In the wake of the tragedy at the nightclub, Ben tries to reach out and connect with Olive, and an unusual calling may be just what’s needed. Michaela stares some uncomfortable truths in the face about Jared. Saanvi’s breakthrough may be just what Zeke needs, but will there be any side effects?

After a thrilling, slightly breathless episode last week which ended in the destruction of the nightclub and the loss of TJ, Manifest takes its foot off the gas a little and allows things to breathe in this instalment. Olive is naturally inconsolable and Ben is doing his best to reach out to her to no avail. But when he visits the site to pay his respects alone and has a strange calling he can’t interpret at all, it throws up a connection that sparks some interest in his daughter. I’ll be honest, in hindsight the denouement of this part of the episode is a little obvious, but the way it takes you there very much isn’t.

Meanwhile Michaela – with the help/encouragement of her new partner – is starting to pay a little closer attention to exactly what Jared is up to and who he’s hanging around with. I’m still on the fence with how Jared as a character is being handled because the show doesn’t ever really quite know what to do with him – is he all the way bad now that he’s been spurned by Michaela and had his career ‘destroyed’ (I’m still not actually sure what’s happened, as he still seems to be working), or is he somewhere in a moral grey area? It’s skilful of the writers to keep him on that edge, but it also means that certain of the character’s actions don’t make a lot of sense.

At any rate, digging deeper throws up some serious alarm bells for Michaela, and the show addresses quite clearly (which is nice) that her issue is with the company he’s keeping and the damage he might do rather than with seeing her ex with another woman. What I’m also still not totally clear on is exactly where the new Captain is in all this, and this episode doesn’t make any concessions to answering that question either.

Saanvi is still going through the test stage of her cure, observing herself closely for any sign of side effects. Zeke’s worsening frostbite prompts her to share the possibility of a cure with him, but is it really a good thing to have cut the callings off and what other impact might their absence have.

With the Major now out of the picture for the moment, the show seems intent on doubling down on the ‘Xer’ conspiracy, which as we have already seen includes several people close to the Stones. It’s certainly an interesting new narrative vein to mine, but I wonder how all this will mix up if and when the Major returns?

Verdict: Quiet, thoughtful and a well-written breather after last week’s excitement. 8/10

Greg D. Smith