Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 3 finale of Manifest, called "Mayday."
Manifest wrapped its third season with another two-parter that delivered some twists, answered some questions, and then raised a whole bunch of new and devastating questions that mean NBC really needs to renew the series for Season 4. It was a game-changing finale that saw the death of a major character, and the Stone family could well be ripped apart in the aftermath. And dang it, fans deserve to see that aftermath!
Michaela and Co. spent most of the two-hour finale chasing after Eagan and Adrian, while Mick was dealing with some terrifying Callings that immersed her back in Flight 828 with blood gushing and leaking everywhere. Meanwhile, Cal was suffering from terrible burns with no obvious source, and it fell to Ben and Saanvi to get the tailfin dropped back into the ocean to stop everything that was going wrong. Olive was wearing Ben's ankle monitor at home and watching baby Eden in safety, and it seemed like Grace was finally out of danger when she returned to the house where her daughters were waiting.
But this is Manifest we're talking about, and any fans who were too comfortable about Grace, Olive, and Eden back at the Stone house got a rude awakening with the reveal that Angelina was the one that they should have been looking out for more than pretty much any other. Angelina showed up at the Stone house, blocked Olive in the basement so that she couldn't interfere, and went after Eden.
Unfortunately for everybody, Grace got in the way, and Angelina brutally stabbed her with in turned out to be a mortal wound. Then, after one creepy baptism-esque ceremony in the bathroom while Grace was bleeding to death, Angelina left the house... with baby Eden in tow. And that still wasn't the end of the twists! Before Grace died, Cal showed up, but not the Cal played by Jack Messina that fans have been watching ever since the pilot.
An older Cal visited his mom in her final minutes, played by American Crime's Ty Doran and seemingly the same age as Olive despite the lost five years from 828. Grace recognized her son and didn't seem all that distracted by her 12-year-old suddenly by her side as a 17-year-old, which at least means that she had some degree of peace as she died. She called him her "sweet boy" and said to "take care of each other," and Cal responded that he knows what "we need to do now." R.I.P. Grace (especially so soon after she lost another member of her family), but welcome to older Cal!
And I was honestly ready for Manifest to be out of cliffhangers as soon as teenage Cal turned up, but "Mayday" still had one more in store. Back at Eureka, Dr. Gupta's attempt to quietly leave for the day was ruined when none other than Captain Daly suddenly and somehow appeared in the cockpit of the salvaged plane, and the entire plane (with him still in the cockpit) vanished before she could get any answers.
Basically, Manifest 100% needs to be renewed for Season 4, because there are somehow even more questions after the Season 3 finale despite the show actually answering some. But what happened to the plane, and Captain Daly, at Eureka? What happened to Cal during what were apparently years away, and where did he go? How will Ben react if he returns home to find Grace dead, Eden kidnapped, and his prepubescent son suddenly the same age as Olive without any forewarning?
What happens next for the love triangle now that Jared has to break up with Sarah and confessed that the only reason he didn't have a problem with Michaela marrying Zeke in Season 2 was that Zeke was supposed to die? (Just to say – I totally called that.) Will Michaela get her job back? Is Saanvi truly redeemed enough that she'll continue getting the Callings again? Will Olive ever catch a break?
I thought it was upsetting when Debris was cancelled with so many unanswered questions, but Manifest just went above and beyond in setting up cliffhangers with no guarantee at the time of writing that it will be back for another season. Hopefully the decision about Manifest's future comes down from NBC sooner rather than later. Creator Jeff Rake has already said that he has a six-season plan for the series, so fans can only hope that the show will get one season closer to realizing that plan with a renewal.
