Manhunt (not to be confused with the similarly named True Crime show that debuted in 2017, or another in 2019) is a seven-episode 2024 Apple TV+ Police Procedural historical thriller Based on a True Story: The manhunt for John Wilkes Booth following his assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Tropes in the Show:
- Adapted Out:
- For a facial hair example, Stanton is not depicted with his famously long beard, and is shown clean shaven.
- Prominent Booth associates Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlin were both implicated and arrested on April 17th and were among those placed on trial in real life but go unmentioned in the show.
- In the first episode, Booth’s first stop is Dr. Mudd’s house. His stop at the Suratt tavern to obtain weapons is skipped over.
- The Alleged Expert: David Herold has spent years hunting the Maryland woods, and his ability to guide Booth to Richmond after the escape was the main reason Booth recruited him, but he needs help from other people to navigate parts of the region and gets them turned around at one point.
- Ambiguous Situation: Did the Confederacy back the efforts to assassinate Lincoln? The show muddies the waters on whether or not that could be the case, as the investigation into Lincoln's death suggests that Davis' government may have played a hand in bankrolling the efforts, but the effort to prove such a link is very murky. This is Truth in Television, as it's been subject to intense debate on whether or not the Confederates were involved with Booth's planning.
- Anachronic Order: There are many flashback scenes, for instance, the first episode keeps cutting back and forth between various points a few days, hours, or minutes before the assassination of President Lincoln, as well as the arrests and interrogations of people rightly or wrongful suspected of helping him, and the government's reaction to the crisis.
- Artistic License – History:
- News of Lee's surrender at Appomattox is shown as happening the day of Lincoln's assassination, April 14th. In reality, the news had come by the 10th at the very latest, with Lincoln even asking a band to play "Dixie" to a group of serenaders who took to the streets outside the White House.
- The Lincolns are shown as alone in their box at Ford's Theater, when in fact another couple (Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée) were seated to their right. Rathbone does appear in the show, but he is seated to Lincoln’s left, and the box he’s in is not the same one as it’s on a higher elevation.
- In a flashback, Lincoln and Stanton discuss and celebrate how they finally "have the votes for Reconstruction" and that "the 13th [Amendment] is as good as ratified now" on April 14th, as they discuss Lincoln's plans to attend the the theater later that day. As depicted in the 2012 film, the House voted to ratify the 13th Amendment roughly two months earlier on January 31st.
- Andrew Johnson is depicted as having hid in his hotel room after the assassination, and not emerging until he was sworn in as the 17th President. In reality, Johnson rushed to Lincoln's bedside, then returned to his hotel room and drunk himself to sleep.
- Stanton's assassination attempt is depicted as being some time before Booth's assassination of President Lincoln. In fact, the two attacks happened almost simultaneously.
- Upon Lincoln's death, Stanton quickly eulogizes the President by saying "now he belong to the angels." In reality, he said "now he belongs to the ages."
- Stanton learns of George Atzerodt being arrested shortly after he visits the dying Lincoln. In actuality, Atzerodt was arrested five days after the assassination at his cousin’s house.
- The second episode shows Lewis Powell and Mary Suratt being arrested the day after Lincoln dies. They were arrested three days after the assassination.
- Episode 3 has Lincoln and Stanton debate whether or not to compensate Confederate slave-holders (or rather, former slave holders) for the wealth they lost from emancipation. While Lincoln did consider this idea, formally called "compensated emancipation", he had already completely ruled out this possibility by 1863 (at the latest) with the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Lincoln then mentions passing "those amendments." As mentioned above, the 13th Amendment had already passed, and the other two Reconstruction Amendments (the 14th and 15th) were the direct result of the intransigence of former Confederates after the war (which sadly Lincoln didn't live to see.)
- In a meeting between Lincoln, Stanton, and Frederick Douglas, we see the three men discuss the possibility of losing the war and thus the need to expedite the process of freeing slaves. There are a few issues with this scene:
- The meeting is said to take place "6 months before the assassination", placing it around October 1864. This makes it odd for Stanton to remark that "we will triumph in Atlanta" given that Sherman had already captured it a month earlier in September.
- The scene depicts Lincoln detailing a plan to use the full might of US army to find and free as many slaves as possible. This plan is entirely fictional.
- Stanton is seen consulting with Edward Bates regarding legal matters. Bates was no longer the Attorney General by the time of the assassination, as he had already resigned from the Cabinet the previous year due to being passed up for a Supreme Court position.
- The fourth episode presents the perpetrator of burning the La Farge House in the 1864 New York City arson attacks as being captured by Lafayette Baker, rather than escaping.
- Episode 5 has Booth (in disguise) and a surrendered Confederate say that they fought at "Bull Run." This was the Northern name for the two battles; the Confederate names were "First/Second Manassas".
- Booth dies minutes after getting shot in the head. In reality, he was shot in the spine and asphyxiated, dying three hours later.
- Booth's body is dumped in a river, with dummy corpses being used to hide the fact. His corpse was actually buried under the storage room of the Arsenal Penitentiary, then moved to the Washington Arsenal two years later, before being released to his family in 1869. As of now, his remains are at the Green Mountain Cemetery in Baltimore.
- While the circumstances behind Jefferson Davis' capture are accurate, the overall meeting he was in prior to it was not. In reality, the Confederacy had already been dissolved under his orders when it was clear that they couldn't muster up any more support, and was trying to join up with the brigade under Kirby Smith on the other side of the Mississippi River, not flee to the United Kingdom.
- The final episode has a recently captured Jefferson Davis defiantly tell Stanton that the "will win the White House and fly the American flag. And that flag will represent the Confederacy." This would've been strange for him to say for a number of reasons:
- First, the goal of the Confederacy was never to win back the White House, but to become their own country. They no longer wanted to be within the same government as the loyal Union states, let alone return to the Executive branch to govern over them.
- Second, Jefferson Davis would've had zero reason to believe that any of the Confederate leaders would've made any return to political office for the foreseeable future. He was currently held on charges of treason (and would remain imprisoned for two whole years), the Union civilian population was incensed by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the restoration of former-Confederate political rights (let alone a return to Congress or the White House) was still several years in the future.
- Shortly after the trial against the Lincoln conspirators, Andrew Johnson interrupts the festivities at the White House to inform Stanton that he's being dismissed and replaced by general Lorenzo Thomas. In turn, Stanton informs him that Congress wouldn't stand for it, and would have him impeached. While this is a fairly accurate depiction of Stanton's removal, it's a full three years premature; Stanton would serve as Johnson's Secretary of War until 1868.
- Stanton dies shortly after he's nominated to the Supreme Court, just on Christmas Eve. The circumstances behind his death are accurate, but he died when it was dark out.
- Attention Whore: Booth's white supremacy and other politics are major driving forces in his assassination plot, but he also revels in the idea of how famous it will make him and resents not being as well known as his father and brother.
- Battle Butler: Secretary Seward's doorman and maid are both injured fighting Lewis Powell when he comes to invade the house.
- Bittersweet Ending: Booth is dead, most of the conspirators in Lincoln's death are hanged, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution are passed to guarantee rights to the former slaves, and Johnson only lasts a single term. But there isn't enough evidence to prove that the Confederacy ordered Lincoln's death, Stanton is removed from his position as Secretary of War by Johnson to ensure Reconstruction doesn't go through, Johnson's impeachment is thwarted by one vote, and Stanton dies the day he's confirmed to the Supreme Court. Even then, history will take an ugly turn as Reconstruction will inevitably end in the coming decade, the South will take drastic measures to put the freed blacks under their thumb with the Jim Crow laws, and those draconian laws will remain in place for over a century until the Civil Rights movement puts it to an end—all thanks to Johnson's actions to end the northern occupation of the south.
- Book Ends: Booth's reign as the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln begins as it ends: a bullet to the back of the head, only this time he's the one who gets shot. Corbett lampshades the irony of the situation.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Booth winds up being taken out, when Boston Corbett lands a bullet right in the back of his head. He bleeds out a few minutes later.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Three months before the war ended, Lincoln and Mary Todd are presented at odds when Robert Lincoln wants to join the Union Army. While Lincoln supports his son wanting to serve, and feels he has no right to deny him the opportunity as an adult, Mary Todd is distraught at the possibility of losing him to the war and argues that there cannot be any more major sacrifices on anyone's part. She does relent, but Lincoln promises her to find a way to end the war quickly.
- Call-Forward:
- The tenuous relationship between Stanton and President Johnson sets the stage for how the latter would fire the former from his job in 1868, resulting in Johnson's impeachment by Congress for violating the Tenure of Office Act of 1867.note note This tension grows worse when Johnson rescinds the order to give the freed slaves land grants, as Stanton argues they had a fundamental right to help the former slaves; Johnson doubles down and tells him to rescind the order or it's his job.
- Robert expresses concerns about his mother's mental state, and is considering putting her in a mental institution. She would be subject to such later in life, when Robert had her placed in such an institution in 1875.
- There's significant doubts that Stanton can uncover enough evidence to prove that Jefferson Davis personally authorized the assassination of Lincoln. This was actually how it played out in real life, as they couldn't find concrete proof that he was responsible for ordering Booth to carry it out.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Lafayette Baker, Stanton's primary investigator in hunting Booth, suspects that President Johnson may have played a part in killing Lincoln to gain the White House for himself, noting that Johnson's would-be-assassin was the only one who chickened out. Though Stanton is a bit taken aback, he suspects that Baker may have a point, as Johnson goes back on his word to go after the former Confederate leaders and offers them all pardons, and is noticeably uncaring about hunting for Lincoln's killer. Stanton has to threaten him at the inauguration party to back off from hindering the manhunt, or he'll consider Johnson a leading suspect.
- Denied Food as Punishment: Stanton gives orders to stop feeding prisoners he suspects of withholding information.
- Detrimental Determination: Stanton's determination to capture and bring Booth to justice is presented as being harmful to his asthma. Even under doctor's orders, he refuses to stop, and subsequently his second wife leaves to visit her family. His desire to see Lincoln's vision through put such a bad strain on his health, he dies before he can accept the position of a Supreme Court justice. This is Truth in Television, as the real Stanton worked himself to death trying to make sure Reconstruction went through.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: While the show is set in the 1860s, there are a few plot beats that draw from the modern American paradigm.
- Baker posits a theory that Vice President Johnson had a role in assassinating Lincoln, arguing that he had the most to gain from his death. Replace Andrew Johnson with Lyndon Johnson, and you have the exact same conspiracy regarding claims he had a hand in assassinating John F. Kennedy.
- George Sanders brags that he can get away with anything on account of him being a rich white man, even saying that he could shoot someone in the middle of the New York streets without consequence. Donald Trump would make a similar claim of being able to shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose any support.
- President Johnson revokes General Sherman's orders to give the freed slaves land, which Stanton protests on the grounds that the slaves cannot survive on their own without government assistance. Johnson (though strongly motivated by racism) says that the freed slaves need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. If this was set in modern times, it wouldn't be all that dissimilar to the respective arguments about how far government assistance towards the poor should go, though with the added irony that their respective parties at the time (ex-Democrat for Johnson, Republican for Stanton) have largely flipped positions on the matter by the present.
- Downer Beginning: The pilot opens up with the celebration of America's victory in the Civil War, but it soon turns to mourning as Abraham Lincoln is assassinated.
- Dumb Muscle: The burly Lewis isn't the brightest of Booth's conspirators; he briefly forgets who the man he's trying to assassinate is, then, when told it's the (U.S.) Secretary of State, he asks, "Which state?"
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- David Herold may be an accomplice to a Presidential assassination and an implied white supremacist, but he won't kill a horse they don't need anymore and indicates that he holds Oswell Swann in contempt for being a black man willing to work with the Confederates.
- Most of the ex-Confederates heading for Union lines have a chance to meet Booth, but they're absolutely disgusted that he would assassinate Lincoln in the theater rather than fighting on the front lines to defeat him in the heat of battle.
- President Johnson is clearly a self-interested bigot, but he gives his authorization for Stanton and Bates to try the conspirators and Davis for Lincoln's death.
- A Father to His Men: Colonel Conger refuses to rush the efforts to charge the cornered Booth and catch him a little faster, saying that as long as Booth can't escape, he won't let a single one of his men die when their war should already be over.
- Foregone Conclusion: As this series was about the hunt for Lincoln's killer, there was no way that the president was walking out of Ford's Theater that night alive.
- Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Stanton grabs Mrs. Lincoln, while letting her know how unbalanced and hysterical he is finding her is she wails about our husband has been shot and she wishes she was dead. He apologizes for this at the end of episode 2, admitting it was insensitive Anger Born of Worry.
- Godzilla Threshold: Just before the war ended, Lincoln expresses to Stanton his willingness to bypass the rules of engagement and take Jefferson Davis off the board by any means necessary, so no more Americans have to make such drastic sacrifices.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: Right before going to assassinate Lincoln, Booth is amused to learn that the man he's having a drink and talking about his career with is one of Lincoln's off-duty bodyguards.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Congress' impeachment of Johnson overlooks the shady circumstances of the real-life debacle. In truth, they deliberately passed a law that they knew Johnson would breaknote so they could impeach him for his actions and put the President Pro Temperate of the Senate in charge of the White House (due to Johnson not having a Vice President of his own, and the succession rules not being as clearly established back then). In actuality, the act in question was deemed unconstitutional and was seen as an abuse of power by Congress. The show itself depicts Johnson's firing of Stanton as blatantly illegal for attempting to interfere with Reconstruction.
- Historical Villain Upgrade:
- Dr. Mudd and John Suratt certainly had pro-Confederacy views and suspicious ties to Booth's circle in real-life, but the miniseries has John recruit David Herold a year before the assassination, try to break into Stanton's house and then meet with Mudd to discuss the plot when John was nowhere near the area at that point in real-life and there is no evidence that John ever met Mudd or recruited Herold.
- Ned Spangler makes racist and bullying comments to Peanuts while getting him to hold a horse for Booth after a suspicious meeting and presses his body against a door to delay people chasing Booth, while real-life records suggest he had a more friendly and respectful relationship with Peanuts (telling him it was ok to blame Spangler if anyone got upset with him for holding the horse), may not have known why Booth wanted the horse, and indicate he snapped at a man for yelling which way Booth went but otherwise never actively aided in Booth's escape.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Stanton occasionally coughs while under heavy strain due to having asthma, and his doctor tells him that it will probably eventually kill him unless he starts taking it easier, which Stanton refuses to do. It eventually gets too much to handle just minutes after Booth is found, and Stanton collapses.
- It's All My Fault: Stanton is constantly tormented by his failure to assign Lincoln better security and encouraging him to take positions that made him unpopular with his future assassin.
- Just Train Wrong: Lincoln's funeral train is an example with real life justification. The passenger cars used to hold it are not exact replicas of the ones used that day due to it being lost in a fire in 1911, and no existing 4-4-0 American types come reasonably close to matching the one used in that service. The cars themselves are also depicted with modern Janey couplers and air hoses instead of the old link-and-pin system used in the 1860s, though existing operational practices have outlawed any line from using it.
- Karma Houdini: George Sanders flees to the United Kingdom to ensure he doesn't face prosecution for financing the Confederacy, and offers Davis a refuge (though Davis is captured before he can accept that offer).
- Line-of-Sight Name: Boston Corbett's origin flashback, back to when he used his birthname Thomas, has a minister suggest that he give himself a Meaningful Rename to mark his becoming born again. They choose "Boston" from a nearby street sign.
- Loophole Abuse:
- In the fourth episode, Lincoln and Stanton have a theoretical conversation about ending the war quickly, and posit taking Jefferson Davis out of the picture. Stanton points out that the rules of engagement allow for capture (albeit heavily frowned up those who do), but not execution. That said, he does admit that only applies to recognized government entities, and since the Confederacy is comprised of secessionist states, those rules wouldn't necessarily apply.
- After Booth is killed and Stanton begins the efforts to have Davis and the surviving conspirators prosecuted for killing Lincoln, it's pointed out that the evidence they have to charge them with Grand Conspiracy is circumstantial at best. Stanton urges his lead codebreaker to bend the rules a little bit, pointing out that the general public has little idea of how codebreaking actually works—therefore it could be reasonably exaggerated to make it seem as if Davis gave Booth the order to kill Jefferson.
- Mean Boss: Dr. Mudd is willing to rebuke his nurse and carpenter (who were his slaves until the Emancipation Proclamation) and is implied to be willing to instill discipline with beatings. The implicitness goes out the window when they're forced to come back and beg for their jobs after Johnson takes away their land. This bites him in the rear when they finger him as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination.
- Politically Incorrect Villain:
- John Wilkes Booth is presented as being horrifically racist towards black men, dismissing them as little more than property and being willing to kill one that does wrong by him (even Oswell Swann, who's acting as their guide towards escaping towards friendlier lines). This is Truth in Television, as Booth was very much a white supremist in real life.
- Andrew Johnson is presented as a hinderance towards Stanton's efforts at Reconstruction, having no sympathy towards the former slaves and deciding he has no intention to allow them to integrate into society unless they do it themselves. Like with Booth, this was true of the real Johnson, who became one of the biggest obstructionists towards Reconstruction due to his white supremist viewpoints.
- Properly Paranoid: When Secretary of War Stanton hears about the attempt on Secretary Seward's life, he is concerned enough to ask if they have men on duty guarding President Lincoln (they think they do but are wrong), but Lincoln was assassinated mere minutes earlier.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When David discusses surrendering in Garrett's barn, Booth calls him out for his cowardice and his constant mistakes throughout their attempts to flee South.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- David Herold decides not to stick around waiting for Lewis Powell to finish killing Secretary of State Seward after being unnerved by how loud the struggle is.
- Peanuts Burroughs, the Unwitting Pawn theater worker who is holding Booth's horse outside the theater, is quick to flee down the alley after learning that he has unknowingly assisted in the getaway of a political assassin (although his explanation about what happened is quickly believed the next day).
- Small Role, Big Impact: George Atzerodt has less screentime than any of the other conspirators, but his failure to go through with assassinating Vice President Johnson paves the way for Johnson to succeed Lincoln, obstruct Stanton, and go on to have one of the worst presidencies in a century full of bad presidencies. Also, George being arrested and having his role in the plot publicized wins Johnson much-needed public confidence that he might have otherwise lacked after Lincoln's assassination and helps him move forward with his agenda.
- Smug Snake: Confederate veteran Willie Jett is willing to help Booth due to feeling that his impending marriage into a wealthy local family makes him untouchable. The second that he realizes how wrong he was (after being confronted by the Secretary of War and a dozen soldiers), he gives up Booth and even has the audacity to try and claim the reward offered for his capture despite being an admitted accessory to the fugitive.
- Spotting the Thread: One of the Confederate soldiers bound for Union territory spots Booth's lie that he fought at Bull Run under General "Stonewall" Jackson—since said soldier fought there himself.
- Taking the Heat: Booth tries to convince the Union troops who ultimately surround him that David was uninvolved in his assassination plot or efforts to escape, a claim that is both unsuccessful and implausible, given all the evidence there already is.
- Unperson: Stanton is quick to make sure that Booth is rendered as inhumanely as possible following his death. Once he sees the body himself, he coldly remarks, "Now you're no one," then has his body dumped in the river to ensure nobody mourns his actions (after a thorough coroner's report is conducted).
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Stanton's son and assistant Edwin Jr. is hurt by any signs of disapproval from him throughout the investigation.
- Wham Line: A priest renames a drunken, self-pitying man named Thomas Corbett to "Boston". To history buffs, this name immediately rings a bell, as Boston was the one responsible for putting that fatal bullet in Booth during the manhunt.
