Manifest (NBC)

What happens when a plane hits some turbulence and lands in JFK 5 years later? A very interesting show that makes me question it’s sustainability.

This show is pretty interesting, and to be honest the log line above is really all you need to know going into it so kudos to the creators for making my summation an easy one this time around but in case you want more here ya go:

Yes, you did read that correctly – a flight travelling hits some turbulence mid air, and upon landing the passengers and crew come to realize that five years has passed and all of them had been declared dead.  No one knows what happened, and no one knows why. All anyone knows is they’re happy to be back with their loved ones and friends until….

….the voices. Now, I will say I was aboard this show up until this point. I thought it was an interesting human nature study of what happens when people go missing and then just suddenly reappear. But no, we had to throw in some supernatural no one can explain it but we’ve all been through this traumatic experience together – voices. And we’re not talking voices from another planet, it’s the characters actual voices they hear compelling them to do things like slow a bus down, or break out some dogs from a junk yard. Sigh….

What Did I Think?

I don’t know the grand scheme of this show, but come on! Really? We had to go all crazy Jessica Jones style with this? I’m not saying it’s a horrible angle, just and overdone one. Again, I’d much rather see these people’s lives play out as they come to terms with having in some cases, no house and no job, and trying to reconnect with people that had mourned them because they didn’t know what else to do.

Keep it real, THAT’S interesting.

Despite the above objections I’m happy, and quite eager, to see where all this is going for at least another handful of episodes. That is unless they start tag teaming Ben and Micheala into some force-to-be-reckoned with brother and sister cop duo – then I’m totally using the emergency exits! And no survivor’s meetings, again – Jessica Jones already did that.

Mainfest by all accounts though a strong entry for NBS’s drama department but my only hope is creators Jeff Rake and Matthew Fernandez thought this story arc through and aren’t going to pull a JJ Abrams/Lost – we’ll make this shit up as we go along And while it may not be the best new show of the season it managed to hold my attention which is hard to do with the drama genre, and has left me waiting for next week. So for that I must say, kudos. ….

Just don’t fuck it up!

Manifest airs Monday 10/9c on NBC