Manifest Season 1 Episode 4: Unclaimed Baggage Review

Dylan PhillipsOctober 16, 2018n/a16 min

If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.

Synopsis: When a mysterious message leads Saanvi to the flight attendant of 828, she enlists Ben’s help in uncovering a secret about the plane. Meanwhile, Michaela begins to question the nature of the callings when one goes horribly awry, leaving Jared to suffer the consequences. (TVGuide)

Writers: Laura Putney & Margaret Easley

Director: Craig Zisk

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 43mins

Airs: Mondays at 10pm on CityTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)

“Unclaimed Baggage”starts off with Director Vance taking Kelly off their list of persons of interest and as they leave it zoom in on the face of Flight 828’s stewardess Bethany. In a flashback, Bethany learns from the pilot about the plan’s diverted route before hiding a bag in one of the cabin’s cabinets. In present day, things aren’t going to well for Saanvi as she starts to hallucinate watery footprints that lead to an ominous and almost statue-esque person.

Ben and Grace talk and joke like things are getting a little more normal. He tries to connect with Olive, but she still seems disconnected from him. Grace reassures him it will just take time. At the precinct, the captain reveals they will be doing a joint operation with ATF and lucky for Michaela she’s been paired with Jared.

Back at the hospital, Saanvi gets another doctor to consult her on her own brain scan who reveals that its similar to a homeless man that was recently admitted and diagnosed with schizophrenia. As she leaves the office, she follows more watery footprints that arrive at the door of the schizophrenic patient Thomas who bursts out of the room asking for them to find the flight attendant Bethany. Hospital personnel are able to sedate him, but Saanvi is visibly shaken by this.

She calls Ben in to discuss what she saw while revealing that this new patient was asking for Bethany. Ben thinks she may have information concerning what happened to the flight and they bond over feeling less crazy around one another. However, this can wait as Grace needs Ben back at the house. She discusses needing to sell a bunch of stuff at the house because she received a letter from the life insurance company asking that she returns the $500,000 death benefit she got because he was never dead.

On the op, Michael and Jared are forced to spend most of the day together. They bond over an old Italian restaurant they went to, but as things get weird she sends him off to grab coffee. He leaves his phone in the car, which Michaela reads and is obviously distressed from what she sees. She learns that Jared convinced Michaela’s partner to take the day off so that he could have time with her to make sure she’s alright.

As they start arguing, she sees the stone woman appear in front of her chanting “Save him.”She believes it has to do with their undercover asset and decides to move in on the operation, but it botches the whole mission. ATF asks who made the call and Jared takes the fall for her leading to his suspension. Meanwhile, Olive is out shopping, but she never received her weekly allowance and decides to take matters into her own hands by shoplifting, but she’s caught by the store’s security.

Saanvi arrives at Bethany’s house asking for information regarding the mysterious patient. At the same time, the NSA is learning that this man was a stowaway onboard the flight. In a flashback, it’s revealed that Thomas posed as a flight attendant, but with diversion he needed to hide or he would be arrested. Bethany gives him a phone and some money then instructs him on how to escape. She explains to Saanvi that Thomas is her cousin Leo’s boyfriend and that they needed to flee the country.

Ben goes to the garage and tries to come up with a plan to get the money for the insurance company to save his family. While going through boxes, he stumbles upon one of Grace and Danny’s relationship stuff. He has to quickly hide it as Grace enters and thankfully he has a solution to their financial woes. She calls him amazing, but he returns the favour and calls her the amazing one for everything she has done. They enter the house and seem to be headed to the bedroom when a voicemail from Olive derails their plans. Ben offers to go pick her up.

Ben arrives at the store where he learns that Olive was caught shoplifting, but it’s revealed that Danny (Daniel Sunjata, Graceland) came to pick her up. They share an awkward handshake that turns into an even more awkward car ride between Ben and Olive. In a flashback, Ben and Olive are seen bonding with her stating that he always makes everything better. When they get home, Ben tells his daughter about a boomerang he once stole and why he felt like he did it.

He gives her a free pass for it and she opens up about not wanting to be seen as a screw up to her father, but he just wants to know his daughter and the person she has become. Olive asks Ben not to tell Grace, but she returns home furious because Danny told her. He did it to regain Olive’s trust, but Grace needs them to be a team in order to make this work. Ben gets angry that neither Grace nor Olive can let go of Danny and realizes that maybe he is the odd person out in this equation.

At the hospital, Saanvi and Bethany are searching for Thomas and when they find his room, they learn he tripped the hospital alarm. Director Vance arrives closely behind looking for Thomas when a nurse reveals that his mother had arrived to pick him up. Now he’s looking for two people. Saanvi and Bethany exit the hospital where they run into Michaela. Before she can talk about the stone lady, they jump in her car and run off in search of Thomas who could be Vance’s perfect guinea pig.

As they discuss where he could possibly be, Saanvi and Michaela discuss the stone lady who has appeared differently to both of them. To Saanvi, she has wet footprints while to Michaela she had large wings. Bethany connects the two to the Angel of the Waters, a statue in the city that is part of Leo’s favourite play. They arrive and find Leo who can’t believe that they lost five years and wants to wait for Leo. Bethany explains that everything is true and that a lot has changed, but Leo needs to flee before the government finds them. They take Leo to the boiler room of Kelly’s old mall for safety.

And this is how each story ends off. Olive confronts her Grace who is still talking to Danny. Jared is making a map of all the locations that Michaela has done something out of the ordinary. Ben and Michaela arrive at the boiler room with supplies for Thomas as he is added to the NSA’s persons of interest list. The episode ends with Michaela standing in front of the Angel of the Waters statue asking “What do you want from me?”

Captain’s Log

  • Who or what is the mysterious shadow figure?
  • What is the mysterious voice and what does it want with the passengers?
  • Why are some visions affecting only certain passengers?
  • Will Cal be cured of his Leukemia?
  • Who will Grace choose?
  • Will Jared end up working for Director Vance or find himself caught in the crossfire?
  • What does this stroke mean for the passengers of Flight 828?
  • Who else will we meet from the manifest?

Overall, this was a great episode. While the mystery revolving around the passengers of Flight 828 seems to be evolving a bit more and looks to be involved in a larger government conspiracy, the strength of this show continues to be the relationships at its core. The exploration of how this five-year absence is affecting the passengers, but in particular the Stone family, is a great dive into the psyche of humanity and how far one’s sanity can stretch. How will this play into the mystery of Flight 828’s disappearance? Only time will tell.

Score: 8/10

What did you think of “Unclaimed Baggage”? Let me know in the comments below!

If you liked this, check out my other reviews here and my website! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.

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