Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 Water Landing Review- The Last Trial Begins Tonight

It’s all been leading to this. Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 pits Michaela and the gang against Jace in a battle to save their lives and his soul.

Everything has happened before, and it will happen again. Fate, God, Karma, or some other cosmic force is guiding the Returned to something. The 828er’s and the few others who have returned from the dead aren’t as special as we thought. Every resurrected person has their own trial. Some are as simple as choosing peace, while others feel like Herculean efforts of mental and emotional gymnastics. By the end of this two-part Manifest storyline, we should have more answers about what is possible. Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 raised the stakes while setting up future plot beats.

Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 and 6 are all about Jace, Pete, and Kory, the methheads who along with The Major were last seasons villains. Both were out to get our gang but for very different reasons. Kory and Pete have seen the light. Pete was never a violent criminal like the others. With Angelina’s rescue, he has something to live for. She represents a reason to be better. Her innate goodness is infectious and with only 24 hours left to save his life, he wants to seize the day. The problem is his brother doesn’t share his same views. He has the “callings” and thinks they are telling him to kill Michaela instead of choosing to do right. With Angelina’s help, Pete understands his “calling” isn’t telling him to hurt anyone, instead to help Jace understand to choose a different path.

Michaela is close to finding Jace, and the symbols on the wall of the deserted RV give her another clue. Team Stone picked up another valuable team member in Drea, with who Michaela shared her secret this week. With Jared in Vance and Agent Emmett’s clutches, the team needs some shoring up. I doubt Vance has it in him to kill Jared, but they could easily keep the hunky lawman tied up and out of commission if they have to. That is terrible news for our crew but not the audience. J.R. Ramirez is electric on-screen, and the chemistry he has with everyone he shares screen time with makes the series better. Putting him in danger and directly in line with Vance brings him into the fold and increases his show presence.

We know what happened to The Major’s body finally. When Vance says he will take care of something, he means he will make it disappear permanently. Unfortunately, that puts everyone in a precarious position. Vance told Jared to leave it alone, and he is for now. He told Sarah Fitz her mother died in the line of duty. It’s technically accurate, and for now, anyway, it is what Jared believes. If Emmett didn’t cover things up as well as he thinks, Jared could become a real problem. What happens when Emmett goes rogue? Brendan Burke(Emmett) is a menacing presence, and his addition to the cast means the 828er’s are in bed with the Devil.

All of this is a problem for Saanvi, who has struggled with her actions last season. Not only did she recklessly experiment on herself, but she killed The Major in a gambit that did not pay off. Parveen Kaur(Saanvi) is a talented actress who is at her best on Manifest when she is scared. Last season she was afraid of The Major, and this season she is frightened of Vance and the NSA. Vance claims he would never betray her and that he was in as deep as she is, but Emmett and the NSA doctor may influence him.

Her palpable concern is fun to watch, and her commitment to the group should provide plenty of plot gold. There will undoubtedly be a showdown between the Dr. Gupta, who believes the Returned are unicorns to be studied instead of people, and Saanvi, who cares deeply about the mythical animals she calls friends. Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 highlights the difference between who Saanvi wants to be and who she might have to become.

If anyone can keep Vance from going to the dark side, it is Ben. He is a virtuous as they come. Manifest’s version of Prince Charming, complete with a growing head of McDreamy hair, is the glue that keeps everything together. Josh Dallas does the noble hero well. He is immensely likable and believable even when doing semi-ridiculous things. Very few could pull off the absent-minded professor turned action hero as he can. The Indianan Jones of NBC wastes no time harassing Vance and Co into releasing Pete so he can save him and Mich. He pays a steep price, though. If Pete doesn’t come back alive, the NSA gets to experiment on him.

Tarik is quickly becoming a liability. Grace may think she is safe with him, but his tendency to talk too loudly puts them all at risk. His heart may be in the right place, but his head is putting them in danger. A reporter overheard him making plans for a Flight 828 themed restaurant with Grace cooking and him tending the bar. It’s a sweet thought, but Grace has a lot on her plate right now, and none of it is edible. Let’s hope his magazine doesn’t have an extensive readership. With Mich and Ben tied up looking for Jace, Grace is on her own to protect herself, the baby, and Cal.

Is The Last Trial a real thing?

The Last Trial depicted in the etching that Levi talks about isn’t a real thing. Levi’s story of a trial that three men must pass is fictional. There are several fables found on ancient papyrus that are similar, however. Levi and Olive’s story is an amalgamation of several stories, including the story of Osiris that was used last week, Ma’at the week before, and artwork on the Papyrus Chester Beatty II. In the story on the Chester Beatty II, Ma’at, who represents Truth, is accused of stealing a dagger from Gereg, who is Falsehood. Gereg knew he didn’t steal anything but accused him out of jealousy and anger.

When Ma’at was found guilty, he was blinded by Gereg and forced to act as his gatekeeper for life. Instead of being bitter, Ma’At performed his job well, which angered Gereg, who eventually threw him out, hoping lions would devour him. Ma’at was respected by his fellow servants, though, who helped him escape. He was taken in by a beautiful woman and had a son who years later learned of his father’s trial and demanded justice. When the Ennead saw Gereg had blinded Ma’at, he was sentenced to life as Ma’at’s servant and blinded himself. It is a story about good triumphing over evil and truth over lies. It is also fundamentally a story about order over chaos.

The three methheads represent the three men in The Last Trial. Pete is the man who chose love and was rewarded with a lifelong companion. Angelina is that partner if he can stop Jace. Kory is the man who chose peace and has walked away from his life of crime. Instead of punishing the Coach in the previous episode, he tried to stop Jace from hurting him. Jace is the final man who chooses vengeance and pays with a river of blood. If Mich can’t change Jace’s mind, all three will die. There may also be consequences to their deaths that no one knows about yet.

Jace is leaving a trail of blood on his way to the lake. He’s already proven he’s not above hurting anyone. He is singularly focused because he was always a terrible person, but now he thinks it is his destiny to get revenge. For someone like Jace who has indulged his baser desires his whole life, the “calling” is proof that he should turn completely to the darkside. He and Mich are both at the lake,, and even though Zeke could alert Mich to his presence, he couldn’t react to his attack fast enough and is lying unconscious in the forest. Mich is capable of saving herself, but she needs the help of Pete and Zeke to convince Jace to forge a new path before it is too late.

On a side note, there is something exciting happening with Levi and Olive. If T.J. comes back, it should be interesting to see how the two young men respond to each other. The longer T.J stays away from Olive and the more time she spends with Levi, the quicker she will fall out of love. Levi is entirely different than T.J., and as much as I loved him last season, Levi is intriguing. He also has the potential to provide some comic relief. Will Peltz(Levi) has a quirky charm that could mix well with the rest of the group.

Manifest Season 3 Episode 5 was as fast-paced as it could get. Time is slipping away for Pete and Kory, who must depend on Jace, an admittedly horrible person, to choose to do the right thing. Doing good isn’t a strong suit of his, so the next episode of Manifest could very well be their last. For Angelina’s sake, I sure hope Pete gets a second chance. If he does survive, I wonder what superpower he gets? Follow all out Manifest coverage here.