Manifest - Coordinated Flight

Discussing Ep. 2.5

I get the feeling that they're trying to throw us for a loop in various things and I'm not buying it in some cases because they've tried this kind of thing before.

I'm going to get this out of the way now. I'm not buying that Jared has turned to the dark side, so to speak, and is aligning himself with the X-ers. As hurt as he is from Mick's rejection of him and her new relationship with Zeke, and as much as he may not understand the callings and is even tired of them popping up all the time and has made his life a mess, I don't think he's completely let go of his love for Mick or for her family. It just doesn't seem to be in his nature. Yeah, he may let his jealousy get the best of him but for all that he gave up, for all that he put on the line for Mick, he couldn't have let those feelings go just like that. He stood up for her, somewhat, when talking about her raid of the X-ers headquarters....and yet he also questioned it. So at worst, he's on the fence about everything.

His interaction with Tamara's brother, Billy, was rather surprising, given that he had bought him a drink and was somewhat buddy-buddy with him the previous two episodes. Mind you, Billy was being a real twat and I'm glad that Jared put him in his place with that 'squad car' comment. But you got the sense that Jared wasn't necessarily on his side, even though he may have superficial feelings for Tamara and may cut Billy some slack as a result. But the revelation that he tipped Billy off about the police raid was somewhat surprising and yet I'm not buying that he's on Billy's side. I get the sense that Jared is still looking out for Mick and her family. The concern he showed for Grace and the baby showed me that he still cares and is not throwing his feelings away for all of them just because of a broken heart. Having said that though, he's being somewhat careless because the X-ers are obviously well organized, perhaps even funded, by something bigger.

The minute that Ben and TJ discovered how well-organized the X-ers were and how coordinated their attacks were, I knew that they must have had something to do with The Major. The question now though is, what's the point of it all? What is the point of harassing the 828-ers to the point of almost killing them? What are these attacks meant to do? And how is professor Foster involved....what's his role? I'm thinking that Jared is going undercover, in a way, to get to the bottom of it all. I don't think he's abandoned his feelings for Mick, even though he may realize that they will never get back together at this point. And in my opinion, even if Mick wanted to get back with him, he should let that relationship go because she is totally not worth it!

I am highly UNIMPRESSED with her at the moment. She dropped Jared like a fucking piece of trash on the street and went full on with Zeke to the point that you'd have thought she and Jared were never an item! Like....wow! All her feelings, all that turmoil that she was supposedly going through when she got back, all that confusion and supposed pain that she felt at seeing Jared and her friend Lordes together.....where did all of that go? I was hard on Jared but like I said in the previous episode, I understand his pain. And though his jealousy and obsessiveness was uncalled for, he gave up a lot for Mick. And now here is Mick, sleeping with Zeke and being all lovey-dovey couple-like, and you'd have never thought that she felt anything for Jared at any point in her life.

She made such a big deal about her feelings for Jared. She made such a big deal about how she was going to say 'yes' to his proposal before she disappeared. She made such a big deal about how she couldn't fight her feelings for him despite the fact that he was married to her best friend. And now....she feels nothing. Like....NOTHING! Like I said before, what Jared did was a stupid thing to do. He made a mistake. And whether or not he could learn and grow from it is an entirely different thing altogether but I think he deserved a chance given everything he had done for Mick. And yet, Mick decides to go with Zeke, without any confusion or hesitation or anything, all because it's some cosmic connection that she has with him.

Meanwhile, it seems the problems keep piling up for Zeke. I know I'm hard on Zeke too but jeez-louise! When does it stop with this guy? He's married and he never bothered to tell Mick about it? The fuck is that? Like I said before, I don't feel the chemistry between Zeke and Mick. We're supposed to believe they are cosmically meant for each other but I don't feel it. I feel like Zeke is there to create problems for Mick and give her something to do, as if she doesn't have enough on her plate.

As for the other cosmic connection, I find it weird how TJ has so easily inserted himself into the Stone family. Like....where was this guy last season? One simple calling and he and Ben become best buds and he and Olive become a couple? Talk about fast work! Given that, I'm curious as to where this will go with him because it's a tad bit too good to be true. I don't know why, but I feel like something is going to happen with him that's going to be shocking.

What also was surprising was how well Olive stood up for herself against both her mom and dad. I really liked this exchange between the three of them because I felt like they disapproved of her being with Adrian's church without ever asking her why. While I do believe that Adrian is exploiting the miracle of 828, he's not wrong about how the 828-ers are all different. And though I loved Ben's comments about aliens and time shifts (which I'm sure were fan theories that they incorporated into the show), his belief that they are still who they always were is wrong. They are different and maybe the fact that they are getting callings that save people's lives (in some cases) perhaps points to a bigger blessing. I still think that Adrian's church is almost making a mockery of everything, but I could see how someone like Olive and TJ and others are trying to find the answers to why everything is going on, just like Ben. As a result, I think Ben and Grace are not listening enough or being open minded enough to hear where Olive is coming from. Their comments at the end made it sound like Olive was doing drugs or something. She's just trying to find answers, just like the rest of them.

Though it seems like not everyone is on board. This was surprising. I didn't expect Isaiah to turn like this. I don't know what this means. Has he become disillusioned with Adrian and the church? Is he a mole for The Major? I could easily see it being the latter because why wouldn't she have a mole there? The church is being run by an 828-er so it would make sense for her to keep tabs on that movement just in case some other "miracle" should occur that they could exploit. I think maybe that's why he was so hesitant to give descriptions about the attackers, though I'm assuming now that the X-ers aren't aware of The Major or that she has moles in the church because why would they attack Isaiah? I'm just wondering if he's just some guy they recruited or is he some high profile government agent just playing a role. Time will tell.

It was actually kind of funny seeing Ben go all thug on Adrian. I really wasn't expecting him to do this. I like how they're being consistent with his character, with him going more on impulse than common sense. And you really can't blame the guy, I guess. He's looking out for Olive and sees her life as being in danger as a result of being associated with Adrian. But this is NOT going to turn Olive away from the church. If anything, it may push her closer towards it. Even if Adrian tells her to go away and never return, she's a smart cookie. She'll put two and two together and realize that either Ben or Grace said something to Adrian to get him to push her away, which will only end up pushing her away from her parents. She'll be defiant and continue to attend, and I fear that TJ may get caught in the middle of all of it.

I don't know how I feel about this particular revelation. Felt a tad bit contrived, if not convenient. Though I'm more intrigued than ever as to what it all means. I'm guessing that they're going to try and find out who made the tarot cards and see if they also engraved that pocket watch, which will add yet another piece to the puzzle.

It seems Saanvi is back next episode so we'll get a follow up to The Major which should be exciting!