‘Manifest’: Conspiracy Builds in Episode 8 Preview

The hunt for the missing passengers goes on in a preview for this week’s episode of Manifest.

Manifest is heating up as Ben (Josh Dallas) and Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) continue to search for the 11 passengers missing since the flight landed. Last week, Ben confronted NSA Director Vance, demanding answers as his son’s health deteriorated. This week, it looks like he will get them as the two become unlikely allies.

“If we’re going to find these people, we’re going to do it by working together,” Vance says in the new clip.

Last week, Ben got a whole lot of new data about one of the missing passengers, Fiona Clarke. He took a low-level job in accounting at J.P. Williamson, allowing him access to her information. He made off with it on a flash drive, but soon turned that over reluctantly to Vance. Now, it looks like Vance will allow him to help untangle it.

“The data on the flash drive is raw,” he says. “Maybe you’re smart enough to make sense of it.”

If Ben does not do it, someone will, as the clip shows one terrifying scene of a many lying in a hospital bed, apparently the subject of a bizarre experiment. He has wire attached to his head and he is covered in sweat — not unlike Cal.

Meanwhile, Michaela comes face to face with a man poised to jump off a building, apparently believe it will stop more people from dying. Shortly after, she steps into a room where the words “I am angel of death” are painted on the wall in red, dripping letters. Finally, Cal delivers the simplest line of the trailer.

“I don’t want to die,” he says with cold honesty.

Manifest has become NBC‘s break-out drama this fall. The show captures some of the essence of smash hits like Lost, drawing audiences into a sprawling mystery with no real promise that there will be easy answers. This week will mark episode 8 of the first season, marking the halfway point of the season.

Manifest was originally picked up for a half-season order, meaning it would only air 13 episodes. However, after it dominated the Monday night line-up for a few weeks in a row, NBC decided to keep the mystery alive. In mid-October, the network extended Manifest‘s order by three more episodes, making a total of 16.

That leaves plenty of time for plot twists, new developments and double crosses as the passengers of flight 828 try to unravel what has happened to them.

Manifest airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.