"Manhunt"
Starring:

Adrian Paul (Duncan MacLeod)
Stan Kirsch (Richie Ryan)
and
Jim Byrnes as Joe Dawson

Guests:

Bruce A. Young (Carl Robinson)
Eric Keenleyside (Trey Franks)
and
Eric McCormack as Matthew McCormick

Written by David Tynan
Directed by Peter Ellis
Production no. 96503-91
Full Credits

Table of Contents:

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Teaser

Baseball stadium. Several players are warming up on the field. Carl Robinson walks through the seats to the field, trailed by some kids. Carl is talking on a cellphone, telling whoever it is that he'd "better get 20 million or by the time spring training ends I'm gonna be playing for Steinbrenner." He gets off the phone and starts signing baseballs for a couple of waiting fans.

Carl: "Hey, this looks like the one Griffey hit off me last year. Who're you guys rooting for anyway?"

As he's signing, Trey Franks (who I presume to be the pitching coach) comes up and tells Carl he was looking good, then starts to point out what he was doing wrong. He tells Carl he's too arrogant to listen to him, and at that moment Carl senses another immortal (Corman), who we then see walk up on the roof over the seats. Franks is still trying to coach him, but Carl says he has to take care of something and leaves, leaving Franks to grumble about that "know-it-all son-of-a-bitch." Cut to Carl coming out onto the roof. The other immortal is waiting, and Carl asks what he wants.

Corman: "Your autograph, star man. Like, I just totally can't live without it." He goes on to tell Carl that he saw him on tv the other night. "You got a problem with southpaws."

Carl: "Yeah? So?"

Corman: "So..." He whips out his sword left-handed. "I'm a southpaw."

Carl draws and faces him, telling him he's "got the wrong place and the wrong time," but Corman doesn't listen. They start to fight. Down near the field, the fans who were getting autographs earlier are checking out Carl's Lamborghini. Cut back to Corman, from waist down. He stumbles back, then the body tumbles over the edge of the roof and plummets down to the field. The fans look up from the car as the quickening starts throwing lightning to the field lights, etc. They run to the field as others come to see what the commotion is about, and everyone recoils back with noises of disgust and disbelief as they see the body. Franks, coming onto the field, looks up and sees Carl on the roof, and so does everyone else. When the Quickening is over, Carl looks down.

Carl: "NO! You don't understand!"

As the spectators back away, Carl clutches his head and staggers off, leaving Franks looking at the field, stunned.

Act One Back to Top

Duncan comes into the dojo, wearing a nice suit and carrying a briefcase. He's reading a newspaper with the headline "Star Pitcher Hunted in Gruesome Slaying". There's a kid waiting for him who, after a brief but uninformative exchange gives him a note telling him that Carl is at a certain warehouse.

Duncan goes to the warehouse and finds Carl hiding out.

Carl: "Nice suit."

Duncan: "Nice neighborhood."

Carl asks him how it is out there, and Duncan gives him the paper. Tells him he "got good coverage, did everything but take out an ad." Carl protests that he didn't have any choice, and Duncan seems to accept that.

Duncan: "Doesn't make much difference now, does it?"

Carl tells him that last week he was having dinner with the governer and the mayor, and that they were asking him if he's ever thought about going into politics.

Carl: "They wanted me!"

Duncan says helpfully: "I guess you always did have lousy timing" He tells him to put it behind him.

Carl: "Yeah, sure. I've only been waiting for this for what, two, three lifetimes? Now it's over, gone."

Duncan tells him it's time to start over, but Carl says he can't even access his accounts. Duncan says they'll "figure something out." Carl says he doesn't want to drag Duncan into this.

Duncan: "I'm already in."

He holds out his hand, and he and Carl do one of those macho three-grip handshakes. ;)

Cut to baseball field, where a tape line has been made around the place where the body was. A car drives up and a man in a trench coat (Matthew McCormick) gets out (Snide note: A mouth organ begins twanging at this point, just in case we miss from the accent that he's from the South. :)) He introduces himself as Ozzie(??) McCormick, Special Agent. One of the other cops seems to know the name ("The serial killer guy."). Matthew makes a brief survey of the scene, saying that he's there because it's a "high-profile" case, and needs to be wrapped up quickly. He bags a piece of evidence and heads for his car to put it in the trunk, asking if they'd found either the weapon or Carl ("I thought not.") He opens the trunk and tucks the evidence into a box, just underneath his sword...

Cut to Duncan and Carl driving back to the dojo, Carl is lamenting about his lost career, and Duncan's advice to start new doesn't seem to console him. When they get to the dojo, they find it crawling with cops. As Duncan starts to back the car away, they sense another immortal and Matthew turns. Carl tells Duncan to get him out of there, and Duncan drives off with Matthew watching, doing nothing. Duncan drives to an overlook and asks Carl about Matthew. Carl tells him that Matthew is a federal agent, and that "we go back a ways. Matthew used to own me."

Flashback Louisiana, 1859 Back to Top

Carl voiceover, explaining about his life as a slave as we see him pushing a cart. He says his owner was a man named Seth Hobart, and that Seth's youngest daughter had gotten knocked up, and "she had to name somebody, so she said it was me." After the daughter points out Carl, Seth goes to him and starts to beat him, but Carl gets away and runs through the field with Seth in pursuit. Seth shoots him in the back and leaves him for dead, "only thing was, I couldn't die." Carl says he ran for days, but he was still a slave and he soon ran into two men who caught him. They were taking him to sell him or get the reward, when Carl felt for the first time the presence of another immortal. As the immortal rode nearer, Carl saw that it was Matthew, who he knew because he was married to Seth's oldest daughter. Matthew buys Carl from the two men at double the price.

Carl, voiceover: "I didn't know what to make of him, but I sure as hell thought I was dead."

Carl pleads with Matthew not to take him back, tries to explain what happen. Matthew says nothing, just turns and then whips out his sword. Carl falls on his knees, and as Matthew swings he flings up his chained hands to fend off the blow. But instead of hitting him, Matthew slices neatly through the chains. Carl looks up at him in astonishment, and Matthew smiles (Hoo, what a smile! ;))

Present Day Back to Top

Scene comes back to Joe's, with Carl and Duncan coming in, Carl just saying, "...and now he wants to kill me." Duncan asks why Matthew wants to kill him now, when he could have taken his head back then, and Carl says it doesn't matter. They find Joe Dawson sitting on the stage, still playing the extremely cool blues that was the background music for the whole Flashback (very cool! :)) Carl asks if Duncan trusts him.

Duncan: "Have to. He knows about us. Everything."

Carl allows that anyone that can play blues like that can't be all bad, and Joe allows that anyone that can strike out Ken Griffey, Jr. twice in one game is pretty okay as well. They shake, and Duncan leaves Carl with Joe, intending to go back to the dojo and talk to Matthew. Carl warns him that Matthew is good, that he taught Carl things that he's still working on.

Duncan: "Then maybe he can teach me something."

Act Two Back to Top

Duncan comes back to the dojo to find Matthew sitting at his desk, feet up, playing with a Slinky. "Matthew McCormick, I presume."

Matthew: "That's Special Agent to you."

Duncan says he didn't remember inviting him, and Matthew says, still playing with the Slinky, "You know what I like about these? If you had enough stairs, they'd just go on forever."

Duncan: "Unless they're stopped."

Matthew: "Kinda like us."

Duncan (evil grin): "No." Comes over and pushes Matthew's feet off the desk. "Just like us."

They talk about Carl, and Duncan tells him that he knows it wasn't murder, that it was a fight between two immortals. "He had no choice."

Matthew: "Maybe not this time, but this time I will have him."

Duncan: "For what? Carl Robinson's no murderer."

Matthew replies that "He's a murdering bastard. And he always has been."

Flashback Louisiana (no date) Back to Top

A house sitting on the water. Carl and Matthew are talking, discussing the approaching war. Matthew says he wishes they had more time, but it's probably best for Carl to leave. Carl agrees, but says he'll miss the South, somehow. Matthew says it won't "be a whole lot easier out there."

Carl: "You're telling me. But I know what I am now. I know how to survive. You taught me that."

Matthew: "You'd have done the same."

Carl: "No, sir. See, you taught me something else: That not every white man uses a whip. You've been more than my teacher. You've been a friend."

Matthew looks uncomfortable, gets up walks to the edge of the porch. He suggest the Carl head north, for Chicago, and Carl says he will, but he has a few things to take care of.

Matthew: "Any of those things have a name?"

Carl says it's none of Matthew's business.

Matthew: "The hell it isn't! If you're talking about Seth Hobart you can just forget it." Tells Carl to stay away from him.

Carl: "The man is pure evil!"

Matthew says Carl is immortal now, it's time to put away mortal concerns. He reminds Carl that he also taught him about forgiveness, "the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness, and decency is something else you gotta learn."

Carl: "Are you defending him?"

Matthew: "What I am, is married to his daughter." Matthew tells Carl to leave Seth be, that if he doesn't he'll hunt him down. "You have my word on that."

Carl says he hears him, and leaves. Carl goes back to the farm and confronts Seth. Seth is astounded to find him still alive. While Seth is amazed, Carl takes his crop away and starts beating Seth with it. Seth tries to get his gun out, but Carl gets it away from him and shoots him. The shot brings Seth's son. Carl tells him to stay out of it, but he runs at Carl and gets shot in his turn. "No more," says Carl. He throws the gun down.

Present Day, Joe's Back to Top

Duncan: "Did you kill those men, Carl?"

Carl: "Damn right I did!" Talks about what it was like to be owned by Seth, to not have any rights or any say in what happened to him.

Duncan: "You should've left it alone."

Carl says he didn't know what it was like.

Duncan: "When you became immortal you stopped being a slave. You're one of us now."

Carl says he didn't go meaning to kill Seth, but he isn't sorry he did, says if Duncan can't understand that, he can go to hell.

Cut to ballpark, wind blowing trash around the field and bleachers. Franks is sitting alone in the stands, drinking, and thinking. As we draw close, we hear him thinking about Carl, that "he's the best damn pitcher this team's ever had", and wondering what they're going to do without him. Franks picks up a paper and looks at headline about "Manhunt Continues for Baseball Star." As Franks sits, tossing a ball into his glove, we hear the echo of an announcer, and a screaming crowd. The announcer is saying, "Carl Robinson has just thrown a no-hitter, and the crowd is loving it." Shot of empty park, then cut to Carl walking down an alley. A police car pulls up behind him, and a cop gets out and tells him to "hold it right there." But once the cop is out of the car, Carl runs. The first cop chases him on foot, and another car tries to cut him off. He runs again, but they chase him down in the end and arrest him.

Act Three Back to Top

Duncan and Matthew at the police station. Matthew talking about how killers are all the same, rich and poor, etc. "You'd never even know he was one of us."

Duncan: "Yes, but he is one of us. He killed in self-defense, Corman challenged him."

Matthew says he doesn't give a damn about Corman, and reminds Duncan that Carl killed his wife's father.

Duncan: "Is this about justice or revenge?"

Matthew says there no statute of limitations on murder. Duncan says he can't condemn Carl for "something we all do." Matthew just looks at him. Duncan edges closer

Duncan, casually: "Things happen in an investigation, evidence goes missing all the time. Somebody drops the wrong glove, you know..."

Matthew looks at him like he's crazy.

Matthew: "You're not asking me to throw this case?" Duncan points out that if Carl goes to prison, it's only a matter of time before someone finds out about him, "about all of us." Matthew says not to worry, "I don't think Carl's going to make it to trial." He shoves off and listens briefly as another officer tells him something. Duncan follows and starts up again, but Matthew cuts him off, telling him someone has just confessed, "and it wasn't Carl Robinson." Duncan looks over to see Franks being led away.

Cut to the dojo, Carl and Duncan getting out of the elevator. Carl is ecstatic that he's off the hook, and perfectly willing to let Franks take the rap. Duncan can't believe that Carl thinks it's right to let Franks take the blame.

Carl: "Right? What the hell does right have to do with anything?" Carl says that this "immortality thing is a joke," that every time he gets somewhere, something happens to knock him on his ass, but now "a gift has dropped out of the sky. And you want me to throw it away?"

Duncan: "No, I just want you to get an innocent man out of prison."

Carl isn't going for it. His life ended, he says, when this happened and now he has it back and can make a difference.

Duncan: "And Trey can't?"

Carl says that Franks is "a nobody. He's nothing. Less than nothing."

Duncan: "Like Carl the slave was? Hm?"

Carl says something to the effect of "You don't even want to go there," and stalks off. Duncan follows.

Duncan: "Why? Because you suffered? How much you got in the bank, Carl?" Steps in front of him, blocking his path. "Five, six million dollars, a nice apartment, that nice Lamborghini..."

Carl: "Is there some point you're trying to make here, MacLeod?"

Duncan: "Yeah, why don't you give the torture crap a rest. Your slave days are long gone."

Carl says this is probably the best thing to ever happen to Franks, and that he's happy to let him have his "time in the sun." But Duncan won't let it drop, and Carl takes a punch at him. They fight hand to hand, and Duncan floors Carl pretty quickly. Carl asks Duncan to give him a hand, but once he's on his feet again he grabs Duncan and throws him through a rack. The fight goes on until Duncan tosses Carl through the office window. Carl says all right, and asks for Duncan to give him a hand again. Duncan does, then grabs his arm and twists, putting his foot on Carl's shoulder.

Duncan: "Not twice."

He finally gets Carl's word that he'll go.

After a wait at the station, they get in to see Franks. Franks is saying that he killed Corman because he owed him money, that he cut off his head with a big knife, "more like a sword," and that Carl came along afterwards and got caught. Duncan starts pressing him, and Franks says, "I did it. Why don't you just believe me?"

Duncan: "Because it's not true."

Carl tries next. He tells Franks that he has to tell the police, that "you can't throw your life away."

Franks: "I don't got a life to throw away." Says he knows that he's a joke, "white trash," a nobody. He can't even play ball. He thought once he had something, but he "must have been dreaming."

Franks: "Growing up, I hated guys like you. Rich, black, smarter than me. And then I met you. Seen you play, seen how you treat people, what you had inside. And I stopped hating you. I wanted you to win. More than anything, I wanted to help you win."

Carl, emotionally, almost in tears: "I know you did, Trey."

Franks says if Carl can affect his life the way he has, think of what he could do with his own. Says he knows Carl must have had a good reason to kill Korman.

Franks: "The world loses Carl, it's worse off. But Trey Franks? There's no point to Trey Franks. Let me do this, Carl. Please. It's all I got."

Carl looks at Duncan, who looks away.

Cut to stadium, Carl hitting practice balls. Duncan comes up.

Duncan: "It won't go away, Carl."

Carl: "Cracker-ass (?) son-of-a-bitch..." Tells Duncan if he tells the truth, "I lose everything, everything I hoped for, everything I dreamed. (Sighs) Looks like I don't have very many options, do I."

They both sense another immortal.

Duncan: "Looks like you don't have any."

Matthew comes out of the stands, and waits.

Act Four Back to Top

Duncan and Carl meet Matthew in the bleachers. Carl says he can't take back what happened in Louisiana. Matthew says he can pay for it. Duncan tries to convince him that Carl's changed. Carl says there was some justice in what he did, that those men were slavers. Matthew says they were his friends and that "I told you I'd come after you." Draws, and Carl follows suit.

Duncan: "Your honor won't be served by Carl's death, just your pride, and your vanity."

Matthew says he gave his word, and Carl says he doesn't hold it against him.

Carl: "You do what you have to, just like I did what I had to." He goes on to ask for one favor, if Matthew should win. He wants him to make sure Franks goes free, and he wants Matthew to promise that he'll tell him that he's not a nobody, that his life has a point. "Can I trust you to do that?"

Matthew nods. Duncan asks Matthew to listen, to ask himself if he wants to kill him. Carl tells him to get out, and Carl and Matthew square off.

Duncan to Matthew: "You can forgive him!" (quieter) "You can forgive him."

Matthew looks at Duncan, then back at Carl...

Cut to police station. An officer comes in with Carl's sword and says that the blood matches the victim's and Carl's prints are all over it. Matthew turns to Duncan and tells him he could do 10 to 20 as an accessory. Duncan says all he did was bring the sword in, and Matthew says he must know where Carl is. Cut to police arriving at the warehouse. They take up positions with guns, etc. Duncan arrives with Matthew, and "persuades" him to let him have three minutes with Carl to try to talk him into surrendering. Duncan goes in, and finds Carl waiting inside with a shotgun.

Duncan: "Are you ready for this?"

Carl turns and cocks the gun. Cut back to cops. Duncan calls that he's coming out and walks back to the line.

Duncan says to Matthew: "He won't listen. He says he won't go to jail for the rest of his life."

Carl comes out with the gun. They tell him to throw down the weapon, etc. Carl comes down the stairs, with Matthew telling him not to commit suicide, to drop the gun. Carl gets to the bottom, then raises and fires once. The cops return fire, and Carl goes down.

Cut to morgue. Duncan peeks out the door, dressed in a lab coat. Matthew comes up the corridor and says it's clear. Duncan and Carl join him and they walk out together. Duncan says that Franks is free, and the police aren't looking for Carl, now that he's dead.

Carl: "Great." Turns to Matthew. "Did you have to let them shoot me so many times? Felt like the OK Corral."

Matthew, not sounding it: "Awful sorry."

Duncan tells him to quit complaining, that at least he still has his head.

Carl: "It was freezing in there!"

Duncan: "Well, it was the morgue. At least you're still fresh."

Carl: "You know, you're real funny, MacLeod. And who picked out these clothes, anyway, your mother?"

Duncan stops in door with Matthew, glaring.

Duncan: "You should have killed him."

Matthew doesn't say a word, just pushes past and follows Carl away...

Tag Back to Top

Franks at the stadium, on the pitcher's mound. Duncan comes in and calls to him.

Franks: "I don't have to talk to you."

Duncan: "No, you don't."

Franks: "If it wasn't for you, he'd still be alive." Says they had him, that he confessed.

Duncan: "Yeah, but you didn't kill anybody, did you?"

Franks: "No, I didn't save nobody, either."

Carl comes up out of the stands.

Carl: "You're wrong there, Trey." Tells Franks not to ask how he's alive, just accept it. Says he won't be coming back for a long time. Tells Franks he did a good thing, and he won't forget it.

He and Duncan leave and Franks goes back to the mound. He picks up a ball and we hear the echo of the crowds and organ music playing. He tosses the ball up, and the credits roll...

Notes Back to Top

Couple of notes: The background music was very cool throughout (except for the obligatory mouth organ that apparently by law must accompany the appearance of all Southerners on TV... :)). Jim Byrnes' (I'm assuming it was JB, anyway! :)) guitar was great in the flashback's, and there was a drum-and-chanting music that they used for when the cops caught Carl, and for when Duncan went into the warehouse in the fourth act to ask if he was ready. Also, the flashbacks were filmed with, I think, some very subtle yellow filter, which actually worked very nicely against the largely bluish tones of the present day (Even Duncan's shirt and suit were blue, and the blue neon at Joe's showed up twice right after a flashback).

Until "Glory Days"...

Jinjifore

These pages are written by Jinjifore and are translated into HTML and maintained by Ian.

Disclaimer: All the dialogue, characters, situations, and darn near everything else belong to a bunch of fine and talented folks at Rysher Entertainment and Panzer/Davis, and in particular the dialogue belongs to the credited writer of this episode. Me, I just wrote the rest down in my own words, which belong to me, but the episode itself was made by the aforementioned people and is owned by them. This humble synopsis isn't meant to infringe on their rights, and I'm sure as heck not making any money from doing these.

Everything not belonging to Rysher, et al, ©Copyright 1997 by Jinjifore

Feel free to copy and distribute as long as this copyright notice and disclaimer are included, except where local bandwidth laws apply.

Also, check out Ian's home page.

Celtic clip art courtesy of the Celtic Art Web Page.
Last Rev: H71 [ 1 Jul 97 ]