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Primetime Picks… 1/6/20

Jan 06, 2020 Posted by in Features | Comments

Tonight Manifest finally returns to kick off its second season on NBC. In the first season, Montego Air flight 828 left Jamaica bound for New York City and disappeared for five and a half years before suddenly returning. For those on board, it was just a normal flight and no time had passed, but their families had presumed them dead. Upon their return, the passengers started to see and hear things, which they referred to as “callings”. Brother and sister Ben and Michaela Stone where two of the passengers on board, and these callings guided them towards helping people in danger. A government agency was interested in using these returned passengers as test subjects, but over the course of the season, it seemed like the Stone family managed to put a stop to these plans. Meanwhile, Ben’s son Cal, was also on board the plane, had a vision, which showed that the passengers had a Death Date—following their return, they would only live the same number of days that they were missing, and so they only have until June 2, 2024. Also, Michaela’s callings led her to Zeke Landon, a hiker who had got trapped in a cave during a blizzard a year prior, and he experienced something similar to the Flight 828 passengers (could he have a much shorter Death Date as well?). As the season ended, Michaela’s partner (and former lover) Jared had shown up where she and Zeke were hiding, he fought with Zeke over a gun, and we heard it go off.

The second season picks up right where we left off, following the aftermath of the shooting, before jumping ahead 2 months. Cal gets a calling that they need to “save the passengers”—whether that means saving them from the Death Date, or just saving them in general remains to be seen. while the Stones try to figure this out, it’s pretty much business as usual as they continue to seek out and educate the Flight 828 passengers about the callings and help them carry out their missions. Meanwhile, there is a tough new captain at the precinct and she’s not going to simply accept Michaela’s constant “anonymous tip” justification to solving her cases via her callings, so this could pose quite a problem. Plus, Ben and his wife Grace must let the family know about the pregnancy, and have to decide if they want to learn whether or not Ben is the father. And finally, it looks like there may another government conspiracy brewing to study and harness the powers of the passengers.

I checked out the first two episodes of the season, and it feels very much the same as the first season. The writers do a good job of providing a case-of-the-week story while also exploring larger mysteries and season-long arcs. I am really enjoying the show and happy it is back. I look forward to seeing how the events set up in tonight’s premiere play out over the course of the season.

In tonight’s second season premiere, “Fasten Your Seatbelts”, as the Stone family reels in the aftermath of a devastating shooting, it’s hit with its most foreboding calling

Tonight, I’ll also be recording All Rise.