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Narratively, Michaela and Zeke were always meant to find each other and be together.
Narratively, Jared and Mick were not meant to be.
From the very beginning ā S01E01.
The offscreen event that led to Mick being in a bad place mentally/emotionally (her BFF Evieļæ½ļæ½s death) had also led to her hesitation of Jaredās proposal, which led to her getting on Flight 828 because she didnāt wanna have to deal with that and her family pressuring her to accept. (āItās not just about you. This family needs something to celebrateā / āAnd I know you love Jaredā / āWhy are you fighting this when all itās gonna do is make you happy?ā)
It was a domino effect. The plane disappearing led to Jared marrying Mickās other BFF, Lourdes, four years later, and the plane reappeared a year after that.
Mick became the other woman in that marriage, which she deeply regretted; and she not only destroyed her now-ex BFFās marriage, but also lost another lifelong friendship on top of being too wrought with guilt over Evie (which she forgives herself for in the final season). Jared didnāt really show any remorse, but Mick now had all of that weighing her down and didnāt want to continue with him. And Jared certainly didnāt make it easy on her.
Really, these two were not right for each other. Not to mention, Jared unnecessarily stirred up trouble and a lot of stress for her due to his immediate jealousy and rather extreme hostility towards Zeke and his possessiveness over Mick. Very toxic. Just gross. Not right.
~~~
I think itās important to remember, too, the original series order was 13 episodes ā the āfind herā Calling was in the tenth episode, Zeke appears in the twelfth episode, and the thirteenth ended with him and Mick in front of the petroglyph of two stick figures holding hands, outside under the stars.
Those episodes wouldāve been written in cohesion with the preceding storylines, especially considering the nature of the show and its mythology needing to be mapped out instead of written on the spot ā meaning that Zekaela was not shoehorned into the show. Keyword, ācohesion.ā
Those episodes and the character wouldāve been written long before the actor was even cast into the role. It was always planned.
š¤ Itās also confirmed.
Their soulmatism was sprinkled all over their story, starting in their first two episodes together.
āItās all connected,ā didnāt you know? š
The showās been consistent about that.
Look at the acting choices in Season 1 from before Zekeās introduction. In multiple scenes, Jared told Mick they were supposed to be together and sheād shake her head ānoā like out of instinct or something. Like her heart knew, but she consciously didnāt yet. When Jared told her sheās his soulmate, Mick said, āNo, Iām not.ā
Narratively, her heart always belonged elsewhere. After she met Zeke, she always chose him over Jared from that point onward. Everything that happened led her to him, including her conscious choices post-Pilot and pre-Vanishing Point.
~~~
So, I want to put my thoughts to some of the things Iāve read by antisā¦
āThe only thing Zeke and Mick had in common were the Callingsā
Thatās not true. You had to have watched the show with your eyes closed to come up with that.
A Calling brought them together, sure, but it didnāt make them connect and fall in love, or be happier around one another. A Calling isnāt a love potion or a magic spell.
Zekaela was a pretty peaceful relationship in a sea of turmoil (the government, the X-ers, the hatred and violence against 828ers), whereas Jachaela was an angsty teen drama amidst the external turmoil. š¶
Iām going to quote a character from a different story who chose his wife over someone else he had feelings with, because I think it applies very much with Mick choosing Zeke over and over again every single time. āPassion is ā¦ itās fire. And fire is great, man. But weāre made of water. Water is how we keep living. Water is what we need to survive. My family was my water. I picked water. Iāll pick water every time.ā And Iāll add another quote from the same character talking about his wife and what it was like in meeting her, replacing the name with Mickās because it is very much in alignment with Zekaelaās story. āBut when I met [Mick], it was something different altogether. She just ā¦ made the world make sense to me. She even made me like myself more. And there was a calmness to her that ā¦ nobody else had. It felt like when I was with her, I knew everything would be fine. It was like I was following the North Star.ā
Mick being Zekeās North Star is literally canon, by the way.
(S01E13 and S04E18).
~~~
āThe only reason why Zeke and Mick got together was due to the time travel and the Callingsā
Yeah, thatās how storytelling works.
Crying about this is like complaining that the only reason the Doctor regenerates is because heās an alien from Gallifrey and the Doctor Who writers in 1966 came up with a way to replace the leading actor without getting rid of the main character. Or rather, itās like complaining that the only reason Mary Margaret and David fell in love despite the Dark Curse amnesia is because they were Snow White and Charming in the Enchanted Forest.
Trying to belittle Mick and Zekeās love by attacking the narrative, thatās pathetic.
āBut itās forcedā
No, itās not. The little things the writers added years later, like Afterlife!Zeke telling Mick about them having moments in their lives where they almost met, is not forced, because the audience (who donāt have blinders on during their story) already knew they were soulmates and itās literally how storytelling works.
Heaven forbid TV writers foreshadow, expand, and give callbacks to scenes from previous seasons ever again! Heaven forbid we ever get flashbacks in later seasons! Heaven forbid you ever watch another TV show with more than 1 season because āthey added this years later, so itās forcedā!
āBut Mick and Jared knew each other the longestā
So? That doesnāt matter. Do you actually believe length is an indicator of whether or not someone is the love of your life? Justā¦wow! Heaven forbid anybody not get back together with an ex simply because they knew them longer. Heaven forbid anybody leave behind a former or current longterm relationship without getting told, āBut itās been years, so you belong with him forever/were meant to be with him.ā
Mick wanted Zeke. She chose Zeke. I think thatās a good indicator of whom the love of her life is.
In S01E13, Mick tells him that she wished she could redo her re-entry into 2018 but wasnāt sure what she wouldāve done to change the way her situation at home turned out.
In S02E01, Zeke tells Mick he wished heād met her some other way in some other time.
In S04E19, Mick tells Ben she doesnāt regret taking a later flight because it led her to Zeke.
Itās very telling. Benās heart belongs with Grace, and Mickās heart belongs with Zeke.
āShe wouldāve married Jared if Flight 828 landed in its proper timeline in the Pilot episodeā
Thereād be no show to watch if the plane landed in 2013, for one thing.
Those 5 years gave Mick an experience where she learned what and whom she really wanted, without the enormous pressure of immediately accepting a proposal, and she also got the opportunity to meet her real soulmate. Itās okay to not want the same thing you wanted a few years ago. Itās called growth.
~~~
āMick only stayed married to Zeke, after he survived his Death Date, out of pity and duty (because he survived, and she expected him to die)ā
I remember seeing a remark like this, and you must dislike or hate Mick if you think sheās like that. Even as a joke, thatās just cruel.
Mick was so happy and relieved when Zeke survived his Death Date. She loves Zeke, or did you just close your eyes to their whole love story?
She told him sheād continue to choose him even if he had one day left, or ten thousand left. And with or without empath powers, Zeke knew she loved him too.
āBut she still had feelings for Jaredā
Okay, and? Even if the situation were reverse, sheād also still have feelings for Zeke. It works both ways.
And as Mick told him, she chose him instead of Jared. Sure, she loved Jared, but as Zeke told Mick in S04E02, her huge heart has room enough for anyone whoās lucky to be loved by her. Loving Zeke doesnāt mean she has to stop loving anyone else in her life. Love isnāt limited.
Itās canon that the only way she could choose Jared is if Zeke is dead. He didnāt look happy at all when he saw Zeke survived.
Just because you love someone doesnāt mean theyāre the one for you. She chose Zeke.
~~~
āThe writers only made Drea pregnant to put her and Jared togetherā
Do I need to be petty and remind yāall that pregnancy happens when two people regularly have sex, and protection isnāt always a 100% guarantee? š¶
Jared and Drea match really well, that was quite clear when they first got together. Their relationship grew organically. Just take off your blinders. Even Mick could see that Drea is perfect for him.
It helped Mick to see that Jared was comprising his happiness by being with her. She didnāt want children, and she was confronted with the fact that they could never have a full life together, not without compromising her vision for her own life.
By the way, that breakup post-reset was made before she remembered Zeke telling her about one of their almost-meetups where he was a cab driver at the airport on the night Flight 828 was supposed to land. So, it was fully her choice to end things with Jared going forward and starting anew; Zeke didnāt even need to be alive for her to choose that for herself. But she was so happy when she remembered. If you truly like the character, her choice makes complete sense narratively and character-wise.
~~~
āBut Jared and Mick have more chemistryā
If arguing and fighting is chemistry, then yeah. Donāt get me wrong, I do think JR and Melissa have chemistry outside of angst and volatile tension, but if you think āmore chemistryā is a reason why a fictional couple should be endgame, you have a juvenile view of an adult romance. This aināt a teen drama. So, congrats, what a way to reveal you donāt care about the story or a cohesive narrative! š
Zekaela have a calmer romantic chemistry, and their sweet love story is so much better than Jachaelaās constant tension-filled drama where Jared put on tantrums when she wouldnāt give in to him. Their story up until Season 4 was volatile in a bad way, which only went away when Jared stopped chasing after her and let her live peacefully married to Zeke. Iām glad his character got better, thank goodness!
~
And donāt even get me started with āWe won in real-life because JR (Jared) and Melissa (Mick) are together,ā because weāre here for the TV show, not real-life. Itās entertainment, so chill out.
~~~
I think that 2013-Jared calling off his proposal to Mick, because it was for the wrong reason (āto help you get past [Evieās death]ā), isnāt forced/lazy writing.
Consider for a minute that, at the time, 2013-Mick was super unhappy and didnāt believe she deserved happiness. I donāt imagine there were many smiles and laughter for the past year (since Evieās death) in their relationship, meaning it was dying. So, Jared not being heartbroken over 2023-Mickās breakup kinda makes sense.
As for Jared? In 2013, heās not the character you were introduced to in Season 1 (the now-former 2018 timeline). Heās not unhealthily obsessed with her. As for his breakup, he got time to think, and ultimately he didnāt want to take advantage of her in a vulnerable state.
And Mick grew in those 5 years since getting on Flight 828 the first time, so the life she thought she wanted back then isnāt the same anymore and she got to meet the real love of her life whom she can be with now.
I donāt believe love is a choice, because you canāt force yourself to love or not to love someone. But I believe happiness is a choice, you can choose to walk towards it or away from it. Mick walked towards happiness by choosing Zeke. Itās really beautiful.
~~~
Credit for most of the Manifest screenshots and tweets go to @gracestone
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