Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Manhunt episode 7, "The Final Act"!

Summary

• Edwin Stanton's ending in the Manhunt finale nearly went much longer.
• Creator Monica Beletsky reveals she wrote scenes for Stanton after barricading himself in his office, though found the ultimate ending to be "really powerful".
• This decision stayed true to the show's exploration of Stanton's efforts to stay true to Lincoln's legacy after his assassination, avoiding taking the focus away from the late President by exploring Stanton's later health and financial struggles.

With his efforts to bring those involved in Abraham Lincoln's assassination to justice at an end, Manhunt creator Monica Beletsky reveals how Edwin Stanton's ending was different in the show. The finale of the Apple TV+ historical miniseries saw Lincoln's Secretary of War strive to link Andrew Johnson to Lincoln's murder with a grand conspiracy trial, only being successful in getting a guilty verdict for John Wilkes Booth's direct conspirators. The end of the show sees Stanton, forced to resign from his position, barricade himself in his office in order to delay the transition of power long enough for Johnson to be impeached.

In honor of its airing, Screen Rant interviewed Beletsky to break down Manhunt's ending. When asked about Stanton's emotional final stand of refusing to turn over his position to ensure his and Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction remain true, the creator revealed that the finale nearly continued to show him come out of his office and what happened afterward. Beletsky ultimately felt that ending on the barricading was a "really powerful" way to conclude the show, while also noting its historical accuracy. See what she shared below:

That is true to history, and I do a sort of sweep of time. So, there was about three years, I believe, I don't think it happened until 1867, or something like that. But basically, the whole Johnson story is set up in the show so that we could include it, and I feel that it added a lot to the show. But it is true, all of that is true, that he barricaded himself in there to delay giving over control of the soldiers who are protecting the outcome of the war in the South and the new vote for Black men, and gave them the chance to stall so that they could impeach Johnson.

So, that's all true, and at one point, I had written a little further of Stanton getting out of the barricade and all this stuff. And then, I just sort of had this day where I could see the visuals of it with the supertitles at the bottom, and I just was like, "Oh, that's the end of the show." I just think it's really powerful, it's not a huge action sequence or anything, but I just think, emotionally, this has been this center of work for Lincoln and Stanton.

There's something very symbolic and emotional about the fact that the story's about a workaholic, essentially. [Chuckles] And the way he's going to try to save the country is locking himself in his office, and preventing anyone else from doing the job, so he can try to keep the legacy of Lincoln alive just a little longer.

Why Stanton's Ultimate Manhunt Ending Was The Right Choice

With four very full years of life to cover between the conspirators' trial and his death, Beletsky found the perfect bookend for Stanton's journey.

To Beletsky's point, there was a significant amount of time left in Stanton's life to cover after the conspirators' trial in Manhunt's ending. The majority of this time saw Stanton and Johnson frequently at odds with one another, particularly as the then-new US President was going back on his promises to retain Lincoln's Reconstruction plans. Even after Johnson was successfully impeached, Stanton ultimately resigned before eventually being nominated to the Supreme Court, though died days before he was confirmed.

Though the show does ultimately touch on these final moments in his life, choosing to end Manhunt closer to the barricade was the right choice. With four very full years of life to cover between the end of the Booth conspirators' trial and his death, Beletsky found the perfect bookend for Stanton's journey with his refusal to turn over his office to his successor. One of the biggest themes of the show was how Stanton sought to retain Lincoln's legacy in office and his efforts to make the country a more equal place.

Rather than show some of Stanton's later struggles, including his declining health and financial struggles, by jumping right from the barricade to his death, Manhunt stays true to his relationship with Lincoln. The general thrust of Stanton's hunt for Booth and his conspirators was not only a desire to bring some order to the country in the wake of the Civil War, but also bring down those responsible for his friend's murder. In showing how he stayed true to these ideals and helped change history, Beletsky's goal to offer the spotlight to an underexplored historical figure remained effective.

The entirety of Manhunt is available to stream on Apple TV+.