Manifest (TV series): Difference between revisions
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The tailfin of the airplane was being studied in a government facility by Saanvi, a scientist from India. When Cal goes up to it and touches it, he disappears. Ben becomes desperate in his search to find Cal again, coming to the conclusion that the tailfin must be thrown back into the ocean. The scientiest however is contrary to this choice, convinced that it would make no sense to throw it into the ocean rather than continue to study it; however she changes her mind when she sees writing in Cal's drawings that is in her own native language, along with the constellation of the dragon which she always gazed upon as a child through her telescope in trying to "see" her deceased mother among the stars of heaven. She had given up on the pursuit of seeing her mother in the heavens, but Cal's drawing became a sign for her: she understood that perhaps faith had a role alongside scientific research, and that she should listen to Ben and Grace. It is thus decided to bring the tailfin back to the ocean, in the specific spot that Ben had located. | The tailfin of the airplane was being studied in a government facility by Saanvi, a scientist from India. When Cal goes up to it and touches it, he disappears. Ben becomes desperate in his search to find Cal again, coming to the conclusion that the tailfin must be thrown back into the ocean. The scientiest however is contrary to this choice, convinced that it would make no sense to throw it into the ocean rather than continue to study it; however she changes her mind when she sees writing in Cal's drawings that is in her own native language, along with the constellation of the dragon which she always gazed upon as a child through her telescope in trying to "see" her deceased mother among the stars of heaven. She had given up on the pursuit of seeing her mother in the heavens, but Cal's drawing became a sign for her: she understood that perhaps faith had a role alongside scientific research, and that she should listen to Ben and Grace. It is thus decided to bring the tailfin back to the ocean, in the specific spot that Ben had located. | ||
=== Battle between Good and Evil === | |||
The series has some underlying apocalyptic themes that contribute to the overall narrative. Here are a few ways in which these themes are present: | |||
# '''Time Displacement''': The central premise of the show involves Flight 828 disappearing and reappearing five and a half years later, resulting in a time displacement for the passengers. This sudden and unexplained event creates a sense of disruption and disorientation akin to an apocalyptic scenario. The passengers find themselves thrust into a world that has moved on without them, leading to personal and societal upheaval. | |||
# '''The Death Dates''': The concept of "death dates" introduced in the series adds an apocalyptic element. The passengers begin receiving visions of their own deaths, which creates a countdown and a sense of impending doom. This apocalyptic ticking clock adds suspense and raises questions about fate, mortality, and the potential end of their lives. | |||
# '''Callings and Divine Intervention''': The callings experienced by the passengers can be seen as a form of divine intervention or supernatural guidance. These callings lead the characters to specific actions or events, often with high stakes and potential apocalyptic consequences. The passengers grapple with the responsibility of their callings and the potential role they play in preventing or mitigating catastrophic events. | |||
# '''The Major Arc''': The organization known as the Major Arc, which operates in the shadows and seeks to control the outcomes related to Flight 828, adds an apocalyptic undertone to the series. The Major Arc's actions and motivations are shrouded in mystery, and their pursuit of certain objectives raises concerns about their potential to cause widespread destruction or upheaval. | |||
# '''Prophecies and Revelation''': The show explores various prophecies, visions, and revelations that hint at a larger, apocalyptic narrative. These elements suggest that the events surrounding Flight 828 are part of a grander plan or a significant turning point in human history. The unfolding of these prophecies adds a sense of urgency and foreboding to the storyline. | |||
While "Manifest" primarily focuses on personal and relational stories, it intertwines these underlying apocalyptic themes to heighten tension, drive the plot, and explore existential questions. The series combines elements of mystery, spirituality, and human drama to create a unique blend of storytelling with apocalyptic undertones. | |||
Furthermore, Cal and Angelina can be considered as the protagonist and the antagonist in the storyline, representing the battle between good and evil respectively. In the book of Revelation, the "Hill of Megiddo" or "Armaggedon" is the place where the final battle between good and evil will take place: | |||
{{bible quote|ref=Apocalypse 16:16|inline=false}} | |||
==== Symbolism of the Sapphire ==== | |||
{{quote|As Manifest revealed in the third season, sapphire has a unique connection to the passengers. When the tailfin was found in the middle of the ocean after Saanvi accidentally killed the Major (Elizabeth Marvel), they brought it back to their secret Eureka lab and discovered it was covered in sapphire. The piece of Noah’s ark they later experimented on, causing potentially catastrophic damage to the Earth, was also covered in sapphire. The body of Kelly Taylor (Julienne Hanzelka Kim), the passenger murdered by her housekeeper shortly after the plane reappeared, had somehow started to show injuries consistent with the plane exploding and was also covered in sapphire. However, it isn’t until the fourth season when Saanvi begins to dig into the Major’s experiments that left multiple passengers with no brain function — who they discover are actually constantly tied to the Callings and divine consciousness now — that she finds the Major used sapphire in her experiments to bring about more Callings. | |||
The Major noted though that the type of sapphire she wanted to use was not available, so everyone began to look into what that meant. Shortly after, they discover records from throughout history mentioning omega sapphires, a more pure version of the gemstone, being tied to divine consciousness. The omega sapphire can bring them unlimited Callings to increase the amount of good they are able to do to offset the horrible actions of other passengers, like Angelina. Unfortunately, once they discover the omega sapphire hidden in the same boiler room where they hid Thomas (Sheldon Best) from the government so many years ago, Eagan steals it and bolts as the building collapses around them. And, before Eagan has a chance to use it, Angelina bashes him over the head and steals it for herself, leading us to the events of the midseason finale. | |||
With the omega sapphire, its extreme power is finally revealed through Angelina’s horrifying and cruel actions. She manages to use it to give Ben a false Calling of his late wife, who pleads with him to bring Eden to her, so Angelina can kidnap her once again. Luckily, she doesn’t succeed, but she later uses this false version of Grace against Cal to try to convince him to stop fighting his cancer. It almost succeeds, but Cal fights back and recalls that his mother never told him to stop fighting during his first cancer battle and would never do so now. | |||
This is when the dragon tattoo that Cal somehow received from another passenger begins to glow, revealing itself to be filled with omega sapphire. So, while Angelina has one, so does Cal, and breaking through Angelina’s false Calling causes the sapphire in her possession to shatter. When Angelina breaks out of the Calling, she sees a shard about to fall into one of the pools of lava she has brought forth with her nefarious actions — just as we saw from Eureka’s experiments on the piece of Noah’s ark. Angelina reaches for it as it falls into the lava, melting the shard into her hand. | |||
Before the finale fades to black, Angelina walks off with the omega sapphire in her hand (literally), as the camera pulls back to reveal fissures filled with lava all over the city. So, while Cal has an omega sapphire that he can do an incredible amount of good with, Angelina has another to spread her false Callings and trick the passengers into doing her evil bidding. With the apocalypse looming over the world, as we learn this season is the true nature of the passengers’ death date, the final episodes are going to be one vicious battle between good and evil with the omega sapphire(s) complicating everything even further.|author=Jay Snow|title=What Is the Mystical Omega Sapphire in 'Manifest' Season 4?|source=https://collider.com/manifest-season-4-omega-sapphire/}} | |||
Sapphires are famously known as blue gemstones, which is why they are often related to the Heavens. This gave it the nickname, “the divine stone” in some cultures. In Christianity, a Sapphire is seen as the gemstone of purity, wisdom and chastity. Whereas in India and areas of South East Asia, it is seen as one of the nine specific gems that represent the Heavens. In this, the yellow Sapphire represents Jupiter and the blue Sapphire represents Saturn. Due to this, the name Sapphire was said to mean “Dear to the planet Saturn” but also “blue stone”. | |||
Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September and is mostly known as the wisdom stone. It is meant to represent intelligence, education and the ability to make wise and good choices. The Sapphire was seen this way even back in the Ancient times because the Ancient Greeks used to wear this stone to attain Wisdom. The stone was sometimes used in medicine in Ancient Persia. It was believed to strengthen your heart, muscles and give you courage. However, others said it was an anecdote for poison and could kill snakes instantly. Around this time, Sapphires were used for several reasons, the most important being to protect against sorcery and banish away evil spirits. It was thought that it connected you to the universe and would protect from bad but open you up to good spirits and angels. | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||