Manhunt episode 2, “Post Mortem,” begins with a slow-motion scene of Abraham Lincoln’s (Hamish Linklater) murder. But as John Wilkes Booth’s (Anthony Boyle) gun closes in on the back of Lincoln’s head, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) appears from nowhere to stop the assassination. As Stanton punches Booth, though, he just laughs in his face and calls him a failure.
Stanton snaps out of his dream. Thomas Eckert (Damian O'Hare) tells him they've no leads and don't know where Booth is. Edwin Stanton Jr. (Brandon Flynn) tells his departing father that he needs his own guard, but Stanton insists he can take care of himself.
What else happens in Manhunt episode 2, "Port Mortem?" Read on to find out.
The new president
Stanton wakes a sleeping Andrew Johnson (Glenn Morshower) ahead of him being sworn in to become the 17th president of the United States. Johnson asks if Booth has been arrested yet, but the only person they have in custody is the man who was meant to kill Johnson. Stanton admits he's suspicious as to how Johnson survived, but Johnson says it's simply because he was drunk and asleep.
After Johnson is sworn in, the head of New York's US War Department Branch. Lafayette Baker (Patton Oswalt), says to Stanton he and a lot of the country think Johnson was responsible for Lincoln's death because he had the most to gain.
At the party to celebrate his presidency, Johnson, who has already told Stanton he won't prioritize civil rights, is very friendly with the senators in the southern states. Which makes sense, as he was born in North Carolina and governor of Tennessee. He then gives a speech where he says he wants to let Booth run off into obscurity, rather than being caught.
Stanton vocally disagrees, insisting that not arresting Booth will prove nothing is off limits. He then whispers into Johnson's ear that if he tries to stop his pursuit of Booth, he'll help to spread the rumors that Johnson was involved in Lincoln's death.
Another arrest
Officer Louis Weichmann (CJ Hoff) provides some vital information, telling Stanton and Eckert that his landlady Mary Surratt (Carrie Lazar) might have conspired with Booth.
Eckert and Weichmann interview Surratt, who insists she knows nothing. At that point, Lewis Powell (Spencer Treat Clark) walks in, still covered in William Seward's blood, saying he had nowhere else to go. Eckert realizes something is amiss. Powell claims he does maintenance on the house but Surratt contradicts him, saying she's never seen him before.
To be safe, Eckert and Weichmann — after a brief struggle — arrest them both.
Surrattsville tavern inspection
Both Surratt and Powell refuse to give up any information when interrogated. So Stanton, Eckert and Weichmann head to the boarding house owned by the Surratt family in Surrattsvile, around 20 miles outside of DC.
While it initially looks as though there's no evidence, Stanton breaks through a hidden wall, finding coded telegram letters to Mary's son John Jr. (Joshua Mikel) from Confederate leader Jefferson Davis.
Not knowing who to trust, Stanton accuses Weichmann of being involved in the conspiracy to bring down the government, as he was staying in the same house where it was all planned. Weichmann insists he was just friends with John Jr. before the war. He then adds that he would see Mary pass packages to John Jr., Booth and Herold, which he now realizes were guns.
Eckert tries to break the coded telegrams, but he can't.
Stanton's a target
Stanton Jr. tells his father John Surratt. Jr applied to be a courier with Stanton so he could get close to him. Later that night, guards spot someone on the roof of Stanton's home. He is able to escape but leaves behind a footprint. Stanton asks for John Jr.'s boot size from his courier application, revealing a match with the footprint.
Where is Booth?
Booth and Herold are still recuperating at Samuel Mudd's (Matt Walsh) home. They know they need to head further south quickly, but their horses need grazing and Booth's leg is still shattered. Mary Simms (Lovie Simone) is forced to shave Booth so he can blend in.
Booth, on a makeshift crutch, and Herold finally depart. Before they do, Mudd rips a page out of Mary's Underground Railroad book so the pair can take a secret passage toward Richmond.
They arrive at the home of Oswell Swann (Roger Payne), a freedman, who immediately fires a gun into the air and says he'll kill them if they step foot on his property. Booth and Herold are lost. Swann says he'll guide them to Rich Hill, Maryland, for $5. With no other option, they agree.
A big break
Peanuts (Daniel Croix) tells Stanton on the night Booth rode away he was limping heavily with what looked like a broken leg. Stanton realizes Booth would have needed to visit a doctor.
Mudd is interrogated by local officers. He neither confirms nor denies he treated Booth, insisting the man he saw didn't have a mustache. Even Mary is questioned, but she doesn't know enough to be sure and is too scared of Mudd to provide any information.
Later that night, John Surratt Jr. arrives at Mudd's house. Mudd says he didn't realize the plan had changed regarding Lincoln's death. As Mary makes John Jr.'s bed, she finds a boot inscribed with JWB on it that Booth left behind.
Where to bury Abe
Stanton tells Mary Todd Lincoln (Lily Taylor) he wants to bury Lincoln at a new military cemetery he is building in Arlington. Mary Todd refuses, saying he wouldn't have wanted that as he wasn't a solider.
Stanton Jr. comes up with the plan of putting Lincoln's body on a train and having a whistle stop tour through the US so the rest of the country can grieve, culminating in Springfield, Ill. Stanton loves the idea, as it will help to gain support for Lincoln's vision of the country, while keeping Booth out of the news.
At the station, Stanton says goodbye to Mary and Robert (Maxwell Korn), while Mary's friend Elizabeth Keckley (Betty Gabriel) tells Stanton through tears the country can't go backwards. Mary's final words to Stanton are, "Find the man who killed my husband," as the train starts its long slow journey to Lincoln's final resting spot.
Manhunt is exclusively available on Apple TV Plus, with new episodes released on Fridays.
