Manhunt – Useless

In the forest Stanton (Tobias Menzies) slowly approaches a tree with a pistol in hand….a smile on his face. On the other side, Booth (Anthony Boyle) fearfully waits with his own weapon in hand. Before anything else can happen, Booth wakes up in a bed on Garrett Farm. It was only a dream. However, the current situation for Booth and David (Will Harrison) is not as Julia Garrett (Helene Henry) explains that Booth and David cannot stay in the house and must spend the night in the barn until her father returns. Even when the men ask for horses and Booth turns on the charm, Julia is not deterred and sends the men to the barn….locking them in. Inside the barn David is panicking as Booth assures his traveling partner they will be fine. However, David is sure that their night in the barn will be their demise.

As Stanton is resting from complications from his asthma, Eddie (Brandon Flynn) and Eckert (Damian O’Hare) are eager for news of his condition. The doctor advises that Stanton must rest and that he has exacerbated his asthma with all the traveling. The men discuss how they will approach telling Stanton this when he finally wakes up.

The time in the barn becomes more dire as David is adamant that this is the end. Booth begins to tell David a story of his childhood where he had approached his father to teach him how to be an actor. Instead of happiness, his father advised Booth that he was useless. Booth’s mother took a different approach, explaining how her son had the most beautiful hands and one day they would do great things. Despite Booth’s touching story, David is not convinced. Instead, he asks Booth what he accomplished as they are stuck in the barn.

Colonel Conger (Judd Lormand), Boston Corbett (William Mark McCullough) and the Union Army have finally arrived at Garrett Farm. As Julia feigns innocence or knowledge of Booth’s location, Corbett is clued in that the men might be in the barn. Quickly, the Union Army surrounds Booth and David in the barn and advises them to surrender. David knows that this is the end, but Booth refuses to back down and tells David that he is useless since they are now stuck in this situation.

Outside of the barn, Corbett pleads with Conger to go into the barn guns blazing and take out Booth. Conger orders for the men to torch the barn, wanting to smoke out the men without suffering any more casualties. As the barn burns around them, David continues to plead with Booth that they can live to see another day. Rather than surrendering, Booth opens the barn and tells the men that David had nothing to do with Lincoln’s (Hamish Linklater) assassination. David exits the barn where he is detained and tied up.

After a long rest, Stanton wakes up. As predicted, he wishes to know what has happened with Booth. Eddie and Eckert explain that Booth has been found at Garrett Farm. Despite doctor’s orders, Stanton is adamant about being there when the Union Army catches Booth.

Pleading with Conger for his friend’s life, David is untied and sent back into the barn to convince Booth to come out. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Corbett has ventured to the other side of the barn to see if he can peek in. Eventually, David helps Booth up and the men are about to exit when Corbett puts his pistol through a hole in the barn and fires a shot into the back of Booth’s head. Mortally wounded, Booth is carried out by soldiers and placed on the front porch of the Garrett House. In his final moments, Booth calls out for his mama and mutters “useless” while telling everyone not to look at his hands. Corbett is joyous that he feels he has accomplished God’s goal.

By the time Stanton arrives to the farm he is too late: Booth is dead. Stanton goes to view the body and upon seeing Booth’s face, tells him “you’re no one now”. Stanton is handed all of Booth’s belongings and brought up to speed on the full situation. As a result, David will be taken to Washington D.C. and Booth’s body taken to the coroner for examination. Stanton has one last caveat after the exam is completed: Booth’s body will be dumped where no one can find it. As Booth wanted to be hailed a hero, Stanton is determined not to give him that opportunity in death.

Returning to D.C., Stanton meets with Judge Joseph Holt (John Billingsley) to work on a strategy for prosecution of the conspirators. When Johnson (Glenn Morshower) enters the room, the men explain that the trail will be a military tribunal rather than in front of a jury. As killing a President can be considered an act of war, Johnson agrees that the tribunal is the correct course of action. But Stanton is not finished, as he also wants to capture and charge Jefferson Davis (Craig Nigh) with conspiring in Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson tells Stanton to “go get’em.” But to charge Davis and make it stick, Stanton will need a star witness to testify.

At first, Oswell Swann (Roger Payano) is asked to be a witness as he helped transport Booth and David along the Secret Line. Ultimately, Swann refuses to offer help. When asked why, Swann wonders why he should help his country when they don’t consider him as a full citizen with rights. Meanwhile, Dr. Mudd (Matt Walsh) is strengthening his defense by playing the “humble man” card with anyone who will hear him out and gathering as much support as possible.

Stanton begins his investigation into finding Davis and prepping for trial. He first goes to talk to David and gather any information that he can get. While Stanton wonders why David gave up his life to aid Booth, David is more concerned with possibly keeping Booth’s diary. But Stanton has bigger plans, as he compiles the diary and any evidence he currently has for trial. However, Holt and Eckert are hesitant to go along with Stanton’s plan to charge Davis with grand conspiracy. But when Stanton leaves the room, Eddie reminds the men that his father was a trial lawyer first and is up to the job of following through with his plan.

In Irwinwille, Georgia we see Jefferson Davis is in hiding in a private campground. After receiving a secret message and advising the soldier to destroy it, Davis is sure he will be able to avoid getting caught and make it to London. But as the Union Army approaches the camp and surrounds it, Davis is captured. Stanton receives the news and is pleased, but he still needs a star witness. With one more card to play, Stanton goes to pay a visit to Mary Simms (Lovie Simone) and ask for her help. While Mary is reluctant as she has had everything taken from her, Stanton reminds her that this is a way to help change things.

With the trial prep underway, Stanton and Eckert work on ways to make Davis look weak. As Davis was found wearing his wife’s shawl, Stanton upgrades that to a dress. Running with that story, Stanton reminds Eckert that they’re not down to raisins yet. Eckert leaves and Eddie comes in to let his father know that the coroner has finished his work. Eddie asks if there is anything that Booth may have on him and Stanton assures that there is nothing to worry about. When Stanton is alone in the room, he goes over to the fireplace and tears out a few pages of Booth’s diary….throwing those pages in to watch them burn before opening his office door and asking for Baker (Patton Oswalt) and Conover (Josh Stewart) before prepping the next witness.