Is Grace Stone Dead? Why Did Athena Karkanis Leave Manifest?
When Montego Air Flight 828 lands in New York in ‘Manifest,’ the passengers of the same confront the herculean task of restarting their lives in reality despite their inexplicable disappearance and presumed deaths. For Grace Stone, Ben Stone’s wife and Cal Stone’s mother, helping her husband and son adapt to the new reality isn’t an easy affair. Still, Grace succeeds in doing the same impeccably. She becomes the support system of her family, who tries to unravel the mystery behind Flight 828.
In the third season finale, Grace’s life gets threatened by another passenger, who hurts her family severely. As the Stones deal with their absence in Netflix’s fourth season of the show, the viewers must be intrigued to find out whether Grace is dead. Here’s everything you need to know about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Grace Stone Dead?
Yes, Grace Stone is dead. In the third season of the show, Michaela Stone and Zeke Landon rescue Angelina Meyer from her religious fundamentalist parents, who lock her up in Costa Rica. To make her feel cared for and loved, the Stones welcome Angelina to their house, where she bonds with Cal Stone and his sister Eden Stone. Upon talking with Adrian Shannon, Angelina starts to believe that she needs a “guardian angel” for her survival.
In the third season finale, Angelina plans to abduct Eden from the Stones and vanishes from their lives. She believes that she and Eden are connected, which makes her think that the child is her guardian angel. When she moves forward with her plan, Grace comes in between the same. She tries to stop Angelina from abducting her daughter, only for the latter to stab her with a knife. Grace dies after meeting Cal for one last time. Grace’s death paved the way for Athena Karkanis’ departure from the show. But why was Grace killed off? Let’s see.
Why Did Athena Karkanis Leave Manifest?
Athena Karkanis left ‘Manifest’ when her character Grace Stone’s story arc got concluded. Athena’s departure from the show was on the cards since Grace’s death, as far as the narrative of the show is concerned, was conceived as an essential development. Creator Jeff Rake made it clear in an interview with TV Insider that he “did not make this decision [to kill off Grace] lightly.” “There’s nothing flip about this. There’s nothing manipulative about this. There’s nothing spiteful about this. This was part of our story, and her significance in Manifest remains as strong as ever,” he added.
Grace’s death is justified in the fourth season of the show since a major part of the installment is conceived as the aftermath of her death. Grace’s death is “the most fundamental, life-altering, devastating thing that could happen to [Ben]. A Season 4 of Manifest for Ben is absolutely centered around processing, digesting, coming to emotional terms with such an unspeakable loss, and then trying to find a way to seek vengeance, to kind of justify the act in terms of finding some meaning out of it,” as per Rake, according to the same TV Insider interview.
Rake’s words confirm that Athena left the show only because her character, inevitably, dies. After her departure, the creator expressed his immense gratitude towards the actress for being a part of his vision. “Endless love, affection, and gratitude to the exquisite Athena Karkanis. You gifted us weekly with humanity, authenticity, and complexity. I’m humbled by your selflessness and your partnership. Thank you always,” he shared. Although Athena left the show, we get to see a glimpse of her in the tenth episode of the fourth season as Grace appears in Ben and Cal’s callings. As we await the second part of season 4, it will not be a surprise to see Grace again in a guest appearance.
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