Summary
“The Secret Line” is the best episode of Manhunt yet. The editing was top-notch, and the writers ramped up the stakes as we head into the back half of the season.
The hunt for John Wilkes Booth continues in Episode 4 of Manhunt. Edwin Stanton throws all his resources at both taking down George Sanders and hunting down Booth, but the money tied between the two men causes things to get quite dicey. Booth and Herold continue their trek through the woods to stay on the path to escape from Stanton’s team.
George Sanders Is A Prime Suspect
Edwin Stanton visits the judge, hoping to look into George Sanders possibly wiring John Wilkes Booth $500. He also explains that Sanders is the prime suspect in the Manhattan Fire Plot and the senior member of the Confederate Secret Service. Stanton wants a search warrant to investigate Sanders and raid his properties. He says Lt. Baker had six hotel owners helping him take down Sanders, yet he couldn’t get a warrant and didn’t think it was possible.
After the judge suggests that Stanton should begin taking down Sanders’ monetary stream, we see Lt. Baker and his team outside the Gold Room on Wall Street, ready to barge in and arrest as many of the men as possible.
What’s In A Name?
Edwin Booth arrives at the Lincoln household to speak with Mrs. Lincoln. He explains that on the night of the defeat of Richmond, he saw his brother change in a manner he had never seen before. It led to a fight between the two because Booth told him he didn’t want him using the Booth name if he planned to continue with the rhetoric of the Confederacy.
Herold and Booth are in the woods, trying to stay optimistic about where they are. Booth mentions how he would be nothing without his name, but Herold reminds him once they make it to Richmond, he will publish his diary and become a hero.
The Deal Between Sanders and President Johnson
Edwin Stanton visits Lt. Baker, who is raiding one of the Sanders’s places. Baker tells Stanton that several traders place Sanders at some of Booth’s oil investment meetings. Stanton asks if Baker had a run-in with his father-in-law, and he says yes. Stanton visits with his father-in-law and asks for information on the deal between President Johnson and Sanders.
Johnson gave Sanders the summer uniforms contract. Johnson is intimidated by the race conflicts and the rise of murders. He supports the army staying in the South to combat the violence as it is too close to home. This means there is confidence in cotton being up, along with gold as well.
Agent Wallace informs George Sanders that Stanton knows his contract agreement with President Johnson. Wallace tells Sanders that he would have to get approval from Stanton before the contract would be in place. So he has Wallace set up a meeting with Sanders in his office.
Manhunt Episode 4 ends with Sanders being arrested
On his way to Sanders’s offices, Stanton is attacked by a man with a knife but fends him off. Finally, he arrives at Sanders’s office to discuss the contract. Stanton doesn’t want to make a deal with him, but since Sanders likely knows where John Wilkes Booth is, he is willing to make a deal.
Stanton offers him a deal, but Sanders turns it down because he refuses to sit back and let them take the country away from the white man. Sanders stands up, grabs a gun, and says, “If I shot the man who ordered the death of Davis, he would be a hero.” However, Stanton pulls out his gun, shoots out the window, and Lt. Baker storms in and arrests Sanders for sabotage and domestic plots. The raid of his offices leads to them finding “The Line,” the secret Confederate map.
The episode ends with the River Ghosts getting Booth and Herold to the boat, taking them to Virginia, where they will welcome them with open arms.
RELATED:
