MANIFEST Roundtable: Unclaimed Baggage

As if the previous voices, music, and shadowy figure weren’t enough, this week’s Manifest brought us living statutes! We got to know two other Flight 828 passengers – Bethany the flight attendant and her stowaway cousin’s boyfriend, Thomas. Meanwhile, both Michaela and Saanvi saw the manifestation of a statue that allowed them to reunite Thomas and Bethany, but led Michaela to make a decision that may cost Jared his job. Ben and Grace continue to struggle with post-flight life as Olive acts out and the insurance company demands that Ben’s life insurance be repaid.

Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC/Warner Brothers

We are using a new ratings system known as SASSY – S(tupid), A(wesome), S(o) S(o) Y(Your Thoughts)

Here are our thoughts on episode 4, Unclaimed Baggage:

Stupid:

Roz: Olive’s calling on Danny was bad, as is her issues with not getting her allowance. I get being a kid is rough if you don’t have a job, but just ask your parents a question about your cash than simply stealing.

Leah: Olive is covering every teen cliche TV has to offer and this is what – episode 4? That character needs to slow her angst way down.

Cay: I’m also tired of the Olive teen angst story already. Granted her life has been pretty messed up, but the whole thing is such a teenage cliche. Maybe I was an angsty teen, but I sure don’t remember being one. In any case, it’s super annoying for anyone who has to interact, or apparently even watch such antics.

Rueben: We all seem to be on the same page. I was about ready to throw in the towel over Olive. She is just so tiring and annoying! Calling Danny, really?! Her dad Ben was WAY too gentle on her, as far as I’m concerned. And did anyone believe that she hasn’t shoplifted before or at least gotten herself in some kind of similar trouble?

Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC/Warner Brothers

Awesome:

Roz: All of the situation with Thomas turned into something awesome for me; he is an unknown quality for Saanvi and Michaela, but I think he works for something that we need to understand. There are so many different issues that Saanvi is discovering about their bodies and Thomas knew nothing about it.

Cay: I kind of liked the idea that Thomas thinks he’s crazy as does everyone else when he finds out about the plane on his own without support from the other passengers. It’s hard to imagine what that would feel like!  Comparing brain scans between Saanvi and Thomas was cool.

Rueben: I was moved by Thomas’s story, but my awesome was the CGI involved with the angel. The first introduction of the angel almost made me gasp – I thought it was a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who. It was a really cool way to play out the angel of the waters.

Leah: I’m with everyone. Thomas was a great addition.

So-So:

Roz: Vance is almost a caricature of a bad guy right now and he needs to have some other motivation than looking for answers to something that is unanswerable right now. We know the government wants to get answers but he’s going out it in a way that makes him evil for no other reason than to block the passengers of 828.

Leah: I couldn’t agree more Roz. Vance is basically a cartoon version of a government bad guy. Meh.

Cay:  As much as I’m not as interested in the Michaela plotline, the fact that she misread/misinterpreted the information from…what exactly?…and thought it was about the informant showed how dangerous the information can be. Granted, in the pilot she let the two dogs loose when the voice was trying to save the kidnapped girls, but this had potentially more long-lasting consequences.

Rueben: I’m just bored with Michaela, and more concerned with how her reactions to “The Calling” are harming Jared.

Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC/Warner Brothers

Your Thoughts:

Roz: I still want an answer to where this voice is coming from. It’s clearly not so specific if Michaela can misinterpret its meaning, but why is it only something a few people hear?

Leah: You don’t cast Daniel Sunjata without planning on keeping him around. How much longer will we have to be subjected to this part of the story?

Cay: Still no hint about the shadow, although I guess it’s not the statue, which was my first thought at the beginning of the episode.

Rueben: What was the deal with the “They came back” sign-holders outside Bethany? How are they tied to that woman who kind of accosted Cal and his mom? And, yes, why aren’t they giving us an answer about the shadow. They need to follow through on some things before they start adding more levels.

Manifest airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.