Olive Stone and the Quiet Power of “Minor” Characters Who Carry Entire Stories
Why My Character Meltdowns Are Almost Never About the Main Characters
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may have noticed a pattern.
Most of my character meltdowns are not about the main characters.
They’re about the ones who exist slightly to the side of the spotlight.
The ones often labeled as secondary, supporting, or minor characters.
I’ve done this before with characters like May Grant, Dana Gerkhan, and even Elara Vance/Buckley — a character I created myself. And honestly? It’s probably my personal signature at this point.
Because I genuinely believe that many of these so-called minor characters often contain far more narrative potential than the series actually develops.
Sometimes it’s because they aren’t the official protagonists. Sometimes it’s simply because the story never gives them the same amount of time.
But every now and then, one of these characters manages to break through anyway.
For me, that character is Olive Stone from Manifest.
Olive Stone: A Character Who Never Betrayed Her Potential
From the very first moment she appeared on screen, I loved Olive Stone.
Part of that is absolutely due to the fantastic performance by Luna Blaise, whom I would honestly love to see in far more projects.
But what makes Olive fascinating isn’t just the acting.
It’s the way the character evolves without ever losing her core identity.
When we first meet her, she’s just a girl.
Then we see her again years later — now a teenager — navigating a completely fractured family situation.
Her father returns after what, for him, was only a few hours.
For her?
Years have passed.
And that emotional complexity is something the series handles beautifully.
The Outsider Who Sees What Others Cannot
One of the most interesting things about Olive is that she was not on Flight 828.
She isn’t one of the passengers.
She doesn’t experience the Callings herself.
And yet she becomes one of the most important characters in understanding them.
Olive functions as a narrative archetype that appears in many great shows — the analytical outsider.
The person who isn’t directly affected by the supernatural events but who sees patterns that the protagonists themselves cannot.
Think of characters like Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer — the intellectual anchor who interprets what others are living through.
Olive becomes that figure for the Stone family.
Her intelligence, curiosity, and analytical mind allow her to connect clues that even the passengers sometimes miss.
The Emotional Maturity That Surprised Me
What always struck me about Olive is her emotional maturity.
When Ben returns, she doesn’t simply accept everything instantly.
She challenges him.
She explains something crucial:
For him, no time has passed.
But for the rest of the family, life moved on.
She even becomes the emotional bridge between her parents, helping Ben understand why Grace had tried to rebuild her life.
Strangely enough, there were moments when I found Olive even more emotionally grounded than Grace herself.
And that says a lot about the way the character was written.
The TJ Era: When Olive Became Part of the Mystery
Olive’s character arc becomes especially interesting when she meets TJ Morrison.
Because TJ was a passenger.
The time anomaly makes them suddenly the same age — something that normally would never have happened.
Their relationship leads to one of the most fascinating parts of the series.
Together they research ancient mythology, historical symbolism, and the deeper meaning behind the Death Date and the Callings.
That period of the show is one of my favorites.
Olive stops being just “Ben’s daughter.”
She becomes an intellectual partner in solving the mystery.
The Season Where the Show Almost Lost Her
Then TJ leaves to study in Egypt.
And suddenly Olive’s storyline becomes… strange.
She remains theoretically involved in the research, but the narrative shifts.
Out of nowhere, she develops a romance with a university student she meets during research.
And the relationship appears almost magically — then disappears just as quickly.
When TJ eventually returns, the story acts as if that previous relationship barely existed.
It felt oddly similar to something happening right now in 9-1-1 with May Grant.
A character builds a long emotional journey… only for the show to temporarily ignore it for a sudden romantic subplot that doesn’t really belong there.
Thankfully, Manifest eventually put Olive back on track.
Olive’s Strength in the Final Season
In the final season, Olive becomes one of the emotional pillars of the story.
After Grace’s death, she essentially becomes a second mother to Eden.
She continues supporting Cal — even after his shocking transformation into an older version of himself.
She never abandons the investigation.
She visits the detention center constantly, trying to support her father, her brother, TJ, and the other passengers.
In many ways, she becomes the anchor of the family.
The Goodbye Scene That Broke My Heart
One of the most heartbreaking moments in the series happens when the passengers must return to the plane.
Everyone who wasn’t on Flight 828 — people like Jared and Drea — must stay behind.
Olive remains there too.
Holding Eden.
Waiting.
Not knowing whether she will ever see her father and brother again.
It’s one of the most emotional moments in the entire series.
The Reset Ending and the Bittersweet Moment
Then comes the finale.
Time resets.
The passengers land as if nothing ever happened.
Only they remember.
For Olive, this creates one of the most bittersweet scenes in the show.
She meets TJ again — exactly as she did the first time.
Except now she’s a young girl again.
The love story that once defined them no longer exists.
For him, she is still the woman he loved.
But time has separated them again.
And that moment quietly breaks your heart.
The Spin-Off I Secretly Wish Existed
Part of me always imagined a spin-off.
A story about Olive and Cal growing up again — eventually reconnecting with TJ and Violet.
Maybe TJ would wait.
Maybe he would watch Olive from a distance, waiting until time made it possible for them to meet again.
Maybe Olive would slowly regain fragments of the memories she lived in the erased timeline.
Those overlapping memories could reopen the mystery of the Callings.
A new journey.
A new discovery.
Honestly, I would watch that show immediately.
Why I Love Characters Like Olive
What fascinates me about Olive is something she shares with several other characters I love.
Characters like:
May Grant (9-1-1)
Samantha LaRusso (Cobra Kai)
Maddie Nears (School Spirits)
Dana Gerkhan (Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei)
They all share the same narrative archetype.
Young women who are thoughtful, grounded, and emotionally intelligent.
We’re often told that the most interesting characters must be chaotic, rebellious, messy, or self-destructive.
Something very Euphoria-coded, if you will.
But I disagree.
Sometimes the most fascinating characters are the ones who face extraordinary situations with intelligence and strength.
Not because they’re reckless.
But because they’re capable.
The Lesson Olive Stone Teaches Television
Olive proves something important.
A young character doesn’t need to be the main protagonist to carry enormous narrative weight.
She interacts naturally with the adult characters — Ben, Michaela, Zeke, Jared, etc...
She belongs in their world.
She’s part of the investigation.
Part of the emotional core.
Part of the solution.
And that’s exactly what I once hoped would happen with May in 9-1-1 (because giving her a story with Ravi isn't going to help her, it's just destructive fan service).
The key is simple:
Integration.
Let the character interact with everyone.
Let them exist within the group.
Olive did that perfectly.
And because of that, she remains one of the most quietly powerful characters in the entire series.
