Manifest, or Prince Charming Takes a Plane and Gets Lost, as I Like to Think of It, Premieres Monday, September 24th at 10 ET/9PT.
Update: My recap of the Pilot (episode 1) is HERE.
NBC has released the first 10 minutes of this year’s entry into the broadcast network scifi genre, where the real suspense is whether the show will get a second season, or the unicorn of the genre, a third. (#NeverForgetRevolution)
Much of the first act has already been seen in clips and trailers, but seeing it all together and in order gives it a sense of context. The new footage is some of the most meaningful, which could lead to interesting, original storylines if they pursue those avenues.
The video and more after the jump.
NBC’s description of Manifest:
When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. But in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years – and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible. From Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke comes an emotionally rich, unexpected journey into a world grounded in hope, heart and destiny.
Observations/Questions:
- Robert Zemeckis wrote and directed the Back to the Future film trilogy, so the show has an excellent time travel consultant on board. Zemeckis is also responsible for many other innovative, creative films: Romancing the Stone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forest Gump, Death Becomes Her. He has an ability to tell a lighthearted, heartwarming story, with a cynical edge, placed in a fantastical setting, that few others have been as successful with, especially with the variety of settings he’s created. His involvement is the thing that gets me most excited about this show.
- If your eyes don’t tear up when the twins are reunited, your heart is made of stone. Following their readjustment and future, and how it affects the whole family, could be interesting.
- Melissa is now free from the expectations of her pushy mother and ex-boyfriend. Where will she go from here? Will she shoulder a burden of guilt, even though her mother’s death isn’t her fault? Will she try to win her boyfriend back because it’s what her mother wanted, instead of living the life she knows is best for her?
- Karen quotes bible verse Romans 8:28 to Melissa. The clip was released on 8/28, and the plane is Flight #828. There’s some spooky, God-like coordination going on at NBC.
- The entire verse is: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The passengers will find that they were brought back for some greater purpose, but whether it’s God’s or not is tbd. Was Karen’s death part of that purpose? Will she also come back in some form? It’s not a good sign that they started fridging the women in the first 10 minutes.
- The flight experienced what felt like turbulence. The pilot described it as a sudden weather surge that didn’t show up on the radar. Was it a rogue wormhole? Collision with a time traveler? Freak tear in the time/space continuum? Temporal storm? Alien abduction? Abduction to the future and memory wipe? Did they jump to a different timeline or earth in the multiverse?
- Why is this family so obsessed with marrying off Melissa?
- The passengers haven’t aged a day and there were no substances on the plane from the period when it was missing. No one from the plane has memories from the missing time period. It’s as if they stopped existing for 5 1/2 years.
- “I think we’ve taken impossible off the table.”
Images courtesy of NBC.
Metawitches 