Summary
I continue to be impressed with Tobias Menzies’s work as Edwin Stanton. Episode 3 was a slight step up from Episode 2, but the narrative is slowly running dry.
President Johnson and Edwin Stanton battle it out over honoring President Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan in Episode 3 of Manhunt. John Wilkes Booth is still on the run, and Edwin Stanton is trying to throw all his resources at finding him. As that happens, the social unrest leads to a murder, and President Johnson shows his true colors.
Edwin sits with President Johnson to discuss President Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan. He explains they will suffer significantly if they don’t draw the line on traitors. Johnson tells Edwin that their failure to capture John Wilkes Booth has made them look weak, so either get him or forget him because he wants wins and only wins in his first month.
Who is Rich Hill?
Hesitant to let them in at first, Rich Hill realizes it is John Wilkes Booth outside his house and welcomes them into his home. He takes them down to a bunker, where he says that he is part of the Confederate Secret Service and that their group is well-positioned from Richmond to Montreal. Within these rooms, they conduct a silent war throughout the entire world.
Hill tells Booth that a pine thicket, protected by the Line, is about a mile from where they are. He tells him that Swann will get them to where they need to go, and they will wait for the River Ghost, who will lead them to Virginia. Booth asks how they will find the River Ghost, and Hill says you don’t find the River Ghost, he will find you.
Who dies in “Let the Sheep Flee”?
Outside, the social unrest hits a breaking point when a Black man is with his horse but the police question whether or not the animal belongs to him. As a result, we see Frank Leech shoot and kill the young man. This leads to the arrest of Leech.
Edwin Stanton sits down to discuss the shooting, informing the department that if anyone attempts to release Leech, he is directing them to disobey and charge them. However, the man informs Stanton that Leech delivered a letter from a councilman to President Johnson advocating for his pardon, and Johnson intends to sign it. Furthermore, for all classes of Confederates, including those who served, organized, or funded the rebellion, the President has declared amnesty.
Stanton confronts President Johnson about his actions, but Johnson tells him that Leech killed the kid in self-defense and his case won’t stand the time of day in court. This delivers a flashback of President Lincoln sitting with Frederick Douglass and Edwin Stanton, talking about how Douglass would organize the abolitionists of the Underground Railroad. He would need Edwin Stanton’s support to ensure it comes to fruition.
The River Ghost appears to talk to Booth and Herold and lets them know he is setting everything up for them to leave. As the duo sit and wait, Booth hears the horses struggling because of the lack of food. We watch Booth shoot and kill his horse while Herold is going to do the same but cannot.
How does Manhunt Season 1 Episode 3 end?
After getting a manifest of stuff off of a boat, it’s uncovered that George Sanders could be the person behind helping John Wilkes Booth. Stanton meets with Lafayette Baker to discuss the new information about Sanders. Baker suggests bringing Sanders in for questioning, but he bought the Weekly (newspaper) and it has Stanton’s face on the front cover.
The episode ends with Sanders delivering a speech saying President Johnson will pardon them all. He tells them all to head to England as they will welcome them with open arms while he stays and defends their freedom.
What did you think of Manhunt Season 1 Episode 3? Comment below.
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