Apple TV’s Manhunt is at its best when Lincoln can just be his brother

There’s one moment that stands out above everything else in the pilot of Apple TV’s post-civil war drama: Manhunt, a conversation that will haunt Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) for the rest of his life. He is working hard in his office, preparing plans for reconstruction, when Abraham Lincoln (Midnight fair’ (Hamish Linklater) comes in, throws a baseball and invites him to the theater tonight (Ulysses S. Grant peeled off to hang out with his wife). Stanton is intrigued and attracted to his friend’s easygoing charm, but ultimately backs out – he, too, owes his wife a night together. And so Lincoln saunters out, lamenting that, as he sees it, he’ll only be hanging out with Mary’s friends Our American cousin.

The rest is history: That night, Lincoln was assassinated in the theater. Andrew Johnson would take the oath of office the next day. And Stanton – like Manhunt – would spend the next 12 days hunting down Lincoln’s murderer, John Wilkes Booth, and spend the rest of his life wondering what would have happened if he had said yes to a night at the theater.

It’s no surprise that Stanton would forever reflect on the path not taken, even though he made sure someone was guarding Lincoln that night. It’s a thought that’s incredibly compelling Manhunt continually turns Stanton’s survival guilt on its head. His connection to Lincoln makes it all the more provocative: losing a friend like this is a tragedy. But when you are also Secretary of War to one of the most important Presidents in the history of the United States, and he is entrusted with the security of his and the nation, your actions have greater consequences. Every decision Johnson makes (or doesn’t make) in the postwar panic, every new vector point for the country, hangs on Stanton’s soul, a constant reminder of his failure and what we could have had.

As a historical drama Manhunt has the task of introducing viewers to many vernacular and specific historical contexts. Too often the script cuts corners, making things as simple as possible and avoiding ambiguity in favor of a clear narrative. The show falters every time someone is forced to reinforce the meaning of the scene they have just seen. It can be difficult to work in exhibitions or think of Lincoln as a Great Man™, and great moments often come with a desire to be one seen as big moments rather than feeling like them. It’s hard to have enough scenery to chew on when almost everyone is in it Manhunt It feels like they have to stop and tell you what it tastes like.

Image: Apple TV Plus

But it’s Menzies’ performance that lays the groundwork for the show, even if the dialogue can’t fully connect those dots. Every post-assassination scene has its gravity, even when Stanton is full of energy searching for Booth. Menzies brings a kind of slightly manic energy, a savage insult to hide the deep-rooted guilt already taking root in his soul. It is his performance that best ensures that Lincoln’s loss is felt even when it goes unspoken or the show becomes too crowded. It’s this angle that gives Manhunt Its juice, a reminder that Lincoln the myth was, first and foremost, Lincoln the man, and that he was mourned not just as a countryman but also as a companion.

So it’s no surprise that the moment looms large in Stanton’s office Manhunt‘s narrative. It’s the first scene where we see Lincoln as just a guy. He comes into his friend’s office, puts his feet on the desk, jokes around and complains that his friend has to put in time. “Abraham Lincoln: The Legend” has a decidedly casual vibe, only in the show’s exact (if distracting) makeup and costuming that Linklater is behind. This is more than a man who could shake up a room and change how we see ourselves as a nation; He was also a buddy to look up to. That is the loss Manhunt lets us feel what makes the stakes for Stanton’s mission seem so incredibly high.

The first two episodes of Manhunt are now streaming on Apple TV Plus. New episodes appear every Friday.