The season of Manifest that fans have been waiting for has finally premiered on Netflix, and there’s so much to catch up on. Manifest season 4 part 1 drops us right back into the Flight 828 investigation two years following the events of the season 3 finale.
In the first half of the final season, Ben grapples with his grief for Grace’s death and Eden’s kidnapping, while everyone else attempts to continue guiding the Lifeboat. All of our favorite characters return, but there’s a certain new character that might confuse some viewers.
The Stone family has a new member by the name of Gabriel. For some, Gabriel’s identity will be obvious, but others will wonder what’s really going on with the character, who he actually is, and how that particular name might be an Easter egg for the season’s story.
Warning: Spoilers ahead from Manifest season 4 part 1.
As explained early on, Cal takes on the persona of the family’s “cousin” Gabriel Stone in order to protect Cal’s identity. Ben and the family don’t want to risk the world catching wind of Cal returning and having aged five years, which would surely subject him to testing by the Registry.
They have gone so far as to obtain Cal an ID with the name Gabriel, and Ben forces him to limit his time outside of the house to further reduce the risk of getting caught. Thankfully, Cal doesn’t have to assume the identity of Gabriel with any members of the 828 inner circle.
Because it’s Manifest, we know it’s all connected. There’s a meaning for everything, and there’s no way the creative team just chose a random name for Cal’s public alias. The new episodes don’t explain why the name Gabriel was chosen for Cal or what its significance could be (if there even is a significance for the story), but the name does seem connected.
According to scripture, Gabriel is one of the two angels mentioned. The other one? Michael. Doesn’t that name look strikingly similar to Michaela? But we digress. Gabriel has been described as a guardian angel (which is a phrase Angelina has mentioned in relation to Eden) who protected Israel from other angels. The name Gabriel also translates to “strength of God” in various languages.
Other facts about Gabriel that relate to Cal in his older form include Gabriel looking like a man, having people fear him (true for Cal’s younger form, too), and anticipating prophecies. Gabriel’s role in the Bible seems to be that of a messenger, and Cal has always been something of a messenger of meaning for the fellow passengers of Flight 828. Surely, there are plenty more similarities between Cal and the angel Gabriel, but we’ll leave the researching to Olive.
What do you think about Cal’s alias and its meaning in Manifest season 4 part 1? Sound off in the comments!
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