NBC's Jeff Rake-created show, 'Manifest', has given us every reason to remain hooked to the screen every Monday night but the most convincing motivation to watch the show is Josh Dallas' character, Ben Stone. Starring Dallas, along with Athena Karkanis as Grace Stone, Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela, J.R.Ramirez as Jared, and Parveen Kaur as Saanvi Bahl, the show has been following the aftermath of the sudden re-appearance of Montego Air Flight 828 which went missing for almost five and half years. Ben, who was one of the passengers on the plane, has probably been the only character who has perceived the entire situation as a man of science. 

While his sister, Michaela, chose to follow her mother's faith in divinity by interpreting the "callings" as a sort of message from God, Ben took a different path of research and experiments in order to track down the cause behind the voices that he, his sister, and all the other passengers are hearing. In his attempt to find the truth there were moments when Ben was careless, such as not being able to properly explain to his wife Grace about the "callings" and there were times when he was a complete charmer. As the NBC show has taken a long fall break, let's take a moment to recall the times when Ben was an absolute Prince Charming.

 

 

1. Father dear

Ben had lost a considerable portion of his life when he was on that plane, and on returning he had to face the fact that while his daughter, Olive, had grown by five years her twin brother Cal, who was with Ben on the plane, had not aged a day. This meant that Ben had a lot of catching up to do. He, initially, treated Olive as the same 10-year-old whom he had left behind five years ago but after the incident when Olive stole from a shop, he began speculating his approach towards her as a father. He tries to spend time with her, and in the process begins to perceive the myriad differences between the 10-year-old girl and the 15-year-old teenager who had spent the last five years of her life believing that her father was dead.

2. A patient listener

Among the many qualities that Ben has the one which truly sets him apart is that he is a good listener. Ben was already aware that his wife, Grace, had been seeing another man while he was gone. However, when Grace decided to finally tell him about it he patiently listened to her trying to understand her situation. If he actually understood what she was going through is doubtful but Ben was man enough to accept his wife even when she clearly had developed feelings for another man. He stuck around for as long as he could but ultimately was asked to leave when Cal got involved in the chase after UDS in the ninth episode. Even then Ben remained patient and let things go the way his wife wanted them to.

 

 

3. The one who gives weird gifts

The chemistry between Ben and Saanvi has been a matter of interest for fans ever since the two shared their experience with the "calling". While fans are totally rooting for the two to get together, Ben and Saanvi have already established a bond which is largely based on their intellectual capabilities. Being people of science neither believe that the "callings" are the result of some divine intervention and together they have been trying to figure out what could have caused it. In the seventh episode, their partnership not only disclosed what triggered Cal's clairsensitivity, but the two were also able to find out UDS which had kidnapped 11 passengers from that plane. We all felt the heartwarming moment when Ben gifted Saanvi a cactus as a sign of their friendship. 

 

 

4. Date night

In spite of their differences, Ben and Grace have tried everything in hand to work out their relationship, including a date. They set their differences aside for that one night, and the two were blissful in each other's company. Ben took care of the fact that Grace would not be troubled by NSA's ongoing investigations that he was involved in. He spent the evening with her just like the old times, and let's accept the fact, it was straight out of a fairytale. Dallas, who is best known for his role as Prince Charming in 'Once Upon a Time' (2011), was at his best in the scene which helped highlight the shared love between Ben and Grace. 

 

 

5. A sister's brother

One of the best things about 'Manifest' is its relationship dynamics, and the Stone siblings, Ben and Michaela top the chart of the best relationships. Ben and Michaela are polar opposites when it comes to faith and science, as they are both perceiving the incidents from the plane through very different perspectives. However, unlike Michaela who has been broken with all the changes around her, Ben has consistently stood by his sister trying to help her put her life back together. The two stayed stuck to each other through thick and thin, and when Ben was asked to leave his house he stayed with Michaela. In the end, it was always them against the world. 

 

 

Ben might not be a perfect character with his consistent reproach from religion and his over-enthusiastic take on things which often put him in trouble. However, in spite of his flaws, he is a man of his words and genuinely takes his loved one's wishes under consideration way before he considers himself. 'Manifest' returns to NBC on January 7, and we hope Ben will find some redemption then.