Cal has a plan for the Fight 828 passengers in Manifest season 4. The shocking debut of an older version of Cal came with the reveal that he knows what has to be done in the trails ahead. It seems that even though his role will be a bit different, Cal will remain instrumental to the passengers’ efforts to survive the Death Date.
At first, the passengers had cause for hope when Zeke got past his Death Date. Since then, though, certain discoveries have cast doubts on their chances of surviving. Pete and Kory dying alongside Jace in Manifest season 3 gave rise to the show’s Lifeboat theory. Ben and Saanvi’s Lifeboat theory postulates that all of the passengers must stay on the correct path in order for any of them to beat the Death Date. The idea that they have to keep so many people in line until June 2024 has made their journey even more difficult. However, the Manifest season 3 finale promised a way forward when Cal suddenly showed up during Grace’s dying moments.
After disappearing and coming back five years older for an unknown reason, Cal knelt at his mother’s side and assured her that he knows what they have to do now. He hasn’t explained what that is yet, but the implication is that Cal’s disappearance has somehow allowed him to formulate a plan that will be key to Manifest season 4’s story. Since Cal has always had the strongest connection to the Callings, Ben, Saanvi, Zeke, and Michaela are sure to take his ideas – whatever they may be – to heart, while characters like Eagan and Adrian may be less willing to cooperate. Either way, there’s a good chance that adhering to Cal’s words will determine whether or not they save the Lifeboat and get past the Death Date in Manifest season 4.
Cal Allowed Grace’s Death To Happen (To Help Ben)
It’s been speculated that the first step of Cal’s plan for saving the Lifeboat called for him to let Grace die. The fact that he returned at the exact moment when Grace was dying has created the impression that Cal, with help from the Callings, knew that Grace was going to die by Angelina’s hand. This also ties into his decision to argue on Angelina’s behalf in season 3. He claimed that she was supposed to be with the Stone family. Angelina murdering Grace indicated that Cal was wrong about her, but it’s at least possible that killing Grace was Angelina’s purpose in the Callings’ plan for the passengers.
As for why Grace’s death would be considered a necessity, it’s worth noting the impact her death is sure to have on Ben. Lately, Ben has been devoted to following the Callings, while Grace was trying to get him to slow down and not be so obsessive. For this reason, there are theories that Grace had to die so that Ben can do what needs to be done to stop the Death Date. Cal may understand now that certain things have to happen in order for Ben to make the right choices in Manifest season 4.
Cal Went To The Future
For Cal to be five years older, it makes sense that time travel was at play in the Manifest season 3 finale. In the span of just a few hours, Cal must lived five years of his life in another timeline. Some think that he simply went back five years and remained in hiding, while others have theorized that Cal was thrown forward into the future and then brought back to 2021. Cal living in the future is an idea that’s been used to explain how Cal knows what to do now. If Cal just came from a time where the Flight 828 passengers already dealt with the Death Date, he may know what solutions do and don’t work. He may haven gotten past his own Death Date at this point, so he could know the right answers to every Calling the passengers will receive in the episodes to come. If that’s the case, he could know what decisions to make the next time a passenger gets a Calling. Cal may rely on his knowledge of the future to keep the Lifeboat afloat.
Cal Won’t Try To Save The Lifeboat
Ben has accepted the Lifeboat theory as a fact, but the show has yet to prove it. What happened to Kory and Pete may have been a separate situation that has no bearing on the fates of the Flight 828 passengers. If Ben is wrong, then there may not be a Lifeboat for them to save after all. That may be the conclusion that Cal was alluding to when he said he knows what they have to do now. He may reject the Lifeboat theory altogether and steer them in an entirely different direction. Ben’s strategy has centered on getting every passenger to do what the Callings demand, but Cal may opt toward limiting their focus a bit.
Cal Unites The Flight 828 Passengers
Conversely, Cal may embrace Ben’s theory by taking even bigger steps to save the Lifeboat. The most obvious and sensible way to keep any one passenger from inadvertently sinking the Lifeboat would be to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Accomplishing this goal could require Cal and the other passengers to seek out each and every passenger and convince them that the Callings have to be followed to the letter if they have any hope of surviving the Death Date. Taking this course could force Ben, Saanvi, and others to travel to various countries and assemble the entire group in time for the Death Date in June 2024.
Eden Is Instrumental To Manifest’s Ending
So far, Angelina has been characterized as a fanatic with an unhealthy obsession with Eden that’s based on the misguided idea that the child is her “guardian angel”. Angelina made this assumption as a response to a season 3 event. By moving to stop Eden crying, Angelina ended up surviving a sudden earthquake. Now, she thinks Eden is destined to protect her. An alternative interpretation is that even though Angelina has gone entirely too far with her actions, she may be right about Eden being special in some way. If Eden really is important to Manifest's central mystery somehow, Cal may have developed an understanding of this offscreen. If the baby is getting Callings, it’s unclear how the passengers can use this to their advantage at her current age, but it is possible that Eden is linked in one way or another to Manifest’s ending.