With Season 2 of NBC’s MANIFEST having returned this past Monday, fans were still left with many unanswered surrounding the mystery of Flight 828. During the TCA panel, which took place yesterday, Creator/Executive Producer Jeff Rake was on hand to assure fans that a plan for the overall story is in place for the 6-season arc. This was triggered at the end of Season 1 when Ben, played by Josh Dallas, had calculated that the passengers who had survived Flight 828 would die on June 2, 2024, coinciding with the end of the proposed 6 seasons. When asked if there was a way to wrap up the series in case all 6 seasons don’t see the light of day, Rake laughingly told the crowd, “Absolutely not!” He further went on to explain that it “took pains to have an organized road map that has chapters along the way.” Though they don’t always know how many episodes they’ll get in a season, Jeff made it clear that he’s hopeful and optimistic that all 6 seasons will come to fruition.

During the panel, which featured Rake, along with actors Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Luna Blaise, and Matt Long, we got some insight into what to expect this season from some of our favorite characters. Melissa Roxburgh remarked on her character, Michaela Stone, and the evolution that the character has had going into Season 2, “Season 1 we saw a hot mess, [Michaela] was trying to pick herself up. In Season 2 she has a voice that is leading her that she thinks will bring her to the end destination of being a good person, but everything goes wrong.” She further went on to explain that her character is making all the right decisions but even so, it doesn’t always look the way you want it to. “Along the way, [Michaela] finds that there are consequences for following and breaking the rules,” stated Melissa.

Fans of the series will also get a deeper look into Luna Blaise‘s character, Olive Stone. Blaise explained, “Olive feels like an outsider, she’s trying to find something to belong to and that she can call her own.” In Season 2, we find out that Olive has joined a faith-based community of people. “Is it the right path [for Olive]? I don’t know. She thinks she finds her people and she will meet [more] people out of that,” explains Luna. Along with viewers seeing Olive go on this journey with the believes there will also be a focus on her own coming-of-age storyline.

As for Zeke Landon, played by Matt Long, we last saw him engaging in a fight with Jared (J.R. Ramirez), as the love triangle between him, Jared, and Michaela reached a fever pitch resulting in a gunshot that left Season 1 on a cliffhanger. Since then, Zeke has turned himself in to the police and when discussing his storyline, Long remarked that in the next few episodes we will see how his actions continue to play out with big things happening between him, Michaela and Jared. He further went on to explain “[that] story kind of concludes in a way but it [will] open up all sorts of other issues with the three of them.”

Lastly, Josh Dallas discussed how his character Ben is still trying to do the right thing in his life and for those around him. At the end of Season 1, Ben discovered the 2024 death day and also learned that Grace (Athena Karkanis) is pregnant; however, the question remains – is it Ben’s or Danny’s (Daniel Sunjata)? When remarking on his character, Josh Dallas stated that “Ben is kind of blinded by how his actions affect others in his life. He has become obsessed. He’s a guy that was born with great responsibility not only for his family but for the other passengers that were on Flight 828.”

With so many twists and turns, Season 2 promises an even deeper dive into the characters as the mystery surrounding Flight 828 continues to unravel. Tune into MANIFEST on NBC each Monday at 10/9c.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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