‘Manifest’ Season 2 Episode 13 Recap: “Icing Conditions” Season Finale

Manifest Season 2 Episode 13
Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone in ‘Manifest’ season 2 episode 13 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)

It’s a race against time to try to save both Cal (Jack Messina) and Zeke (Matt Long) in the season two finale of NBC’s mystery drama, Manifest.

Episode 13 titled “Icing Conditions” picks up right where the last episode ended with Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) telling her brother, Ben (Josh Dallas), and sister-in-law, Grace (Athena Karkanis), about Cal being kidnapped. The three escaped meth dealers – Jace (James McMenamin), Pete (Devin Harjes), and Kory (DazMann Still) – have taken him hostage in exchange for the return of their drugs. An extremely upset Grace yells at Michaela to get her son back while Ben blames Michaela for the situation even existing because she didn’t listen to the calling that told her to let them go.

Ben believes the calling he had and the vision of Flight 828 exploding was about Cal. A distraught Michaela assures them she’ll get the stash of meth from evidence lockup at the precinct and arrange an exchange.

Vance (Daryl Edwards) and Dr. Saanvi Bahl (Parveen Kaur) team up to try to find a way to take down the Major and get the cure to the death date that Saanvi believes she and her research team have discovered.

Michaela tries to get the meth from lockup but the officer in charge gives her some attitude and says she needs verification. She calls Jared (J.R. Ramirez) since his name is on the paperwork and he arrives to back up Michaela’s story. Once they have the meth, Jared asks what’s going on and Michaela tells him about Cal being kidnapped. Jared says he’ll back her up and help with the exchange.

Saanvi has tracked the Major (Elizabeth Marvel) onto a ferry and confronts her, demanding the cure. The Major taunts Saanvi saying she’s not up to trying to take her on and she needs to leave. Saanvi lets slip that Vance is alive and threatens to go public with the information she has. The Major warns Saanvi if she does that she’s dead.

Michaela receives a call from Jace and his comrades with instructions on how to make the drop-off. Michaela heads there and has Ben placed strategically on a bridge above her. Jared and Michaela’s partner, Drea (Ellen Tamaki), are positioned in a building across from the bridge watching with binoculars.

Michaela sits on a bench and then gets up to walk away while leaving the bag full of meth behind. Unfortunately, a good Samaritan sees she left the bag and tells Michaela to retrieve it. When Michaela tries to explain she’s a detective, the bystander doesn’t believe her and calls for a patrol cop. He questions what’s going on which spooks the kidnappers who now believe they’re walking into a trap. They run off and Ben gives chase but is unable to catch up to them.

Back at the precinct, Captain Kate Bowers (Andrene Ward-Hammond) yells at Jared, Drea, and Michaela for not coming to her about the situation. She warns them that from now on they’ll follow protocol. Michaela, who’s having a horrible day, tries to quit but Captain Bowers refuses to accept her resignation.

Elsewhere, Jace, Pete, and Kory have made it to a remote cabin in the woods and are arguing about the failed exchange and what they should do. They quickly start blaming each other. While Kory and Jace keep arguing, Pete goes to check on Cal and gives him a blanket because he’s cold. Cal tells Pete he wishes he could tell his sister that he’s okay and it’s going to be okay.

Back at the Stone home, an extremely upset Michaela apologizes to Ben for the drop going bad and he blames her again for Cal being taken because she didn’t listen to the calling. Michaela, who’s barely holding back her tears, keeps apologizing and insisting she’ll get Cal back while Ben keeps saying their only hope to survive is to follow the callings.

Meanwhile, Vance and Saanvi go to a safe house that Vance has turned into a lab. Saanvi confesses to Vance about the Major now knowing he’s alive. That concerns him and he warns her against going rogue. They look over the data from Saanvi’s research and it appears Saanvi might have a cure for the death date in a week. “That’s six days too late for Zeke,” says Saanvi.

At the Stone home, a freezing Zeke has a calling and sees Cal standing over him in the woods as Zeke’s dying. Olive (Luna Blaise) receives a text from Cal telling her he’s okay and gives her a clue as to where he is. He writes “Doug” in the text and Olive remembers a few years back they nicknamed an old rundown diner in the Catskills that name. Zeke recognizes the woods around the diner as the trees from his calling.

Jared and Michaela try to convince Zeke to stay at the house but he refuses, adamant that he wants to help them try and save Cal. As Michaela and Ben leave, Zeke holds back for a few seconds. He tells Jared he’s glad he’ll be around for Michaela after he has passed away. Zeke then leaves to catch up with Ben and Michaela.

At the cabin, Jace, Pete, and Kory see the news report on TV about Cal and an amber alert. They argue about what to do with Cal and how to get away clean.

Ben, Michaela, and Zeke check in at the diner, but no one has seen Cal. They drive on and come to a fork in the road. They take the road that takes them the more rural route believing that’s the correct one. A short time later they come to the end of the road and Michaela and Ben have to continue on foot. Michaela tells Zeke to stay in the car because it’s heated, but nevertheless, he’s still freezing to death. Zeke says he got everything he ever wanted by marrying her – more than he deserved. A crying Michaela kisses Zeke for what she fears will be the last time.

Saanvi confronts the Major again and manages to infect her with anaphylaxis. She tells the Major she’ll give her the antidote only if she gives her the death date cure. They struggle and the vile with the antidote falls and breaks. Saanvi, in shock, begs the Major to tell her the cure but the Major only reveals she and her team found a way to replicate the mutation and weaponize it as she falls over, dying. Saanvi runs off saying she’s sorry and that this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Zeke’s lying in the back seat when he has another vision of Cal running in the woods on the iced-over lake. He gets out of the car and stumbles off to look for him.

Ben and Michaela spot the cabin but Jace notices their flashlights and says someone has found them. Jace instructs Pete and Kory to kill Cal, but Kory starts arguing that he’s not a killer and he didn’t sign up for killing a kid. While Jace and Kory argue, Pete grabs a knife and goes into the room where Cal’s being kept. Pete takes the knife and cuts Cal’s bonds telling him to run. Cal, being a smart kid, does as he’s told.

A few seconds later Jace sees Cal running off and goes after him, with Kory and Pete following telling him not to do it.

Ben and Michaela enter the cabin, determine everyone left in a hurry, and follow the kidnappers to the lake.

Manifest Season 2 Episode 13
James McMenamin, Jack Messina, Devin Harjes and DazMann Still in the ‘Manifest’ season 2 finale (Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC)

Cal runs out onto the iced-over lake trying to be careful not to break it. Jace, Pete, and Kory also run out onto the ice while Zeke approaches from a different direction. Michaela points her gun and yells to stop just as Jace catches up to Cal and points the gun at her. He reminds her what he told her and puts the gun to Cal’s head. Just then lightning strikes the ice and Cal, Jace, Pete, and Kory all fall into the freezing water and get pulled under.

Zeke, who’s closer to the hole created by the lightning, dives in to try to save Cal. Ben keeps reaching down to grab Cal and Zeke and pull them to safety. Underwater, Zeke finds Cal and brings him up to the hole in the ice. Ben’s able to pull Cal out and is just about to grab Zeke when Jace grabs Zeke’s leg and pulls him back down. The two men struggle and Zeke’s able to kick Jace off, sending him deeper into the icy water. Zeke again manages to find the hole in the ice and Ben grabs him and pulls him up.

Jace is now frozen and lets out a last dying breath as Cal stands over him begging him not to die. Michaela starts to cry but just then a bright glowing light appears. It glows for only a few seconds and vanishes. Right after it’s extinguished, Zeke takes a deep breath and asks, “I’m still alive…right?”

Vance finds Saanvi sitting in a ball on the floor of the lab crying. She confesses she killed the Major.

Back at home, Cal’s reunited with Grace and Olive. Hugs all around confirm they’re all extremely happy everyone survived. A little later Michaela talks to Ben and he apologizes for turning on her. She admits she felt as though she turned on herself not listening to the calling and being so obsessed with trying to save Zeke. Ben believes Zeke saving Cal and Zeke beating his own death date is proof they need to follow the callings.

Back at the lake, searchers inform Jared they’ve searched the entire lake and haven’t found the bodies of Jace, Pete, or Kory.

Ben has another calling and sees Flight 828 exploding above the ocean.

The final scene of season two finds fisherman out at sea attempting to bring up their net. It becomes stuck due to the weight of whatever is in it. They keep trying to lift it and eventually do so only to find it contains one of the wings from Flight 828. One of the fisherman says it can’t be the actual wing because the aircraft returned intact.