(Credit: Netflix)

Do you believe in manifestation? Netflix sure does. Once upon a streaming era, the OTT platform salvaged Manifest from oblivion, just in the nick of time. The NBC series was added to the streaming giant right before its cancellation. But thanks to its streaming boom and chart-topping entry, Netflix couldn’t help but give it the green light for a fourth and final season. It’s safe to say that Manifest was a streaming manifestation of a kind.

Manifest is Jeff Rake’s supernatural drama, which originally premiered on NBC on September 24th, 2018. However, the gripping storyline combines multiple genres, including mystery and sci-fi. The plot is unique and perhaps, unlike anything you’ve heard before. It follows the passengers and cabin crew of Montego Air Flight 828, travelling to New York from Jamaica on April 7th, 2013. However, when they land at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York, they realise nothing is the same.

Five and a half years have passed since they boarded that flight. And all this time, all the passengers and the airliner crew are deemed deceased. It’s of note that the flight experienced severe turbulence during its journey. So, was it a portal to the future? When they return to the community, in their heads, just a few hours have passed. However, over half a decade has been spent for their friends and family. It only makes sense that a lot has changed.

But that’s not all. Everyone who was onboard the flight has changed in some way. They hear mysterious voices in their head and visions of incidents yet to occur, all of which are described as “callings.” But what happens when someone ignores the callings? Well, that’s what keeps you awake at night. The show lives up to its reputation as a slow-burning mystery that slowly engulfs you entirely.

Manifest sets a supernatural tone as the story progresses. But nothing on Netflix comes without a subtext. The series explores human emotions such as trauma, grief, and redemption, making Manifest a rollercoaster journey. It presents a world where the catastrophic blueprint is revealed ahead of time, allowing the passengers to dodge a bullet, if and only if they follow the callings. However, the price of ignoring those callings is terrible.

The callings are a portent of doom, and viewers might struggle fitting them into reality. But Manifest doesn’t exactly seem like a world too far, made up of very real human emotions and intricate twists and turns. Besides its thematic virtue, the show introduces a series of complex characters, particularly with the Stone family. Moreover, intrigue is the USP of Manifest. The conditioning of fate and destiny has forever troubled humanity, and the show cashes in on that curiosity that drives the story forward.

Although any sci-fi title has the element of suspense and surprise that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, Manifest brings those unexplained events to the forefront. The series represents the difference in realities through its characters, where some returns are celebrated, others are questioned. The unlikelihood of such a turnaround makes everyone wonder: Is it an alternate reality? Or, is it the beginning of the end? Well, to know for sure, start streaming Manifest on Netflix.