For our review of last episode of Manifest, click here.
Synopsis: Michaela’s mystifying, next level calling launches her on a mission that brings her relationship with Jared to a head. Determined to protect his family, Ben explores an alternate meaning to Michaela’s calling that leads him to a new alliance and a powerful new adversary. Cal’s struggle with Ben’s absence from home forces the Stones into an agonizing confrontation that could alter the family’s fabric forever. (TVGuide)
Writers: Amanda Green and M.W. Cartozian Wilson
Director: Michael Smith
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 43mins
Airs: Mondays at 10pm on CityTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
“Crosswinds”starts off with Michaela visiting the grave of her mother and recapping everything she’s had to deal with since coming back. At Fiona’s facility, Autumn receives some text messages to update Belson on the status of the subjects and Ben, but the passengers all jerk back in sync causing Autumn to become concerned. Fiona and Saanvi come in and think that the passengers are still connected and believe that their best course of action is to warn the rest of the manifest.
Ben looks over his spider web of theories and information at Michaela’s apartment, but finds he is getting nowhere. Rather than feel stuck staring at a wall, he heads to Vance’s memorial to pay his respects and possible get a lead. He’s confronted by an agent who tells him to leave, but as he leaves Ben is approached by a journalist that wants to know more about his connections to the NSA. Meanwhile at Stone residence, Grace is making frozen waffles, her go-to depression meal, and the kids are concerned. Cal questions why dad isn’t home, but Grace says he just needs some time to deal with some stuff.
Saanvi brings Michaela to the facility to see the various patients, but upon recognizing one she receives a new Calling. Michaela is transported away to a snowstorm and hears a voice say “Find her.”As they contemplate what that means, the passenger Paul wakes up from his trance. They question him and ask about his life, but he doesn’t remember anything of his past life. Saanvi tries to see if Michaela can wake the rest of the passengers, but it seems her similar story to Paul’s has created a connection between them.
They bring the passengers to the facility to ask if anyone else has had a Calling like Michaela’s, but when Fiona starts to discuss her area of expertise, the pilot pulls Ben aside with some concerns about how suspicious it is that she was on the plane. Ben tries to reason with the pilot, but he still feels the backlash from society over what happened and wants to figure this out alone. As he leaves, Ben notices Autumn watching in the distance. She comes over and tells Ben about the Major, a significant player in the experiments, giving him a new lead. When Ben leaves, Autumn throws her phone into the ocean.
Ben listens to the journalist Aaron’s podcast on his way back to the Stone residence to hang out with Cal. They shoot some hoops while Cal questions why he isn’t at home and Ben tells him that he just has to deal with some things first, but things are fine. He returns to his car and hears Aaron use a term that Autumn said, “The Holy Grail,”and decides to pay him a visit. They discuss what this could be and how it could lead them to the identity of the Major, but they need clearance.
Meanwhile, Lourdes tries to convince Jared to stay off work a while longer and rest, but he wants to get back to the office. He returns to work and is greeted by a surprised Michaela. He wants to pull her aside to talk, but she’s more concerned with finding Paul’s missing wife Helen and Jared decides he wants to join in on the case. They arrive at Helen’s house to notice she disappeared shortly after the plane returned leading her to believe she might have been taken. She returns to the facility, but finds that Paul does not recognize her.
Ben and Saanvi arrive as the three of them discuss what they’ve all learned about Paul’s wife, the Major and Jared’s lead. They head to a motel where Helen is hiding and learn that she fled because Paul was abusive and she didn’t want him destroying everything she built while he was gone. Back at the precinct, Michaela questions why Jared never came to the hanger and sees herself as the wrecking ball that could have ruined his entire life. At the facility, she berates Paul for his actions causing Saanvi to drag her away.
Meanwhile, Ben crashes Powell’s lunch to plead with him for help in investigating the identity of the Major. He lays it all out on the table, but Powell says he cannot help and that if he wants to stay safe that he should walk away. Luckily, Powell has a soft spot and calls Ben about the Blackhawk the Major was on. While her name is classified, they know she’ll be arriving in New York and that they should be ready.
Olive meets up with Danny and tries to convince him to come by the house and see her mom because Olive knows she misses him. He arrives for dinner that night, but Grace wants nothing to do with it causing Olive to storm out in frustration. Cal texts Ben to come over, but he becomes agitated at the sight of Danny and they get in a shoving match. Grace reveals that she was the one always torn between two worlds and Ben understands that it wasn’t his place to disrupt that and decides to let himself out.
Jared confronts Michaela at her apartment and admits that if he had come to the hanger he would have never gone home because Michaela is his soulmate. He cannot live without her and she embraces him. Waking up during the night, Michaela instantly regrets her decision when she receives a text from Ben that the Major is coming. Ben goes on Aaron’s podcast to discuss the Major and protecting his family. Danny tells Grace he is going to take a step back until she is ready and knows what she wants and decides to leave.
Back at the facility while they discuss what to do with the passengers, Michaela has another Calling revealing another person’s hand in her perspective and perhaps this is someone else’s Calling. On the street, Powell is picked up by a black SUV and agents. Jared looks over a sleeping Lourdes, Grace looks over her sleeping children and Autumn is confronted at a coffee shop for her lost phone and is asked to speak with the Major. The episode ends as Saanvi discovers what the Major’s Holy Grail is: finding passengers who are more sensitive to the Callings. They worry that Cal is in danger as he lays in bed having Michaela’s Calling from earlier, his hands freezing cold.
Captain’s Log
- Who is the Major?
- Whose Calling are Michaela and Cal experiencing?
- Can Michaela and Ben protect Cal from the Major?
- How long until Lourdes finds out?
- Who else will we meet from the manifest?
Overall, Crosswinds was a decent episode. The focus on the situation involving the passengers and their callings are becoming more and more prominent and while that answers a lot of questions regarding the series premise, it detracts from the episodic nature of the show which was a strong aspect of the character building and drama. It was a good, slow refresher to return to the series and hopefully the story picks back up in the coming weeks.
Score: 7.5/10
What did you think of “Crosswindsâ€? 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.
