Death by Lightning Series-Premiere Recap: A Man Can Be Anyone

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I recently learned an incredible, almost unbelievable, true story. It’s about two figures history seems to have overlooked – one, a former President of the United States, and the other, the man who attempted to take his life. It’s a story that really stuck with me, and I can’t believe I hadn’t heard it before.

The opening line of this compelling first episode of Death by Lightning sets a somber tone. The miniseries, based on Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, aims to show that President James Garfield was a significant figure who shouldn’t have faded from history. So far, the show portrays Garfield – played by Michael Shannon – with a surprising humility and dignity, a departure from the actor’s usual roles. Interestingly, Matthew Macfadyen, not Shannon, plays Charles Guiteau, and that casting choice proves brilliant as soon as he begins to speak. Millard’s book highlights Garfield as a promising successor to Lincoln – a gifted speaker and a strong, principled man from the Midwest who opposed slavery and championed the nation’s best values.

President Garfield died after only 200 days in office, and spent 80 of those days suffering terribly from a gunshot wound. The book Destiny of the Republic shares many stories about American history, but highlights how quickly the country’s advancements can be derailed by the actions of a single, disturbed person seeking notoriety.

The story begins with Charles Guiteau, a disturbed and attention-seeking man, and it’s cleverly staged by opening the exhibit in 1969 with his preserved brain on display at the Army Medical Museum. If this were a scene from a classic horror comedy, Guiteau’s brain jar would be the most peculiar one. The exhibit quickly establishes that Garfield, a contented congressman from Ohio, simply wished to be left alone. However, the initial reaction to the discovery – the question, “Who the heck is Charles Guiteau?” – would have deeply angered Guiteau, who believed he was destined to play a significant role in American history.

Guiteau’s path to becoming a historical figure began from a difficult place, and the book opens with him in jail – a Manhattan facility known as “the Tombs.” A judge reviewing his case questions Guiteau’s story about a dispute with his landlord, noting a letter from Guiteau’s father revealing they’d been estranged for years and casting doubt on his character. This included a period spent with the unconventional residents of the Oneida Free Love Colony. Like a distorted reflection of Garfield’s own eloquence, Guiteau presents himself as part of a lineage of independent thinkers and wanderers. He believes America allows anyone to reinvent themselves, saying, “Here and only here, a man can be anyone.”

The episode “The Man From Ohio” ends with a handshake between Guiteau and Garfield, but subtly sets them on a collision course in Chicago, each driven by their own goals. Released from prison by his sister, Franny (Paula Malcomson), who is the only family member who cares for him, Guiteau announces his plan to start a newspaper called The Daily Theocrat and seeks funding. He brazenly attempts to get a loan from a bank, seemingly hoping the manager won’t remember he once threw a paperweight at him. Meanwhile, Franny’s husband, George (Ben Miles), a successful patent lawyer, is skeptical of her brother. After Guiteau unexpectedly attacks Franny with an axe during an outburst, she gently suggests he seek mental health treatment, which he reluctantly agrees to, realizing he’s lost her trust. He then betrays everyone by stealing money from George’s safe, completely severing ties with those who still cared for him.

The most interesting part of this episode focuses on the 1880 Republican National Convention, which was very different from the carefully staged events we see today. Ulysses S. Grant, a popular war hero and former two-term president, was trying to win the nomination for an unprecedented third term. However, his presidency had been marked by corruption, and real power lay with his supporters in New York City. As Lucretia Garfield puts it, they treated Grant like an old trophy, showing him off at lavish parties. Roscoe Conkling, a New York senator and key Grant supporter, personally benefited from the money and political favors flowing through the city’s port.

Despite Grant’s inability to win the nomination, his rivals – James G. Blaine and John Sherman – weren’t strong contenders either. Blaine was slightly more capable, but Sherman had a secret weapon: James Garfield, who agreed to publicly support him. However, Garfield’s powerful speech, praising the Republican values of Lincoln’s era, was so effective it made delegates question whether he should be president. When a delegate from Pennsylvania unexpectedly gave Garfield a single vote, Garfield was angry and tried to stop his name from being considered further, but his efforts failed. He didn’t want to run for president, but others insisted he had no choice.

Garfield tries to apologize to Sherman, who is deeply embarrassed, but Sherman doesn’t accept it. He points out that Garfield’s grand speech seems motivated by personal desire, not genuine remorse – a surprisingly insightful observation. This seems to hit home with Garfield, and even Lucretia hints that he’s realizing something about his own ambition. Though Garfield appears happy with his family life in Ohio, he overcame a difficult, impoverished background, and his bravery in fighting for the Union demonstrates a strong sense of duty. However, he also possesses a degree of self-centeredness – a trait, the story suggests, shared by all leaders.

The hesitant candidate finds himself with two strong enemies – Conkling and Chester A. Arthur (Nick Offerman) – and a new, enthusiastic supporter named Charles Guiteau. It won’t be long before all three of them are actively working against him.

Conklings

Calling the Oneida community a “free-love colony” is misleading. While they did practice group marriage, they were a strict religious group focused on achieving perfection. Their practices included a controversial form of selective breeding called “stirpiculture” and a principle of male orgasm control. The community’s founder, John Noyes, escaped to Canada in 1879 to avoid charges related to statutory rape.

Hanni El Khatib’s cover of “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You)” was a powerful choice right after the show’s opening. Overall, the show has a really energetic and positive vibe, which is a great reminder that learning about history can be enjoyable!

Matt Ross directed this episode, as well as the entire series. Many viewers will recognize him as Alby Grant from Big Love and Gavin Belson from Silicon Valley. He’s also a film director, known for the critically acclaimed Captain Fantastic (2016), which featured Viggo Mortensen as a father who raises his children in complete isolation.

Guiteau’s strange explanation to the bank manager about the dent – claiming it must have been caused by a right-handed person because he himself is left-handed – is delivered with the same slightly awkward energy that Matthew Macfadyen brings to his role as Tom Wambsgans in Succession. This adds a similar comedic spark to the show.

While Grant was already considering who to appoint to his next Cabinet, Roscoe Conkling casually offered James Garfield the position of Secretary of the Interior – even cornering him in the bathroom to do so. Garfield protested that he wasn’t qualified, but Conkling dismissively replied that owning a farm was qualification enough.

The way the film cuts between Garfield’s powerful speech and Guiteau chopping wood might seem odd, but it’s a clever way of hinting at what’s to come – a technique filmmakers use called foreshadowing.

It takes less than five minutes in the film for Guiteau to go from asking “Who the heck is Garfield?” to proudly wearing a Garfield campaign button.

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2025-11-06 12:56