‘Death by Lightning’ was my favorite stream of the week
‘Death by Lightning’ was my favorite stream of the week
The new historical drama series on Netflix centers on the assassination of President James A. Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau.
As a former history major, I always look forward to a new historical drama series — but usually with some trepidation. Historical dramas have a nasty habit of being written extremely poorly, as if the non-modern setting is enough to cover up the fact that writers didn’t do any research into what existing in that setting should be like.
That hesitance was indeed present as I took the plunge into “Death by Lightning,” a new miniseries which premiered on Netflix on Nov. 6. While the show wasn’t the best piece of historical TV I’ve ever seen, it was more than good enough to earn the title of my favorite stream of the week.
“Death by Lightning” tells the (dramatized) story of the death of President James A. Garfield at the hands of assassin Charles Guiteau. It’s based on the 2011 book “Destiny of the Republic” by Candice Millard, and has received good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences alike.
The series picks up as Garfield (played by Michael Shannon) cinches the Republican Party’s nomination for president in the 1880 election. One thing I immediately noted about the show was the stylized form of dialogue it uses; it doesn’t really try to imitate the way people spoke back in 1880, and injects a few more colorful phrases from the modern day in select moments, but it doesn’t give viewers the impression that they’re watching actors in costumes. It’s a fine line to walk, but I think “Death by Lightning” does a great job splitting the difference this way.
As to Shannon’s performance as Garfield, what I appreciated most was the quiet intensity behind the facade. The portrayal of an outwardly quiet and humble man is riven when viewers flash back to Garfield in his days as a Union officer during the Civil War, and Shannon brings the ghost of those horrifying days to every second of his performance.
But if we’re talking about acting tour-de-forces in “Death by Lightning,” I have to heap a good amount of praise on Matthew Macfadyen for his performance as the presidential assassin Charles Guiteau. At first, the audience is led to believe Guiteau is little more than a charming con man, whose schemes only last as long as his money or alibi will.
But as the show goes along, it quickly becomes clear that Guiteau himself can’t really tell the difference between his swindles and real life. The way in which Macfadyen can pass off a grift as an innocent misunderstanding with his eyes in one scene, then break the heart of a viewer the next, even as his con is found out by a more discerning character is magical to see. You’re not supposed to root for Guiteau at any point in the show, but it’s hard not to in spots.
The show’s supporting cast deserves a shout-out as well, as each member turns in an excellent performance. Betty Gilpin portrays the put-upon Lucretia Garfield, capturing the exhaustion with politics that goes along with being married to the president. The show also features two old favorites of mine in Bradley Whitford and Nick Offerman, who turn in hysterical performances as Senator James Blaine and Chester A. Arthur, respectively.
“Death by Lightning” doesn’t attempt to be a high political drama on the level of a movie like “Lincoln”; as I’ve mentioned, it’s a stylized drama series that plays fast and loose with its period setting at times. But it is a highly entertaining entry in the genre, and it was more than good enough to earn the honor of becoming my favorite stream of the week.
Netflix
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