Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Manifest’ mixes science-fiction with the supernatural and creates a convoluted tale where the lives of 191 people are changed after they board a plane that disappears for five and a half years. When the passengers return, they discover that their loved ones have presumed them dead all these years and have moved on to other relationships, trying to cope with their loss. As the group tries to rebuild their relationships, they must get to the bottom of the mystery that changed their lives.
Ben Stone, Dr. Saanvi Bahl, and other passengers team up to find out what happened to them. Ben and Saavi are the most dedicated of the lot, giving their everything to saving others and doing whatever it takes to find a way to avoid the Death Date. This creates an unshakeable bond between them, which culminates in chemistry. If you wonder whether this chemistry amounts to anything, here’s what you should know.
Ben and Saanvi: Close Friends, Not Romantic Partners
In the beginning, the relationship between Ben and Saanvi had been of a shared fellowship. Having been the passengers on Flight 828, they went through the same thing and had their lives upended by the five-and-a-half-year disappearance. When Ben discovered that Saanvi was the scientist working on a cure for cancer that afflicted his son, Cal, they teamed up to find a way to keep Cal alive should the cancer return. Their team-up extends to the research into the Callings and the Divine Consciousness.
Over the years, Ben and Saanvi develop a camaraderie where they often lean on each other for support through difficult times and become their voice of reason when they lose their grip on reality. Despite this bond between them, there are no romantic feelings between them. Ben is married to Grace, and he loves her more than anything. Saanvi is dealing with rejection from her girlfriend, Alex. Even as Alex completely goes out of the picture, Saanvi doesn’t stop loving her.
At the end of the third season, tragedy strikes when Grace is killed by Angelina, who kidnaps Eden. For the next couple of years, Ben becomes obsessed with finding Eden, grappling with losing his wife. He ignores Olive and Cal and even stops answering the Callings. During this time, Saanvi sticks to the job and repeatedly tries to get through to Ben to make him see how desperately he needs help.
Eventually, Eden is found, and Ben breaks out of his obsession. He goes back to being his usual self, and his friendship with Saanvi rekindles. Once again, the duo works together to find a way to escape the death and destruction that the Death Date is to bring on the whole world. In the fourth season, Ben and Saanvi’s friendship takes a step further as they acknowledge their attraction.
In the penultimate episode, when all hope is lost and Saanvi feels guilty for not having found something that could save the world, Ben consoles her. They kiss and sleep with each other. Later, when they talk about it, they confess that what happened between them doesn’t mean anything. They both needed comfort and love at the time when they knew the world was going to end. They love each other but are not in love with each other. They don’t have feelings for each other the way they had for Grace and Alex.
Ben confesses that he still loves Grace and doesn’t know if he will ever get over her. He will never love anyone else as he loved his wife. In the same vein, Saanvi is still in love with Alex, despite how things turned out for them. Seeing that their feelings for each other are mutual, Ben and Saanvi decide not to overthink about it. When the Death Date arrives, they board the plane like the other passengers. Saanvi almost dies while receiving judgment from the Divine, but Ben stays by her side. When the plane passes through the Glow again, it takes the passengers back to 2013.
None of the bad things have happened in this timeline. Grace is still alive, and Ben is ecstatic to see her. Saanvi reunites with Alex, who apologizes for not being on the plane with her. However, Saanvi says that it all happened for the best. Because they still remember everything, Ben and Saanvi remain friends, but they don’t end up with each other romantically.
Read More: Do Michaela and Zeke End Up Together?
