Manifesto is a 2018 series created by Jeff Rake. It’s a suspense-filled dramatic science fiction mystery that took NBC by storm. No one expected the success Manifesto would become. At the broadcast, the show drew parallels with similarly categorized content such as: Lost, Stephen King’s The Langoliers, and the movie Final destination:n. However, as it turned out, Manifesto wasn’t quite up to par with the others. It was a competition all its own. There was something about the way Rake presented his story. The viewership was hooked.
Manifesto was an undeniable success for NBC. More than 10 million viewers listened to the premiere, and according to looperby the end of the first season, “NBC could brag that” Manifesto was the most-watched new TV series for the 2018-2019 season in the 18-49 age group.” But in the second season, something happened. The viewership dropped dramatically, from 10 million live viewers to 3 million. third season , it was clear Manifesto struggled.
In 2021, NBC made an executive decision to discontinue the series. It was the young viewing audience that led to this decision. While it made little sense for NBC to continue airing the series, Netflix dove in. The choice to broadcast the series on its platform once again sparked interest. The move breathed vitality into the waning fandom and seemed like one of Netflix’s best saves. But despite the apparent success and Rake’s six-season prospectus, Netflix announced: manifesto’s cancellation. Those familiar with Netflix understand that shows often get the axe. However, the nixing of Manifesto excited fans and sparked anger. And the fans gathered to disapprove of the decision. #Save a Manifesto campaign followed. Even Stephen King joined in, tweeting a heartfelt plea to save the series.
The voice of the people could not be denied, so Netflix responded. Manifesto was renewed for its fourth and final season. Finally, fans could relax, basking in the relief that a fan favorite was finally getting a proper close. On September 24, 2022, Netflix released one of the first trailers for the fourth and final season of Manifest, and it’s something. The trailer is full of reveals and clues about what fans can expect.
Manifesto Season 4 Trailer
The first few moments of the trailer take viewers on a short walk through memory. Essentially, in the opener, we’re back to where it all began, the surprising disappearance of 828. And suddenly, the mind-boggling return years later. But otherwise the promo clip expands for hip viewers to the thematic elements, which will determine the action points in the coming season.
Given what we’ve seen, season four will focus on five dominant themes: predestination, foreknowledge, hunch, connection, and divine awareness.
Pre-cognition, hunch and pre-destination
Throughout the trailer, two predominant themes that emerge through character conversations and interaction are the ideas of foreknowledge and hunch. Foreknowledge is foreknowledge of impending future events through supernatural or paranormal means. The trailer shows the characters envisioning the future before it was ever formed. There is a heavy symbolism involved, which points to what awaits us.
There are names etched on tombstones, the appearance of dirt and ashes straight from a dream, and a whimsical floating compass, all prophetic symbols. However, the idea of hunch is also explored through the various characters, as each deals with the unsettling sense of something big on the horizon. Finally, the trailer emphasizes the idea of predestination.
As Michaela Stone claims:
“We should save the passengers together.”
Or you could think of the constant reminder that nothing of the matter is accidental, as also emphasized by Michaela. In her enlightened state on the brink of discovery, Michaela explains to the kite:
“You did not fly into the storm; it flew into us; it chose us.”
Connectivity
Of course, not everything is clear, clipped and dry. But one cannot deny the binding bonds between the passengers that drive the mystery. This leads to the overarching connection theme, one of the biggest themes in the entire series. Throughout Seasons 1-3, through moment-by-moment revelations, fans will discover the connecting link between the passengers on the 828 manifesto.
As the trailer shows, this will also be an essential theme in season four and a key to drilling the foundations and excavating.
Divine Consciousness
In addition to the concepts of foreknowledge, premonition, predestination and connection, there is another important theme. The trailer teases a more powerful element behind the events of Flight 828. And given the hints left out, it’s slightly less likely that aliens pulled the strings, as some have suspected. But rather, there is a more powerful, divine consciousness in charge.
Season four will be an exciting journey. The trailer lends itself to a season of more exploration, depth, death and questions we hope to see answered. It’s disappointing that Rake can’t expand his story to the intended six-part teleplay. But perhaps this one powerful season has allowed him to wrap up his story in the most appropriate way. At least that’s the hope. Until then, all that remains is to wait. And for those who long for the last start, Manifesto begins its terminal journey on Netflix on November 4, 2022.