Manifest is a supernatural drama television series created by Jeff Rake. The final season (Season 4) aired on Netflix on November 4, 2022. Let’s discuss Episode 10 of Manifest called “Inversion Illusion”. Joining me (Rike) are Mandy, Anna Maria and Evi. Are you ready for this one? Let’s go then, but don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt before starting to read this.
Q: Did these first 10 episodes live up to your expectations?
R: Hell yes. It was a rollercoaster ride. A long and emotional one, that’s for sure. It’s been a minute since one show made me cry so many times. There was also a lot of anger and happiness every then and now. I can’t wait for the last 10 episodes. The wait will kill me. I’m not a patient person when it comes to stuff like this. Also kind of my fault, because I binge watched these 10 episodes pretty fast.
M: Pfftt… What a ride. What a rollercoaster. I need some time to process everything that has happened. Honestly, I didn’t expect much. I never do, because when you expect things to happen or hope for it, and it doesn’t happen, that’s when you can get disappointed. So I decided to go into these 10 episodes blanco. Letting it all be a surprise. What a ride it has been. I enjoyed all 10 episodes. There are some things I was missing, however, which I had kind of hoped we would see. Who knows what 4B might bring us.
A: I think those 10 episodes were pretty great! Always good to see our dear main characters back, and I feel like they managed to explain what happened during the time jump in a good way with the flashbacks. The episodes were fun, exciting and emotional. It’s gonna be tough to wait until they release the next episodes.
E: They did!! The best thing is to start without expectations. I love surprises. We finally got some answers about the callings and where the plane went. The tenth episode is definitely my favorite. The actions and visuals were so good! We waited very long for these episodes, and they did not disappoint!
Q: Eden choosing Ben (Josh Dallas) over Angelina (Holly Taylor). A Happy End he deserved?
R: I was so happy when she chose Ben. He deserves this after everything that happened this season. However, I got scared for a second because Angelina tried to shoot him. Girl, calm down, please! Eden made a choice. She’s not your guardian angel anymore, and you have to deal with that now. We all know and saw how she “deals” with it. Scary. Truly scary.
M: It was heartwarming and touching. Angelina is everything Eden has known for two years, but she probably feels more connected to Ben and her family. It shows she’s more connected with Ben and her family by choosing him.
A: Yes! Poor Ben has gone through so much, and not knowing if Eden was alive for so long must have been so hard, and it must have been hard to connect with her after he finally got her back. I’m really glad for him. He’s a good father, and it’s good to see that he has connected with Eden – “enough” to make her choose him.
E: I almost started crying. Ben finally got the confirmation he always wanted. Their relationship still needs some work, of course. But Eden is still very young, and it is possible. The fact that Eden chooses him over Angelina says enough. She feels safe with him (and the family). That’s everything a child wants. They want a stable home with lots of love. The Stones offer plenty of that.
Q: It seems like Zeke (Matt Long) ended up dead while saving Cal’s (Ty Doran) life. Was this the most emotional scene so far?
R: This one made me go all emotional. I still can’t and don’t want to believe he’s dead now. This phone call. The flashback scene with Cal and him spending the day with him, just like back in the days. This was too much. I know, he did a good thing by saving Cal’s aka the dragon’s life, and deep down there’s still hope that Cal can somehow save him. I know it might not happen, but that’s how I’m trying to deal with this whole thing. It was a beautiful scene, though also talking about the phone call and how the cast managed to get into my heart and soul. However, I cried a lot. My favorite characters always seem to end up dead at some point. It’s not fair.
M: It was a very emotional scene, but I don’t know if it was THE most emotional scene ever. There have been many emotional scenes throughout the show that it’s impossible to compare. Zeke sacrificing himself for Cal is so heartbreaking, yet so logical, because he’s done it before in season 2. Zeke and Cal, their relationship goes beyond. He would do anything to save Cal, and this literally proved that. I think the writers, Matt Long, Jack Messina and Ty Doran, have done an incredible job in investing in that relationship and bringing it out on screen. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t like Zeke.
You can’t convince me this scene didn’t make everyone cry. Every actor in this scene brought out so much that makes you emotional. When Zeke came into the show, he made me laugh. There’s been a time when I liked Zeke less, but this season they did a good job on his character development and journey that made me like Zeke even more than before. I am sad to see him go and the potential he had for the rest of the season. Can we take a moment to applaud Matt Long for the incredible job he’s done creating and bringing Zeke alive these four seasons?
A: For sure this season, yeah. It was really nice to see Zeke spending time with Cal and fulfilling his wishes, and the phone call with Mick (Melissa Roxburgh) was really emotional. Even as a Jachaela shipper, I like Zeke as a character, and he’s been good to Mick. I hope he somehow didn’t die, but it sure appeared like he did. And if Jachaela ends up happening now, I’m gonna be a bit annoyed at the writers, because this is not how I wanted it to happen.
E: In this season? Yes definitely. and to me, the most frustrating and emotional scene. I’m a huge Michaela stan, I love her so much. Seeing her on the ground with Zeke in her arms made me cry. And then there is the fact that Ben and Olive (Luna Blaise) aren’t helping her at all. Maybe they’ll cover that fact in the next part, but that made me kinda mad. She’s literally crying on the ground with her deceased husband in her arms, and the others are just standing there and looking at Cal.
About Zeke making that sacrifice, what a way to leave a show. And, Zeke basically died on his death date, just some years later. He was supposed to die after the wedding. He had a really good storyline in my opinion. I’m sad to see one of my favorite characters in S4 go, I loved watching him!
Q: Dr.Gupta (Mahira Kakkar) is taking over Saanvis’s (Parveen Kaur) and Vance’s (Daryl Edwards) work, while the 828 protocol changes and every survivor needs to be apprehended. Did you expect this twist?
R: I truly did not expect this at all. Do we have a new villain now, or will Dr.Gupta do something good, even though it might not look like it now? I’ve got so many questions, and this whole thing seems like we are back at the very beginning now. Hopefully, they don’t have to start from scratch again.
M: Oh god, not at all. I was still so full on sobbing about Zeke’s death that this totally threw me off guard. After it happened, it seemed logical. Like can we ever trust her? I mean, she’s worked for the major after all, and all the stubbornness she’s had in season 3. Whereas some characters grew throughout the season and had decent character development. Hers went straight into the trash. I think it’s sad she changed sides again. She had a lot of potential. If I think about how many ‘villains’ this show has, I get so stressed.
A: This was really unexpected, and it’s really hard to see. Poor all those 828’ers getting treated like that – so discriminatory, disrespectful and inhuman. It’s confusing how Dr. Gupta thought this was the right solution.
E: I did not, and when I told you that, I screamed at my TV. I believed she changed her thoughts about the whole miracle and the importance of science. I didn’t like her in S3, but I believed she had changed and wanted to help the 828 passengers. There was a connection between her and the callings, I had faith in her again! Looks like my faith lasted for half a season. About the passengers needing to be apprehended. What a huge difference between the first season where they were miracles and the season now! We’re back on square one, but on a whole different level. This kinda feels like a setback to the scene in season 1 episode 2 where Michaela told the government they weren’t detained. It is giving me a “what could’ve happened if she didn’t intervene” at that moment?
Q: Your thoughts about the ending and all the lava?
R: This was giving me major Stranger Things vibes, you can’t disagree with that. All the lava. The apocalyptic mood. Seems like the next 10 episodes will have even more special effects. Angelina is the super villain now. Can someone please stop her? This is insane. I don’t know how I expected this episode to end, but definitely not like this. Wow.
M: It made me think of season 3 and how it’s all fitting into each other as one big puzzle. You get pieces of the puzzle throughout the show, but you’ll see the end result when it’s finished, and that’s what’s so exciting about this show to me. You get some answers, but you don’t fully know what’s happening until it’s all over and the whole story has been told. But for now, I’ll just sit back and watch it all play out while I process everything that’s happened during 4A. It’s a lot. I am not gonna hurt my brain by trying to solve the puzzle now with these pieces. But I’ll say one thing.
I am not surprised Angelina is still alive. Villains never die, it seems. You know what they say: When you’re in a garden, which flowers do you pick? The most beautiful ones. The ugly ones you leave behind aka the villains. Before this season started, I was rooting for Angelina to get a good character development and redemption arc. Now I don’t care what’s gonna happen to her. She’s nuts. Hats off to Holly Taylor for playing her so well that it makes your blood rush, and wanting to scream at your screen because Angelina’s done some bat-shit crazy thing again.
A: It was really scary to see, and it will be interesting to see how this will all end. It’s also crazy how Angelina is still alive. Even though it’s a sci-fi show, it even feels a bit too much, you know? She looks like she may have the Omega Sapphire inside her now – that she is somehow connected with it.
E: My first reaction was: that looks like a spider, and I am scared. But also: is this a real calling? Does the world actually look like that now? Or is it a fake calling from Angelina? We’re really getting close to the death date. If these are the callings some months before the death date, I can’t imagine the callings some days before the death date! Everything is much more urgent now! And Angelina needs to be stopped.
Have you seen the tenth Manifest episode “Inversion Illusion” yet? If yes, what are your thoughts? Don’t forget to check this place when we will be back with more Manifest articles. In the meantime, you can read our review for the ninth episode called “Rendezvous” here.
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Rike is a very optimistic person who's trying to make the best out of everything. She's passionate about traveling, concerts, football and conventions. Most of the time she’s carrying her camera around to capture some moments. Her favorite football club is Borussia Dortmund and if she’s not watching the games on tv she's probably being in the stadium supporting the team.
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