Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 4 Part 2 of Manifest.Manifesthas come to a close for the second and final time with the passengers facing their death date. With not only their fate in their hands but also the world, most of the time the passengers stay focused on solving their Callings and doing everything they can to keep the lifeboat afloat. Despite this, that still leaves plenty of room for relationships onManifest,from the semi-love triangle between Zeke (Matt Long), Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), and Jared (JR Ramirez) to the romance between Olive (Luna Blaise) and passenger TJ (Garrett Wareing). The supernatural drama even takes a brief moment to explore fan favorites Ben (Josh Dallas) and Saanvi (Parveen Kaur), though considering the series finale, in hindsight, this wasn’t a great narrative choice.
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Ben and Saanvi’s History
Ben and Saanvi always had chemistry, even in the first season. While they have the foundation of both being passengers, that connection led them to an even more important bond that would serve as a foundation of trust between them. Ben’s son Cal (Jack Messina) is diagnosed with leukemia at the start of the series, and Saanvi’s research from before the flight eventually cures him (along with many other patients during the five-and-a-half years of their disappearance). Due to Saanvi’s research and connection to the Stones, she becomesa key part of investigating the Callingsand what happened to the passengers on Flight 828.
For the first three seasons, the two work together, many times as partners, as they continue down the rabbit hole that the callings and research take them into. While Saanvi does admit her feelings for Ben to her therapist, who was The Major (Elizabeth Marvel) in disguise, and they continue to serve chemistry and moments that solidified how deep their care for each other ran, there were some obvious obstacles. Ben, for one, was married and devoted to his wife, Grace (Athena Karkanis). They even have a child over the course of the serieswho becomes important later on in Eden. Saanvi also has some obstacles, albeit not as big as a spouse. In addition to some plot-heavy individual arcs, Saanvi also has another romantic interest, Alex (Sydney Morton), a married woman she briefly pursues a relationship with.
Things start to get brighter, in terms of Ben and Saanvi’s potential relationship, once Season 4 rolls around. Unfortunately for Ben, Grace dies in the Season 3 finale, and with the death date approaching in the nearing series finale, the plot of the show becomes more focused, bringing the two together. In addition to this,Manifestalso seems to truly pick up on Ben and Saanvi’s dynamic, broaching more romantic tropes. In the fourth season episode, “Romeo,” the two pretend to be together and share a kiss while investigating a nursing home that is revealed to be holding catatonic passengers who previously underwent torture from The Major. They have a similar occurrence in the second part of the last season as well: Ben kisses Saanvi to not arouse the suspicion of any guards while investigating the detention center they’re trapped in. The fact that Ben and Saanvi use romance to maintain stealth in missions not once but twice is not a coincidence.
Where It Went Wrong With Benvi
Then it happens. They finally hook up. In “Lift/Drag,” Ben is able to rescue Saanvi and is reunited with her for the first time in several episodes. When she returns, Saanvi thinks she’s figured out a way to wake up the passengers from the nursing home, but when her attempt seems to fail, Ben finds her in her grief. From there, it’s history. Literal history, because that’s the last time they have intimacy. They talk about it two episodes later in the finale, “Final Boarding.” On the night before the death date, they discuss their still-present feelings but concede that they are both still in love with their former lovers, Alex and Grace, despite the “mad love” they have for each other. They aren’t “endgame.” This feels a little convenient, considering the characters would have no idea they’d be reunited with their loved ones in a pseudo-alternate timeline. Grace is gone, so why would he bring it up, especially considering he also had love for Saanvi in his heart?
Season 4’s Benvi content is bait poorly cast. The headway made in this final season quickly regresses with their conversation in the finale and comes off as a slight more than anything. If the plan from the get-go was to have Ben and Grace reunited in the face of her death, then it would have served all the relationships better to keep the characters on that direct track rather than throw in a hook-up almost like an afterthought a few episodes from the end. Saanvi could reflect on her situation with Alex and Ben could do the same for his wife. Beyond that, there’s the fan lingo that the characters reach for in spite of having no prior familiarity with it. Using words like “endgame” or even ship portmanteau names tends to pull audiences out of the content they’re watching, the opposite of storytelling’s goal.
Probably one of the toughest bullets to bite with the tiny side arc Ben and Saanvi receive in Season 4 is how inconsequential it is to the rest of the season. All the scenes that play on the romantic feelings between them could have easily been removed and nothing would be affected. This is even more frustrating for Saanvi’s side of things since she sits a few episodes out toward the end of the season, and it’s not the first time that the character has drawn the short stick. It’s hard enough to lose out onthe fulfillment of a beloved ship, but for it to not be endgame or important? It stings.
Sometimes what likely had good intentions sometimes just doesn’t land, and that is the case with Saanvi and Ben. Their romantic gestures this season probably started out as a nod to the fans, and, while the content was initially fun and well-acted, it was the follow-up that soured their dynamic and firmly placed them in the territory of narrative convenience. It is not enough to have a love scene that is passionate; the characters should regard each other with passion, too.Manifest’s less-than-optimal treatment of Ben and Saanvi proves that sometimes it’s better not to pursue a romantic thread than to do so and ultimately declare you’re returning to past relationships, no matter how important they have been. Not every ship has to happen, but it’s never a good idea for the story itself to tease and backtrack when it comes to shipping, either.
