Manifest Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Wingman

A Peacock, peacock feathers, ancient Egyptians -- what does it all have to do with Flight 828?

We've been asking ourselves that question for two seasons, but on Manifest Season 3 Episode 3, the mythology begins to bubble up to the surface.

This isn't the first time we've stumbled upon the peacock symbol, as it's been a recurring theme in both Manifest Season 1 and Manifest Season 2.

It's promising a sign that we aren't completely abandoning the symbolism because it's part of a larger plan. 

However, we're kind of past the point of continuously seeing the peacock without any context. Audiences want to know how it fits into the overall mystery of the plane's return. 

We find comfort in knowing that there is a piece of the puzzle out there just waiting to be found that may provide some of the answers we're seeking. 

The Callings tried to lead Ben to the papyrus, but sadly, Eagan decided to dispose of it while pawning off some of the other artifacts he stole from the storage unit. 

Even without the papyrus' missing piece, we know the peacock is a symbol for two things: immortality and resurrection. 

Both immortality and resurrection have been mentioned several times throughout the series. Ben's current theory even revolves around the idea that they were resurrected after Flight 828 exploded. 

The peacock may be simply a constant reminder that they've all been given a second chance to course-correct and live a better life. 

What if the Callings encourage those who have been given a second chance to do better, and if they do, they continue down the road to immortality and beat the death date.

And what if those who continue down a path of sin will die within a certain time frame?

Olive and Angelina's research of the artifacts TJ sent over from Egypt alluded towards this very theory as the drawing featured Maat, the Egyptian goddess of justice in the afterlife. 

They mentioned that her judgment was a "metaphorical weighing of the souls."

Further investigation revealed that Matt represents the ethical and moral principle that Egyptian citizens were expected to follow in their daily lives.

Maybe those who were resurrected were judged on what they did with their second chance. If they lived a virtuous life, they could beat the death date and achieve immortality. 

And those who didn't would be "condemned" to permanent death. 

If you think about previous cases, Zeke survived the death date because he turned his life around, made amends with those he hurt in the past, and followed the Callings with the purest intentions. 

On the other hand, Griffith was a criminal before his death and squandered his second chance by refusing to cooperate with the Callings.

The methheads are now at a crossroads. Two of them, Korey and Pete, seem to want to take advantage of their fresh start and make better choices, but then we have Jace, who is hellbent on getting revenge and making the same mistakes he did before his death.

What remains unclear is why these are the chosen people. It's unlikely that everyone on Flight 828 was a bad person before their death. And there isn't one single theme linking all the non-passengers either. 

You also have to wonder what that means for Saanvi, who managed to eliminate the Callings entirely and is responsible for killing the Major, which is hardly making the most of your second chance even if it was an accident. 

Saanvi is going through a lot, and I wish she had someone to talk to about it. Can you imagine bottling up the fact that you murdered a high-ranking official?

When she found out The Major had a daughter, the guilt crushed her. Saanvi's a healer and a helper, so being responsible for taking a life is not something that comes easily to her or she can forget about. 

Vance is the only one that knows the truth, but he was too busy being interrogated by the government. 

Thanks to Ben, they are now aware that he faked his own death. Way to let that one out of the bag!

However, it may have worked out in Vance's favor because the NSA offered him his old job back and then showed him.... something.

The episode ended before that "something" was revealed, but if you've seen the trailer, you know it's likely a reconstructed model of Flight 828.

Does this mean other parts of the plane have already been secretly recovered by the government aside from the tail fin?

Vance was hesitant to rejoin the team, but it's going to be hard for him to reject the offer after seeing this. It seems like he'll be able to accomplish more working with them than he has off-the-grid, even if it was pretty impressive how much he was able to accomplish as a "ghost."

However, are we supposed to trust the government now? They went from threatening to charge Vance with fraud and treason to offering him a job in a single breath. 

And we can't forget about all that they did in previous seasons. 

The government also confirmed that The Major is dead, which is why they want to give Vance the 828 reins, but I wonder if they know what happened to her since they mentioned that she was found in New Orleans (unless I heard that wrong).

Did Vance help stage her death to get the heat off of Saanvi?

"It's all connected" isn't just a phrase to throw around loosely anymore because every episode is constructed with that very idea in mind. 

Pete and Angelina continue to be drawn to each other, with the latter informing him that she feels like she's supposed to save him. Why?

What's the connection here aside from the King Cone photo? If they were old friends, they would've likely recognized each other by now. 

Meanwhile, Ben was on a different kind of 828 mission as he connected with Eagan and the duo followed a Calling to a storage unit to save an unconscious boy before it collapsed. 

The boy, named Caleb (another biblical reference), ended up being the brother of Korey, the third methhead.

Again, it's unclear how they fit into the bigger picture, but maybe Korey will now feel indebted to Ben for saving his brother?

And as I mentioned, Jace seems to be the only one of the three that is focusing on getting revenge on Ben, Mic, and Cal.

What's fueling his obsession with them?

And that's where I find myself again -- not knowing much of anything and having more questions than answers. 

I know the mystery is part of the thrill, but it's frustrating not to figure anything out or see a bigger picture. 

However, I truly believe answers are on the horizon. They have to be. The Callings all have a purpose, and Ben has been getting better at deciphering them. 

He's even gotten better at trusting his gut and immediately stated he didn't trust Eagan for a minute. 

Eagan's intentions for following the Calling weren't entirely pure. He assisted Ben but then stuck around while the unit was shaking to steal some of the artifacts to trade in for money. 

He even stole Ben's little satchel and I.D. card! 

Is he going to pose a problem moving forward?

When I say that everything's connected, I mean that Pete calling Angelina "brave" somehow connected to Mic's Calling that found her hearing Evie's heartbeat again. 

When she followed it, she found that Evie's dad, Glen, died of a heart attack.

The Calling persisted until she found a DVD from Glen, which informed her that they wanted her to have the house upon his passing.

Eventually, the Calling led Mic to the decision that instead of sending Beverly to a home, she and Zeke would move in and take care of her.

It seems like the most logical decision for Mic, considering the guilt she's still carrying around about Evie's death.

However, it does seem like a tall order considering her high-stakes job and that the Callings require quite a bit of her time. 

Will Zeke become the caretaker in this situation? He didn't seem to mind, and I guess since he's been given a second chance, he might take pride in helping someone else. 

Zeke's also been experiencing these "feelings" where he senses what people need and knows exactly how to comfort them.

It previously happened when he noticed Saanvi was stressing out, and it happened again when Beverly began panicking about moving out. 

Is this a symptom of beating the death date?

Other Manifest Musings

• Did anyone catch that Mic called Jared before she called Zeke when she discovered Glen was dead? It makes sense since Evie was their mutual friend, but wouldn't she want to call her husband?
   
• We finally found out that the rift between Grace and Tarik was because of her abandoning the family and leaving him to take care of their ill step-dad.
  
  However, it seems that they made amends when she admitted that she was dealing with Cal's leukemia. I'm still unsure where this storyline is headed. Will staying at Tarik's place put him in jeopardy?

• What's with the creepy rhyme that Cal was singing at the end? The stuff of nightmares. 
   
• The Major's daughter doesn't seem like she's going to give up on finding out what happened to her mom.
  
  Jared informed her that she was a high-level operative who did pretty terrible things, including torture and abduction, but the girl wants to know what happened to her mom, and that's valid. I wonder what his investigation will unearth.

Do you have any theories this season? Have they changed from what they were before?

What do you think the peacock stands for?

What's up with the methheads? What's up with Zeke's new superpower? 

Will Vance return to the NSA? Is Eagan going to be a bigger part of the mystery?

Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to watch Manifest online to catch up on all episodes.