Manifest Review: KXTA (Season 1 Episode 11)
Manifest is continuing to work all the angles but still not bringing us any closer to an answer for what happened on Montego Air Flight 828. On Manifest Season 1 Episode 11, “KXTA,” we look at Captain Daly’s journey since the return and how the plane’s sudden appearance affected his life.
“KXTA” is very much what I would call a building block episode. It’s necessary to get to a final destination, and engaging to watch. Additionally, the storytelling on this episode is really tight which gives the audience a clear focal point for what they should be paying attention to.
It makes sense to go Captain Daly’s point of view for an episode because he would be trying to piece together what happened to these passengers. He had a front-row seat from the cockpit, and he would be able to say exactly what he saw before the five-year gap.
From the very first episode, the story has really only focused on the passengers on the flight. However, Captain Daly was responsible for them and the guilt he feels weighs on his character.
Watching him with Cal in the first flashback when Cal asks if he has wings to give to children is a heartbreaking and touching moment. As the story later reveals how vilified Captain Daly was in the press, his motivation is understood.
The breadcrumbs that Captain Daly and Ben follow to lead to the dark lightning theory is also an interesting turn of events that lead up to the sequence with the plane taking off.
When Captain Daly looks at Fiona and says, “I’ll see you in 2024,” it’s a terrifying moment. However, since it looks like no one has a definitive answer to what happened to the plane he stole, that leaves another loose thread for the season to tie up eventually.
With five episodes left in the first season, I definitely do not think that we’ll have a definitive answer for what happened on the plane but “KXTA” pointed the stone siblings down a very interesting avenue.
Finding out the government didn’t start covering themselves when the plane returned and instead from the day they disappeared is an interesting development, but not entirely unexpected. It isn’t so much that the government started their cover-up early, it’s more the idea of the unknown that is fascinating.
In tandem with the government conspiracy, you have Autumn who is still working against the Stone siblings. When we last saw her, she was being called into a car with the Major, and we know her primary interest is in Cal.
I mentioned in my review of Manifest Season 1 Episode 10, “Crosswinds,” that I thought it was a smart move not to reveal The Major’s identity too soon. I really like that they’re taking their time with that reveal. Having a big bad in the shadows really helps with the tension of the series.
At some point, The Major will need to be revealed, but it doesn’t have to happen right away and I am very happy that the writers are choosing to pace it out and hold onto that secret a little bit.
In the end, “KXTA” is an above average Manifest episode, but it does have some great performances and does work to advance the plot. I
Stray Thoughts:
- Captain Daly gave Cal wings after all. That’s such a sweet thought and a great way to bookend the opening scene when they were talking in the hanger when the plane first landed.
- I really love the evolution of Ben’s conspiracy board. I don’t know what it is about it, but seeing him so invested in the mystery is intriguing. It gives him more dimension as a character.
- It’s kind of refreshing to see Michaela step away from Jared. There is going to be so much more road to cover, but I think that with a storyline that delved into dark details, the audience needed to soak it in.
- I am very worried about Cal! That’s really the only thing that I can say about the final seconds of the episode.
What did you think of this episode of Manifest? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Manifest airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.