Manifest episode 1: where will this new series land next?

NBC’s newest series, Manifest, premiered to great ratings last Monday. The premiere packed a punch as it gave viewers several storylines to follow throughout the first season. The show follows Ben and Michaela Stone, brother and sister, who take a later flight with Ben’s son Cal because of overcrowding. The rest of their family, including Ben and Michaela’s parents and Ben’s wife and daughter Olive, take the first flight out. Unfortunately, Ben, Michaela, and Cal experience extreme turbulence and when they land, the FBI informs everyone on the plane they have been presumed dead for 5 1/2 years. Since arriving back home every single person on flight 828 starts to experience voices and feelings with unknown consequences.

It was an hour of television that made you both confused and intrigued as you followed this family’s struggle to put their life back together. It became more obvious as the hour went on that there’s a divide between who was on the plane and who wasn’t. Ben, Michaela, and Cal are connected because of the voices and the internal connection no can explain, and Grace and Olive have a secret that could ruin this once-perfect family. The series alluded to the fact that Grace has been seeing someone else in the past 5 1/2 years and Olive knows about it. To Grace’s defense, she thought her husband was dead; however, he is back now and where Grace’s heart lies will be interesting to see.

It’s going to be exciting to see where this journey will lead. Based on the pilot, we haven’t see the last of the government, who is convinced that the plane landed somewhere and that everyone is lying about it. We can expect to see them hounding the passengers more. In addition, we are going to see this family try and blend the past with the present. For some, the past is the present because time stopped for them. For Grace and Olive, meanwhile, the past is in the past. Olive isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s grown up. She has different interests now and has experienced changes like any young woman would. The challenge will be seeing Ben coming to grips with this. He doesn’t know his daughter anymore, but we are positive he’s going to try and change that.

Michaela, on the other hand, is trying to pick up right where she left off. We saw at the end of the first episode that she may get her police officer job back after she solved the abduction case. However, we have a feeling it won’t be that simple. She now has to go to work and see the man she is still in love with be married to her best friend, and it’s pretty obvious Jared still has those same feelings. Anyone feel a love triangle? It’s possible, but as we have seen, this new series is all about the unexpected. A possible love triangle might be too predictable for this show.

Overall, NBC’s series has done enough that we will come back on Monday? How about you?

Manifest returns Monday on NBC at 10 p.m. For more new related to Manifest, be sure to visit this link.

This article was written by Samantha D’Amico.  If you want to follow her on Twitter, you can do so at SAM_iamXO. (Photo: NBC.)