Manifest’ Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6 Recaps: “Water Landing” and “Graveyard Spiral”

Manifest season 3 episode 5
Josh Dallas as Ben Stone and Parveen Kaur as Saanvi Bahl in ‘Manifest’ season 3 episode 5 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)

Desperation, death, and redemption are at the heart of NBC’s Manifest season three episodes five and six. Episode five begins with a flashback to five months earlier with Vance’s agent, Fisher, getting rid of the Major’s dead body by posing as a garbage truck driver. He talks himself out of a complaint ticket.

Jump to present day and Jared (J.R. Ramirez) follows up on the complaint and talks to the woman who took a picture of the truck.

Meanwhile, Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) and her partner go to arrest Jace (James McMenamin) with the help of SWAT. They raid the RV but find it empty. Inside, Michaela finds a drawing of figures made of blood. She sees a shadow figure appear out of the drawing holding a knife and lunging at her. Michaela tells her partner about the callings and asks her to hunt Jace because she needs to talk to Ben.

Angelina (Holly Taylor) is at Rikers talking to Pete (Devin Harjes) who’s afraid he’s going to die tomorrow – his death date. He confesses he fears the callings could be wrong. To both his and Angelina’s surprise, two FBI agents arrive and tell him he’s being relocated.

Michaela tells Ben (Josh Dallas) that she believes Jace is coming after her. Olive (Luna Blaise) reveals the blood drawing from the RV looks almost identical to the Egyptian drawings at the museum.

At the precinct, Jared fills Sarah in on the witness and thinks maybe her mother, the Major, ended up in the garbage truck to be disposed of. He promises he’ll follow up on it.

Michaela and Zeke (Matt Long) visit Kory at the hospital to see if he knows where Jace is, but he says he doesn’t know. Michaela shows him the blood drawing and he tells her about a vision he had of Jace killing her in the woods.

Ben heads to Eureka and discovers what he suspected is true; Vance (Daryl Edwards) had Pete brought to the scientists there to experiment on him. Ben tells Vance and Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) about Michaela’s calling, but Vance won’t listen. Ben pleads to be given a chance to talk to Pete, but the chief scientist keeps interrupting him claiming the experiments and getting Pete to cooperate with them are top priority.

Ben speaks to Vance and Saanvi in private and questions if they’re still on the same side. Saanvi backs Vance and the chief scientist. She believes their studies of Pete could answer questions they have about the death date.

Jared follows up with the garbage truck dispatcher, but the conversation yields no leads; it’s basically a dead end.

Over at the cabin in the woods, Grace’s brother, Tarik (Warner Miller), wants to open a restaurant using the theme of 828 and their father’s recipes. Grace (Athena Karkanis) isn’t keen on the idea because she’s trying to stay off everyone’s radar.

Back at Eureka, Vance’s man Fisher updates him on how persistent and close Jared’s getting with his investigation on the Major’s disappearance. After Fisher leaves, Saanvi tells Vance she wants to confess to killing the Major. Vance insists she doesn’t need to worry.

Ben speaks with Pete and asks him to go along with the testing so he can help Michaela. He tells him how grateful he is that he helped save Cal months ago. Ben brings up the calling and Pete explains he thinks the calling wants him and Jace to kill Michaela. Pete becomes emotional; he doesn’t want to die and pleads with Ben to help him.

Michaela receives a call from her partner saying she’s at Michaela’s old apartment and found a woman stabbed by Jace who was looking for her. Upset, Michaela tells Zeke that Jace won’t stop until he kills her.

Over at the campus, Olive gets grad student Levi (Will Peltz) to help her with the Egyptian drawings and the blood drawing. While doing more investigating, Levi explains the drawing plays out an ancient story called “The Last Trial.” The story goes one prisoner chooses love, another chooses to repent, but the third chooses vengeance and it leads to a trail of blood. Olive calls Ben and explains Jace needs to choose not to kill Michaela.

Jared gets picked up by Agent Fisher and they drive off in a black SUV. Saanvi sees this and runs after the vehicle but soon it’s out of sight.

Saanvi warns Vance she’ll expose everything if he hurts Jared. Vance allows her to watch through one-way glass as Jared’s told by an agent that the Major was killed by an enemy agent and that he needs to drop the investigation because he doesn’t have the clearance or authority to pursue it any further.

Ben convinces Pete to cooperate with the tests. He shows him the blood drawing and Pete warns Ben that Jace can’t be stopped. Ben asks Pete where to find Jace and he reveals the vision shows them by the lake. Ben fills Pete in on the Egyptian story, and Pete thinks he might be able to stop him if he goes with Ben. The chief scientist and Vance are against it, but Ben’s able to convince Vance to let him take Pete with an agent in tow.

Jared tells Sarah about her mother being killed by an enemy agent, assuring her that her mother died a hero.

Michaela and Zeke head to the woods looking for Jace.

Meanwhile, Ben and Pete go to the Stone home to pick up supplies and find Angelina who’s thrilled to see Pete. They hug and Pete tells her he has to stop Jace.

At the cabin, Grace is holding her baby when she’s photographed by a journalist who tracked her down. He posts the photo online.

Back in the woods, Zeke senses Jace and his anger close by. Michaela continues the search while Zeke remains close to the main road. Unfortunately, Jace gets the drop on Zeke and knocks him out. He then attacks Michaela. They fight and he’s able to knock her down and she loses her gun. Jace points his gun and is about to shoot when he has a calling about Cal (Jack Messina). Michaela kicks the gun out of his hand and they resume fighting.

Episode five ends with Michaela falling off a cliff at the hands of Jace who now goes looking for Cal.

Manifest season 3 episode 6
Josh Dallas as Ben Stone and Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone in ‘Manifest’ season 3 episode 6 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/Warner Brothers)

Episode six titled “Graveyard Spiral” starts with Zeke waking up from being knocked out as the sun begins to rise. Zeke looks around and calls for Michaela but there’s no response.

At the cabin, Grace notices someone wrote “ET Go Home” on the garage door. She reports it to the local authorities. Grace finds out from Tarik he talked about his restaurant idea and 828 at the local bar and that’s how the word got out.

Angelina goes with Ben and Pete, wanting to stay close. They call Jared and ask him to head to the hospital to talk to Kory.

Pete has a calling and hears Cal say, “Last chance.”

Jared goes to the hospital to check on Kory and discovers he’s escaped. He calls Ben and learns Michaela and Zeke are at the lake.

Zeke continues looking for Michaela and spots her car. He tries to wave her down and realizes Jace is driving.

Michaela finally comes to, hurt and lying on a ledge below the cliff. She calls out for Zeke and he finds her on the ledge and climbs down to help her climb up. He also helps put her shoulder back in place.

While driving Michaela’s car Jace hears the report of the 828 graffiti on the police scanner. He calls in posing as a cop and gets the address.

Zeke and Michaela reach the top of the cliff and experience a powerful wave of a calling. Ben and Angelina also feel the calling and see the ball Cal plays with. They realize the calling wants them to go after Cal, so they change direction to go to the cabin.

Grace, Cal, Tarik, and the baby hide in a fruit cellar that Grace and Tarik used to play in as kids. Grace explains the callings to Tarik and how Cal has them. Tarik thinks it’s all very cool and calls Cal a superhero.

Olive discovers the artwork has been moved in the campus museum.

Ben, Angelina, Pete, and the agent pull up to the cabin. Ben gets out and starts calling to Grace and she hears him, exiting the fruit cellar with Cal, Tarik, and the baby to meet him. After a group hug, Ben tells them they’re going home. However, just as they’re taking off a gunshot rings out and the agent falls dead. Ben takes cover behind the SUV and Grace, Cal, Tarik, and the baby take cover behind another vehicle. Ben throws rocks to distract the shooter so Grace, Cal, and Tarik can make a run for the woods.

Pete, handcuffed in the agent’s car, tells Ben that Jace is up on the roof shooting.

Tarik wants to go to the old shed and get his father’s rifle, but Grace thinks it’s too dangerous. He argues he can do it and runs off.

Pete tries to tell his brother to stop but Jace leaves the roof to go after Cal. Pete runs after him while Ben retrieves the dead agent’s gun.

Back at the campus, Olive finds the missing artwork and is also given Ben’s briefcase which was turned in as missing. She finds the missing piece to the Egyptian artwork and calls Michaela who tells her to complete it and tell them what she sees. She might be finishing the calling.

Tarik reaches the shed but Jace gets to him before he can open the door. Pete catches up to Jace and tells him to stop.

Back in the fruit cellar once more, Cal tells Grace the calling’s telling him to tell her to go and that it will be okay. Trusting Cal and his calling, Grace leaves to find Tarik. Cal quiets the crying baby by reciting a nursery rhyme that Pete and Jace can hear in their heads.

Jace thinks if he kills Cal, he won’t die but instead he’ll be reborn. Pete says it won’t work and begs him to make the right choice and just stop. Jace stabs Tarik and goes looking for Cal. Pete chases after him.

Grace finds Tarik and cries as he dies in her arms while apologizing and telling her he loves her.

Ben finds Grace who has taken the rifle out of the shed and loaded it.

Angelina goes looking for Pete with the keys to his handcuffs.

The fruit cellar door opens and someone enters. It’s Kory and he warns Cal to stop saying the nursery rhythm because he and Jace can hear it in their heads.

Angelina finds Pete and frees him from the handcuffs. She tells him she loves him and he tells her he loves her, too. She begs him to stay with her.

Ben arrives at the fruit cellar and finds Kory ready to protect Cal.

Jared picks up Michaela and Zeke and they make it to the cabin, find Tarik’s body, and continue looking for Jace.

Jace stumbles across the shed and Grace is there holding the rifle, pointing it at him. Ben runs up and tells her not to shoot and instead just let him die as the calling and the death date are upon him. Jace starts spitting upriver water just as Zeke, Michaela, Jared, Cal, Angelina, Pete, and Kory all show up. Water starts pouring out of Jace’s mouth as he loses all his natural color and falls dead.

Angelina and Pete kiss and Pete asks if he has to go back to prison. Michaela says yes but with everything he’s done to help, she’s sure she can shave a few years off of his sentence.

At the college campus, Olive’s working on the Egyptian artwork adding the last piece when a look of shock comes over her face. Hurriedly, she calls Michaela and reveals they were wrong. “The Last Trial” means they are ALL being judged together.

Cal sees a dark shadow figure come out of Jace’s body and describes what’s happening. The dark figure splits in two and goes over to Kory and Pete. It envelops them and they lose their color, begin to convulse, and die. Angelina screams and falls to the ground.

The final scene of episode six shows Michaela and Ben standing close together. Michaela says, “God help us,” and Ben replies, “We were wrong…we were so very wrong.”