1 Manifest Detail Suggests Grace's Death Needed To Happen (2024)

A detail in the Manifest two-part season 3 finale implies that Grace’s death needed to happen. In the show, Grace’s ending was depicted as a horrible tragedy and a needless murder that happened at the hands of Angelina (Holly Taylor). However, it’s possible that there’s a special meaning to her death that the show will explore in Manifest season 4.

In a shocking development, Grace (Athena Karkanis) became the first main character to die when she stood in the way of Angelina’s plan to kidnap Eden. In her dying moments, she was comforted by Cal (now played by Ty Doran), who suddenly returned from his mysterious disappearance as an 18-year-old. It appears that Grace’s death will be a catalyst for several season 4 stories, as many characters are sure to be emotionally devastated by her murder. There’s no question that the loss of her character will take a heavy toll on Ben (Josh Dallas), Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), Olive (Luna Blaise), and Cal when the show returns. Based on how season 3 ended, apprehending Angelina and making her pay for her crimes is expected to be the main characters’ immediate goal in Manifest season 4.

Related: Manifest Theory Explains How To Beat The Death Date (It's Not The Lifeboat)

Though killing Grace cemented Angelina’s status in the show as a villain, it’s been suggested that her death was actually a necessary outcome. Before Cal disappeared, he hugged his mother and told her that “it had to be this way”. It was initially assumed that he was talking about his impending disappearance, but the fact that he only shared a goodbye with his mother (and not his father) raises the possibility that he was aware of Grace’s fate. There’s also the fact that Cal happened to return at the exact moment of Grace’s death. It was as if he somehow knew where he needed to be and when. And if Cal did know these things and yet still didn’t try to prevent it from happening, that would indicate that Cal believed that her death was supposed to happen.

Cal’s “I know what we have to do now” line further hints at the possibility that Grace’s death was part of some grand plan. Cal has always had a special connection to the Callings that allows him to have an almost prophetic presence on the show, so his character having a vision of Grace getting killed by Angelina isn’t implausible. The Callings also could have convinced him of the necessity behind Grace’s death, which would help explain Cal’s odd behavior and emotional state in the episode. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Cal played an integral role in the events that led up her to death. Though he may not have known what it would cause at the time, it’s true that Cal giving Angelina the key to their house is what enabled her to kill Grace. Plus, he had said all along that Angelina was important. Killing Grace could have been hersecret purpose.

If Grace’s death really was planned by the Callings, this would of course beg the obvious question: why did she have to die? It could be that the Callings deemed her death a step toward the Flight 828 passengers doing what needs to be done to survive the Death Date. Ben has always been at the forefront of their efforts, and no passenger will be affected by this more than him in Manifest season 4. The impact it’ll have could push him in the right direction and perhaps even remove a major obstacle to Ben saving the Lifeboat. Though Grace has been an ally to him, there have been times where’s she urged him to slow down, which could be part of the reason why the Callings might have engineered this outcome.

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