What Did Ben Stone Do on 'Manifest'? Why the Character's Become Unhinged

May 2024 · 3 minute read

Why is Ben Stone acting so erratically on 'Manifest'? Here's a refresher. Remember that it all ties back to his son, Cal.

Gina Vaynshteyn - Author

Tonight's episode of Manifest, "Duty Free," takes off where we left with Ben Stone getting arrested and in some major trouble. The episode synopsis reads, "The consequences of Ben's actions test his marriage and send Grace reeling; Michaela makes a difficult decision regarding Saanvi's secret; Cal, following his intuition, provides secret refuge to an outcast." So, what exactly did Ben do?

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Basically, everyone is pretty concerned that Ben has become unhinged. His fight for his son's life has possibly turned into something much darker. Here's a quick refresher.

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What did Ben Stone do on 'Manifest'?

Basically, Ben almost kills Cody in the previous episode. Ben is with Astrid when they see a closed car repair shop that has the race flag on it. As soon as they step foot on the premises, Cody attacks Ben (Cody is anti-828). Astrid luckily attacks Cody before he could do worse and they tie him up. We learn that Cody believes that there's a war coming that'll pit 828 passengers against everyone else. Astrid receives another calling while they're at the car shop, and she tells Ben she sees a boy calling for help.

Ben then tells Cody that his son needs his help (this is the boy Astrid sees), but Cody won't believe Ben — even though Astrid can actually feel him dying. Ben kind of snaps and starts beating up Cody (who's still restrained), and hurting him badly. At home, Cal and Angelina watch a photo of Ben start burning up and Cal just says, "Trial by fire." Luckily, they stop Ben just in time. "What are you thinking?" Michaela questions Ben.

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Ben tries to explain his motivation for pummeling Cody (i.e., Astrid's vision). Astrid tells them that Cody's son can't breathe and describes a few things about him only Cody would know. "Do you hate us so much you're willing to sacrifice your own son?" Michaela asks Cody. Cody finally gives in and tell them he's put his son in a bunker in order to keep him safe.

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It's assumed that Ben did all of this because it's the anniversary of him learning about his son's leukemia prognosis and he wants to help save another child. He feels like he didn't do enough for Cal, as witnessed by his and Michaela's conversation in the car after Ben is arrested.

At this point, we know for sure that Ben will stop at nothing to protect his own family, and that he's determined to save Cal — no matter the costs.

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Ben assaulted a man, and he also bullied Astrid, who has anxiety. Ben, unfortunately has become quite aggressive, and most fans are happy that he was at least confronted about his mistakes. Even his own sister doesn't have super kind words for him. Will this be Ben's wakeup call? Is he becoming a danger to the Lifeboat?

Watch new episodes of Manifest every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

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