of space, split into various sectors. They are allowed weekly visits from their loved ones: Olive (Luna Blaise) and Eden visit frequently, along with Stone patriarch Steve (Malachy Cleary). However, Cal (Ty Doran) hasn’t been able to see his father or aunt the entire time they’ve been detained as they’re afraid someone might discover his true identity.

Additionally, the passengers are being tested on like lab rats. Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) has managed to secure herself a role in the doctor’s station, looking out for the passengers’ best interests as much as possible as they are subjected to tests that the government hopes will better allow them to understand — and even utilize — the Callings. Ultimately, the situation is dire and barbaric, but it also might cost the passengers their lives (and destroy the world, given the stakes). Since they aren’t allowed to leave, they aren’t allowed to follow their Callings either. In their stead, Drea (Ellen Tamaki) and Jared are part of the Callings Unit that tries to solve the Callings on the passengers’ behalf — unsuccessfully, to no one’s surprise. Even imbued with the gifts of his omega sapphire, Cal hasn’t had much to do with the Callings, while the villainous Angelina (Holly Taylor) is presumed dead and bides her time with the sapphire burned into her hand. Meanwhile, though Zeke’s untimely and heroic death doesn’t have the same world-shattering impact as Grace’s (Athena Karkanis) death did, it certainly has that effect on Michaela. She’s struggling immensely with the loss, comforted only by conversations she is sharing with Zeke through the glow. (Of course, this brings about the long-awaited question of Michaela and Jared’s future.)

The Final Episodes of ‘Manifest’ Are Bleak, But Still Beautiful

All in all, things are bleak, especially in the first five episodes of Manifest Season 4 Part 2. (If Netflix had only released this half of the episodes early, this would be a much different review.) Their lives are full of despair and, truthfully, it becomes kind of hard to watch as the hits just keep coming. In almost every episode, there’s something major that makes the passengers’ lives more difficult than ever before. That said, the journey feels well worth it, and the characters’ arcs in this season are top-notch. Many characters are explored more thoroughly or given new roles in the story, leading to opportunities for passengers other than the Stones to shine. Nonetheless, the Stone siblings are still the Lifeboat’s co-captains, counting on each other almost as much as the passengers are counting on them to lead the way toward their survival (hopefully). After losing both Grace and Zeke, they understand each other in a way they couldn’t before, which is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Additionally, we also see how their entire lives have been building to this in varied, unexpected ways.

As the story builds to an epic conclusion, the cast commits to providing utterly fantastic performances, somehow making us feel the various emotions of the passengers as they approach their doomsday. Even with all the changes, and the enormous expectations that come with an apocalyptic story, Manifest doesn’t lose what it is that makes the show special. The horrors in the passengers’ lives are outweighed by hope and love, both for themselves and for their families. This experience, and particularly months of being trapped in the Detention Center, have bonded the passengers in a new way, which opens the door for new relationships. Things are handled on a much smaller scale, even with the fate of the world involved. This has always been about the passengers and their relationships, and it is those relationships that drive the story through its conclusion in quite a beautiful way.

Manifest Season 4 Part 2 is a thrilling, emotional, and fulfilling ride from start to finish. Despite the hardships the passengers face, it’s truly a joy to watch this final stretch, particularly the final five episodes. It doesn’t mean things are any less bleak; if anything, circumstances only become more dire as the death date grows closer. But, the story begins to ramp up, and it’s incredibly exciting to watch the pieces of this puzzle fit together after years of waiting. As someone who has both loved and been completely obsessed with this story since the pilot episode of Manifest premiered on NBC in 2018, I am wholly pleased with the story’s conclusion.

Does the show answer every question? No. Personally, I think this is only a complement to the story, allowing our minds to continue wandering even after the series ends. What’s most important is that the journey for each of the characters, even those we lost along the way, feels well worth it (with one major exception, in my opinion). And, after years of theorizing about how the story would play out, I am completely pleased and surprised. In fact, after finishing the series finale, I wanted to watch the entire show all over again — the telltale sign of a great finale. I will miss Manifest dearly, but I am so thankful to see the proper end of this story after the series’ cancelation at NBC almost cut things short.

Rating: A

The final episodes of Manifest premiere on Netflix on June 2.