Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Manifest’ creates a complex mythology to tell the story of the unexplained disappearance and reappearance of a flight that was supposed to land in New York in 2013. It is five and a half years late, but for the passengers on the plane, it is like no time has passed. For them, it was just a short turbulence that rattled them, but they had been gone for far too long for the people back home.
As the passengers delve into the reason behind the occurrence, they make shocking discoveries. Things are much more complicated and above their plane of understanding than they’d imagined. They understand parts of it but also know they might never fully understand what happened to them and why. Still, they know enough to piece together an acceptable explanation. The Glow is an important piece of that puzzle. If you want to know more about it, we’ve got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD
What is the Glow?
When Flight 828 disappeared, it vanished into thin air for the rest of the world. The radar couldn’t track the plane, and no communication could be established with the crew. They looked everywhere, trying to find out where the flight could have vanished, even considering the possibility that it might have crashed. However, there was no wreckage, no evidence to give any concrete answer to what might have happened.
While the years passed in the real world, the people onboard 828 were above the plane of normal human existence. It isn’t until the fourth season that they come up with a name for it. They call it the Divine Consciousness or the Glow, owing to the bright lights in its background. No one knows how or why they ended up in the Glow, but it’s clear that this place is above the rules of time and space. Here, all time and memories exist at the same time. All the things that have happened and will happen exist here. All the people who have existed or will exist are here, along with their memories, which is what leads to the existence of the Callings.
When Flight 828 enters the Glow, the passengers feel an intense sense of calm and peace because here, they are one with the creator of the world. This is as close as they come to God. All the things that come to them as Callings later appear here. But when they leave the Glow and return to the normal world, they forget what they experienced there, which is why the Callings surprise them.
After Zeke dies, he ends up in the Glow. He appears to Michaela, trying to guide her through a difficult time. They cannot touch each other, but they can talk to each other. This is when Zeke tells her that being in the Glow means he has access to all his memories and knows what will happen in the future. He can’t tell her about the future because it might affect her free will, but he is free to tell her about the past and all the times their paths crossed, and they almost met each other.
Another thing we discover about the Glow is that it can be accessed through the Omega Sapphire. Cal has the sapphire through his dragon tattoo, while Angelina has the stone. They repeatedly visit the plane during their and others’ Callings, though they never leave it, which means there are some restrictions on how the living can access it.
When the Death Date arrives, the plane reappears; it takes the passages back into the Glow, where they meet their judgment. Eleven passengers are punished, but the rest are sent back to their families back in time. After passing through the Glow, the plane landed in 2013, which is when it went missing the first time. This shows that time doesn’t move in a straight line in the Glow. As easily as it took the plane into the future, the Glow can also take it into the past. After all these years of trying to uncover the mystery behind what happened to them, the passengers know very little about the Glow, but they leave it with the knowledge of its existence and how it connects everything in the world.
Read More: Why is Cal Older in Manifest, Explained
