NBC's Jeff Rake-directed show, 'Manifest', has been a complete package with its surreal mystery, family drama, and its romantic relations, especially when it comes to Jared and Michaela. Starring Josh Dallas (as Ben Stone), Athena Karkanis (as Grace), Melissa Roxburgh (as Michaela Stone), J.R.Ramirez (as Jared) and Parveen Kaur (as Saanvi Bahl), the show follows the sudden re-appearance of Montego Air Flight 828, which went missing for almost five and a half years. What makes it more mysterious is that the passengers don't appear to have been affected by age or time at all and are now drawn by some strange 'callings' leading them to an unknown destination. 

 

Among all the characters, it is Michaela who suffering the most since she returned to a world where her mother is already dead and her to-be fiance, Jared, is married to her best friend. Although over the course of the series it seemed that neither Jared nor Michaela were ready to give up on their feelings for each other, there were times when it almost felt that we are losing out on all chances of seeing the couple together. Before the show returns on January 7, here are the top four times when we thought that Jared and Michaela will probably not make it to the end: 

 

 

1. Jared goes missing in the airport

We had not met Jared when Michaela went asking about him to her father in the first episode, but it was pretty well established in the opening scene of the first episode that Michaela was holding herself back from accepting Jared's proposal. Guilt-ridden by the death of her best friend, Eve, she did not want to accept his proposal for marriage as she felt that she did not deserve all that happiness. Even when Ben tries to persuade her, Michaela refuses to look at the brighter side, but it cannot be ignored that on landing from that plane, Jared was the first person she wanted to see. Unfortunately, in spite of Michaela's father trying to reach him, Jared had not turned up at the airport.

2. There is someone else

We totally hated Jared for what he did, but on further thinking, he cannot be blamed. Jared had proposed to Michaela before she boarded the plane but when the plane went missing for five and a half years, the passengers were all presumed to be dead. However, when Michaela suddenly reappears after all those years Jared has to confess to her that he was married to her other best friend, Lourdes. It seemed that there was no return from that point as both of them refused to accept their leftover feelings for each other. Jared did not even apologize for it and went on to convince her into believing that he had waited for a good two years before he even looked at someone else. 

3. A baby on the way

In spite of being married to Lourdes, Jared did not mind taking up all the risks for Michaela even when she refused to tell him about the "callings". Although he did not understand much, Jared continued to accompany her in her errands, following the voices in her head or the "callings". However, when Lourdes revealed that she was about to start a family with Jared and there might be a baby, Michaela immediately pleaded Jared to leave her alone. She did not want him to get into any danger and was ready to let him go on the grounds that she did not want to be a homewrecker. Heck, that could have been the end-all!

4. The final calling

Nothing can be more permanent an end than death and let's accept the fact that when Jared was injured in that bomb blast we almost thought that we would not see him again. Jared, along with Detective Vance (played by Daryl Edwards) went missing when the passengers began to escape out of the blazing building in the ninth episode. Soon Michaela discovered that he was lying senseless, and wasn't responding to her calls. Michaela almost assumed that this time she had lost Jared, and so did we, as Jared was closest to the blast. Fortunately, Jared did come back to his senses and it seems that there is about to be a new spark between the two. 

 

 

'Manifest' returns to NBC on January 7, and by the looks of the promo trailer, we are hopeful that Jared will return to his old love, Michaela. Watch the promo trailer for the tenth episode below:

 

Disclaimer : The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and are not necessarily shared by MEAWW.