Warning: Spoilers for Manifest season 4, part 1
Manifest season 4, part 1’s exploration of Cal’s destiny laid the groundwork for the character to play an instrumental role in the show’s final episodes. Throughout the first three seasons, it’s been apparent that Cal has a stronger connection to the Callings than all the other Flight 828 passengers. And now, the show has finally explained what his role in their journey really is.
Manifest’s fourth and final season kicked off by addressing several unsolved mysteries concerning Cal and his place in the show’s overarching story. Of course, the most pressing question related to his disappearance and sudden aging in the season 3 finale. Manifest stopped short of providing all the answers, but did drop some bombshell reveals about Ty Doran’s character. Over the course of a ten-episode story, Manifest allowed for some much-needed insight into Cal’s link to the Callings and what it is he’s supposed to do. It would seem that Cal is even more important to the passengers’ future than any of them had ever imagined. Here’s what Manifest season 4, part 1 revealed about Cal, where he fits into the show’s lore, and what it sets up for his future.
Manifest’s Two Dragons & Egyptian Prophecy Explained
Meeting Henry Kim, a Flight 828 passenger mentioned briefly in Manifest season 3, introduced the concept of the Dragon. According to Henry, both he and Cal are Dragons. A dragon-shaped scar on their arms is what marks them as such. For most of the season, the meaning of it was left ambiguous, but Olive and TJ’s investigation into the historical side of the Callings gave them an idea of what being the Dragon actually means. A prophecy tied to Egyptian mythology tipped them off about a “dragon inside of a sapphire hovering over Maat’s scales.” As Olive said, the “scales” in the prophecy refers to the Lifeboat, which is a detail that they actually uncovered in season 3. Olive elaborated that if the Dragon gets “touched by the sapphire,” they could “tip the scales”.
What all this points to is that the Dragon has the potential to save the Lifeboat. This is the very conclusion reached by Olive in the finale, as she stated that Cal could save the world. Presumably, Henry too could have filled this role, but what sets them apart is what Olive said about being touched by the sapphire. Henry never came close to an Omega Sapphire in Manifest. Cal, on the other hand, destroyed Angelina’s Omega Sapphire in Manifest season 4 part 1’s finale, which is the moment that confirms he’s the real subject of the prophecy in question.
Manifest Season 4 Gave Cal New Powers
As proven by the Manifest season 4, part 1 finale, being the Dragon comes with special advantages. While on his deathbed, Cal’s dragon scar started to glow, which then triggered a bizarre, new kind of Calling. Somehow, Cal yanked Angelina into his Calling and was even able to break the Omega Sapphire into pieces. Angelina’s disbelief when it happened is evidence of this scene’s importance. It’s always been assumed that Cal was special in regards to his connection with the Callings, but his character being able to pull someone into a Calling was unprecedented even for him. Because not only was he able to communicate with her, but he also succeeded in destroying the Omega Sapphire from afar.
Unless what Cal did in the finale was a one-off, his new power can be a valuable asset going forward. If he can replicate what happened with Angelina and continue to pull fellow passengers into Callings, he could use this ability to immediately locate and contact people like Ben and Michaela if one of them were to ever go missing. And with Angelina still being on the loose, the power could be useful in catching her in Manifest’s remaining episodes.
Why Cal Destroying The Omega Sapphire Is So Important
As noted above, the destruction of the Omega Sapphire plays into the prophecy discussed by Olive and TJ. If touching it is supposed to “tip the scales” and help the passengers save the Lifeboat, that would imply that something massive happened when Cal destroyed it. As for what that could be, the best explanation for the significance of this event is that Cal absorbed the divine essence of the Omega Sapphire. Olive saying that it gave the Oracle of Delphi “untold powers” and what Angelina was able to accomplish with it are testaments to its capabilities in Manifest. If Cal has soaked up the power of the Omega Sapphire, that would make sense of this expectation that he can save the Lifeboat. With its energy, he could demonstrate even more new abilities in Manifest season 4, part 2.
What Saving The Lifeboat Actually Means
The passengers’ understanding of the Lifeboat situation completely changed in Manifest season 4, episode 9, titled “Rendezvous.” As it turns out, the Death Date they’ve all been worried about since season 1 actually coincides with the apocalypse. Based on the passengers’ various volcano Callings, a disastrous, volcanic eruption from Mount Ararat will bring about the end of the world. Exactly what the divine consciousness expects the passengers to do about it is unclear, but stopping it from happening appears to be Cal’s true destiny as the Dragon in Manifest. The energy he seemingly absorbed from the Omega Sapphire and his newly revealed abilities will likely be integral to his efforts to prevent the apocalypse, which may or may not be caused by Angelina’s abuse of the Omega Sapphire’s divine powers.
Manifest Still Hasn’t Solved Cal’s Age Mystery
A key part of Cal’s role as the Dragon went unexplained in Manifest season 4, part 1. As Cal himself acknowledged in the show, they still don’t know why he’s five years older. It was assumed before the show’s return that Cal must have gone somewhere in time for a length of time, but Manifest has since indicated otherwise. Instead of Cal aging naturally, the divine consciousness must have added five years to Cal’s age. The reason why that would be necessary could relate directly to what Cal is destined to do as the Dragon. It could be that Cal can only do what needs to be done with the emotional maturity of an adult, but whether or not that’s actually the case remains to be seen for now.