Manifest is so close to making its triumphant return via Netflix with the release of the first part of Season 4, and it’s going to be emotional. Following Grace’s shocking death in the Season 3 finale, the fourth season will mark a time jump, and that won’t be the only change. While he's dealing with his wife’s death, Ben will sadly be rocking a "grief beard," and Josh Dallas opened up about that as well as the character's mental state at the onset of the season.
With the series jumping ahead two years, it's only natural that plenty of things will have changed since the events of the Season 3 finale. Between Cal’s return five years older, Grace’s tragic death, and Angelina kidnapping Eden, there's are a lot of questions that fans need to consider regarding what's happened in the interim. While speaking with EW about Manifest Season 4 (which we know a lot about), Josh Dallas explained that Ben will still be reeling from the death of his wife and pondering some big questions:
Ben is questioning everything, not only the callings but God and the universe and his own goodness versus evil. The loss of Grace has left this enormous void in him and a profound depth of anger. The thing about anger is it begs to stick around. It can rob you of your light and leave you with nothing to offer. It makes you hurt the ones who love you, and Ben does a fair bit of that. I think a part of him wills that sorrow to persist because he thinks that if he lets go of it and heals from his grief, he'll somehow lose Grace forever.
Losing a loved one is never easy, so it's understandable that Ben would be somewhat crushed emotionally when we first see him again. And that's not even the only thing that he'll have to contend with moving forward. On top of it, Ben is also mourning the loss of his daughter, who was taken by 828er Angelina after she stabbed Grace. Something tells me that the topic of grief is going to play into this season in a big way.
Manifest’s cancellation came just days after the cliffhanger of a third season finale. Although things looked hopeful at Netflix at first due to the show holding its own on the streamer, cast members like Matt Long took other roles while some just accepted the show's fate at the time, including Josh Dallas. Just like his character, he mourned the loss of something that was a part of him and in turn, began growing a “grief beard.” Following the show getting saved by Netflix though, the facial hair stayed:
I had time to grow Ben's grief beard, which I guess it started out of the grief of being canceled.
Knowing Ben, he’ll likely be keeping his head buried in the Callings and the Death Date and tracking down his baby girl in order to keep himself occupied. It’s unknown just how long the "grief beard" will stay, but fans should still expect to see a somewhat clean-shaven Ben Stone in flashbacks at least. All in all, I'm both excited and nervous about what lies ahead for Josh Dallas' character.
These comments and a recent clip of Michaela following a Calling to the docks and discovering something unusual seem to indicate that the fourth season will be filled with plenty of emotion and mysteries. So don’t miss it when Season 4 Part 1 drops on November 4 and becomes streamable with a Netflix subscription! Be sure to check out other shows coming to Netflix soon as well.
