‘Manifest’: How Old Was Pete Compared to Angelina?
Manifest Season 3 introduced viewers to a few new characters. Two of the new faces, Angelina and Pete, even started a brief romance. However, like many things about NBC‘s missing plane drama, their relationship didn’t make sense to many fans. The biggest reason for the confusion? Angelina and Pete’s age gap. How old were they?
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for Manifest Season 3.]
Pete and Angelina joined ‘Manifest’ in season 3
Pete Baylor, played by Devin Harjes, technically made his first appearance in Manifest during season 2. He and his brother Jace (James McMenamin), as well as their friend Kory Jephers (DazMann Still), kidnapped Cal Stone (Jack Messina) as revenge against Michaela Stone (Melissa Roxburgh) for a drug bust. The three criminals died in the season 2 finale but resurrected and played more prominent roles in season 3.
Meanwhile, Angelina Meyer (Holly Taylor), a Flight 828 passenger, joined the show in the season 3 premiere. A calling led Michaela and Zeke Landon (Matt Long) to rescue Angelina from being locked in her parents’ basement. The newlywed couple brought Angelina home to Ben Stone’s (Josh Dallas) house, where she became part of the family.
While living at the Stones’, Angelina befriended Olive Stone (Luna Blaise). Olive helped Angelina when a calling led her to an ice cream shop she spent time at as a child. They ran into fugitives Pete, Jace, and Kory there.
Then, Angelina and Pete realized they were both in the same photo of the ice cream shop from Angelina’s childhood. They took this as a sign they were connected and formed a romantic bond.
Pete and Angelina’s age difference is slightly complicated
Ages in Manifest are somewhat complicated. At first glance, some fans thought Angelina was a teenager. After all, she looked young, and she spent time with Olive, who was around 18 or 19. Meanwhile, Pete looked much older, possibly in his early 30s.
Pete’s actual age remains unconfirmed, but Angelina did explain to Olive during Manifest Season 3 Episode 3 that her birth certificate said she was almost 30. Like the other Flight 828 passengers, Angelina stopped aging for five years while the plane was missing. In 2020, Angelina was presumably 24 or 25 years old because of the lost time.
Some ‘Manifest’ fans felt puzzled by their relationship
Regardless of Angelina’s and Pete’s ages, many Manifest fans thought their romance felt rushed and forced. In a Reddit discussion about the couple, some viewers explained why the relationship caught them off guard.
“What bothered us was that how do you fall so intensely in love when you just met?? I mean, the actors don’t have that chemistry to show that it is true,” one fan wrote. “It seems too forced like the actresses [sic] is trying hard to show how much they love each other, but it just doesn’t feel organic.”
“I understand that their callings brought them together, but I think turning that into a romantic connection was quite a stretch. So they meet, realize they crossed paths as children, chat for a few hours while Pete’s in jail, then they’re madly in love????” another user added.
In an interview with TV Insider, Taylor revealed that she thought her character wanted a genuine connection with someone.
“Angelina is just looking to heal and find some little ounce of happiness somewhere. When she finds something that could potentially lead to a connection between her and another person, she’s very eager to jump on that,” she said. “Maybe here’s somebody else who’s also been through a lot that I can connect with, I can share my emotions with. She hasn’t had that for a long time. Pete also doesn’t have the best support system around him either, so someone who genuinely cares about him is probably refreshing.”