“Connecting Flights” is episode five of season one of Manifest.
The episode opens on a flight, but not MA 828. It’s the one that the others were on that didn’t disappear. Grace and Olive, along with Ben and Michaela’s parents, land at the airport. Olive wants to wait for the other plane but Grace shows her it’s not due for hours. Then ‘See Agent’ comes up on the board. Jared and Lourdes are in a bar and Jared is worried that Michaela will turn him down when Grace rings.
They arrive at the airport and meet Steve and Karen. The agent is saying they are doing all they can and Grace is worried. Lourdes takes Olive as Grace starts freaking out.
In the present, Ben is freaking out about Thomas being rescued in the previous episode, “Unclaimed Baggage”, especially as Vance will be searching for him. He’s not going to jail and missing his family for another five years. Thomas says he will leave, but Michaela says that the NSA will already be able to find evidence at the hospital linking them to Thomas’s escape. They’re supposed to help, although Bethany thinks it’s just her that’s supposed to. She’s going to take Thomas to a friend’s cabin up state. Ben is leaving and Michaela is following him when he hears a voice saying everything is connected. Michaela realises he heard something, but he still leaves.
Vance is talking about Thomas to two people. He hasn’t been identified. Then a third comes in; Bethany was in the hospital where Thomas was, as was Saanvi, although Saanvi works there.
Jared is meeting with his union rep, who suggests that Michaela be blamed instead.
Ben arrives home and talks to Grace. He suggests that he take Cal for the day and talks to Cal. And hears it’s all connected again. Ben talks to Cal about feeling like someone is controlling your life – Cal is a child, so he does – and suggests they try something unpredictable; choosing what they do today by flipping coins. The first takes them to Coney Island. And Grace gets a message from Danny.
Six months after Flight 828 disappeared and Grace is in bed and she’s lacking motivation. Olive has made soup because she has to eat. Olive cut herself trying to make ham and cheese, but got blood on the bread, they’re out of bread and ham now and the cheese has spots on it. Grace decides she has to do something. Jared and Lourdes have cleaned out Michaela’s apartment and are taking stuff to her parents. They look at photos of Michaela, Lourdes and Evie. Grace goes to what appears to be a support group, and it’s there that she meets Danny.
In the present, Ben and Cal are at Coney Island. Over lunch, Ben hears it’s all connected again. They flip a coin and are going to go home.
Michaela goes to see Lourdes. It’s a bit awkward. Lourdes has Michaela’s photos. Michaela wants Lourdes’s help in convincing Jared not to endanger his job by lying for her. Lourdes didn’t know. She does know that becoming a detective was Jared’s dream, for 2 years after the disappearance she met him in a bar after his promotion ceremony. And, after she told him he needed to get out of his comfort zone, he kissed her.
Grace was also preparing dinner for her, Olive and Danny, who was coming around. Olive is not happy, although Danny is incredibly understanding and he and Olive do bond slightly. Over meatloaf.
Michaela and Ben have been hearing a voice in their heads. It looks like Cal, though he might not be hearing anything, is being influenced in some way. Vance seems to think Thomas is far more dangerous than he actually is, but he doesn’t know who Thomas is. Quite a lot of the episode is on the relationships that formed whilst Flight 828 was missing.