‘Manifest’ Season 1 Episode 7 Recap: “S.N.A.F.U.”

By
Kevin Finnerty
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Manifest Season 1 Episode 7
Josh Dallas as Ben Stone and Parveen Kaur as Saanvi Bahl in ‘Manifest’ season 1 episode 7 (Photo by Peter Kramer/NBC/Warner Brothers)

“Cal thinks he’s in danger and he hasn’t been wrong yet,” says Ben (Josh Dallas) to his sister, Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), and Dr. Saanvi Bahl (Parveen Kaur) in season one episode seven of NBC’s mystery drama, Manifest.

The episode begins with a flashback to passengers boarding Flight 828 and getting ready for takeoff. A British woman helps another passenger who’s complaining about the delays stow away her carry-on. The British woman seems to be in a good mood and says the flight isn’t happening to her, it’s happening for her.

Back to present day, Cal (Jack Messina) is healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital. However, he tells Ben he’s afraid something bad’s going to happen to him and Marko.

Ben informs Saanvi and Michaela he’s going to try and get hired by Unified Dynamic Systems, the company that’s behind financing the military guards they ran into the other day, so he can spy from the inside. He’ll be able to do some digging to find the missing 11 passengers and, hopefully, save Marko and Cal.

As Ben’s explaining his plan, the episode cuts back and forth between Ben telling them his plan and the actual job interview. He’s over-qualified but snags the low-level accounting job. His plan works and he’s got his foot in the door.

Back at home, Grace (Athena Karkanis) is supportive of the job. Olive (Luna Blaise) asks if she can go rock climbing and Ben says yes. Ben catches the look that passes between Grace and Olive, and Olive reveals he’s going rock climbing with Danny. Grace explains that Olive started doing the climbing when she was in a bad place and it helped her. When Grace starts to say if he’s uncomfortable with it she’ll have Olive quit, Ben tells her it’s fine.

Michaela confesses to Ben she’s worried about his plan and he warns him he needs to keep a low profile when he’s there at the company. Ben confirms he will.

Next, Michaela visits Beverly (Adriane Lenox) and her dementia is worsening. She tells Michaela she’s worried about her daughter Evie because she’s been gone a long time. (Beverly doesn’t remember Evie died in a car crash).

Ben does some snooping at his new job after his supervisor allows him to borrow his high-security badge. He calls Saanvi to tell her he found something called SD and that a woman named Fiona Clarke is working for the people/group who took the 11 passengers. (Fiona Clarke is the British woman from earlier in the episode who was on Flight 828.)

Fiona’s considered a bit out there with her theories in the scientific community but became very popular in the spiritual arena with her belief in multiple human brains working together as one, similar to the “callings.” Ben and Saanvi decide to attend one of her lectures.

Olive’s rock climbing with Danny and after a short time, she tells him she doesn’t want to do it anymore. She’s giving it up. Danny tries to talk to her about it, but she leaves.

Over at the NSA, Agent Vance (Daryl Edwards) has been monitoring/spying on Ben. He wonders why he took a job he’s over-qualified for.

Over at the precinct, Jared (J.R. Ramirez) invites Michaela to dinner with him and Lourdes but she declines. While they’re driving, J.R. reveals the NSA’s watching her and that they’ve been trying to get him to spy on her for them. Jared explains that he won’t do it, but he wanted her to know the truth.

As Michaela’s thanking him, they get a call about a shooting. When they arrive on the scene, Michaela is unsuccessful in trying to save the barber. Michaela and the barber’s nephew, Carlos, watch as he dies.

A short while later at the precinct, Carlos is suffering from survivor’s guilt. He bonds with Michaela who tells him she knows what it’s like to lose someone you love and that piece by piece you eventually build yourself up again. Carlos asks her if she’s recovered yet and she admits she hasn’t.

Carlos panics while looking at the police lineup of suspects. He claims he can’t do it and leaves. Michaela starts to follow and Jared reminds her about dinner and that he already told Lourdes she was coming. Reluctantly, Michaela agrees.

At dinner, Michaela, Jared, and Lourdes (Victoria Cartagena) are having a good time talking about old times and memories of their past. It gets Michaela thinking about Carlos and she has a hunch what’s going on. She excuses herself from the dinner, telling them she needs to go but assuring them she had a good time.

Michaela visits Carlos and tells him she knows why he didn’t pick out his uncle’s killer. She believes it’s because he took the gun the killer used. That’s why they couldn’t find it at the scene, and she thinks he’s planning to kill the man himself when he’s out of police custody. Carlos attempts to argue but Michaela pleads with him not to throw his life away. She asks him to come back to the station the following day and pick out the killer.

Ben and Saanvi attend Fiona Clarke’s and as she’s speaking she spots Ben and Saanvi in the audience. She turns to them and says, “At last, I’ve been waiting for you.”

After the lecture, Fiona speaks with Ben and Saanvi. Ben asks her who hired her and she tells him it was a non-profit company called The Singularity Project. She doesn’t know anything about any experiments on the 11 passengers or about them being missing. Ben makes the connection SP = Singularity Project.

Later, Ben attends a poker game he was invited to by his supervisor so that he can connect with the IT guy.

The next day Ben sees Olive at home and asks about the rock climbing. She tells him she quit and he’s shocked because that’s not like her. Ben encourages Olive to stay with it and she agrees. After she leaves, Cal confesses to his dad that he’s really worried about Marko. Ben says he’s working on a plan to help him.

Jared asks where Michaela ran off to during their dinner and she lays out her suspicions about Carlos. Just as Jared’s giving her grief about going to see him, Carlos walks into the station. He hands over the gun to Michaela the gun and says he’s ready to point out his uncle’s killer. Unfortunately, it’s too late because the cops cut him loose a few hours ago.

Michaela and Jared hit the streets looking for the killer.

Olive shows up to rock climb and confesses to Danny she really wants to keep doing it because she likes spending time with him.

Manifest Season 1 Episode 7
Josh Dallas in ‘Manifest’ episode 7 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/Warner Brothers)

Ben visits the IT guy and spills coffee on him forcing him to retrieve a new set of clothes. While he’s gone to change, Ben uses his computer to get access the SB files. He’s able to copy the files onto a flash drive before the IT guy returns.

Ben texts Saanvi to inform her his mission was a success. The scene cuts to Vance at the NSA watching as Ben texts.

Ben discovers there’s extra security wanding people as they attempt to leave at the end of the workday. He has no other choice but to place the flash drive in his thermos as he’s waiting in line.

While he’s standing in line, Ben receives a text from someone instructing him to immediately walk to his left. He heads down a hall and lurking around the corner is Agent Vance. Vance demands Ben turn over the flash drive or he’ll arrest him for corporate espionage. Having no choice, Ben gives him the drive but tells Vance he has to find the missing 11 passengers.

Meanwhile, Carlos’ uncle’s killer is following an old man who just took money out of an ATM. As Michaela and Jared drive around looking for him, Michaela hears a heartbeat that seems to indicate which way to turn. “Left!” she yells at Jared as they speed across town. “Go right! Right!” screams Michaela and again Jared follows her instructions. He asks how she knows what to do and she reveals she’s following a heartbeat. The heartbeat goes silent and they stop because she realizes the killer’s close by and has stopped. She spots the killer and tackles him as he’s trying to mug the old man.

Michaela finds Carlos at his uncle’s barbershop and lets him know they caught the killer. When Carlos testifies, the killer will go away for a long time. While they’re talking Michaela hears the heartbeat again. She looks around she notices there’s a photo of her dead best friend, Evie, taped to a mirror. She asks how Carlos knows Evie and he tells her Eve was his heart donor.

Michaela pays Beverly another visit. Beverly’s still worried about Evie not being home but this time Michaela tells her she saw Evie and that she’s doing good. This puts Beverly’s mind at ease.

Ben checks on Cal, and Cal shocks Ben by declaring Vance is not a bad guy…not anymore.

Ben and Michaela have a chat and Ben admits he needs to understand about the calling but lacks the ability to take the leap of faith. Michaela confesses that since taking the leap and following the calling she feels better. She sees a picture Cal drew on the refrigerator and tells him it’s a picture of Carlos with Evie’s heart.

The episode ends with Vance getting a call from another agent asking if they should bring in Ben and asking if they found anything on him. Holding the flash drive, Vance lies and claims Ben didn’t have anything on him.

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