No One Does Delusional American Strivers Like Matthew Macfadyen

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In Netflix’s adaptation of Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, titled Death by Lightning, Charles Guiteau meets President James A. Garfield on only two occasions. The first happens right after Garfield (played by Michael Shannon) wins the Republican nomination, as shown in the opening episode, “The Man From Ohio.” An enthusiastic Guiteau (portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen) pushes through a crowd to shake Garfield’s hand. Director Matt Ross presents this moment as a foreshadowing of the violence to come, hinting that Guiteau’s admiration will eventually turn into something sinister. At this point, however, it’s simply a handshake, filled with a sense of what’s to come.

For me, the second time we really get Guiteau is in the third episode. It happens after we’ve seen him fail over and over, desperately believing he’s destined for something big. He honestly thinks he deserves a job in Garfield’s administration just for campaigning for him (without permission, and to pretty much no one!). The whole series shows him trying to get close to the president, which really annoys James Blaine. When he can’t get in any other way, he just joins the endless line of people hoping for a favor at the White House. Then, he finally gets a meeting with Garfield, and it’s amazing – he’s completely speechless. Usually, he’s all talk, but he’s suddenly overwhelmed just to be in the president’s presence. Tom Macfadyen plays it perfectly; you can see this man is on the verge of some kind of breakdown, his eyes are watery, and his voice is so vulnerable. He tells Garfield, ‘All I want, sir, is to be your friend. I feel in my core that I really know you, Mr. Garfield.’ But then he makes this plea that just breaks your heart, distilling everything he wants into something so pathetic and human. ‘Help me,’ he says, ‘to succeed like you did. Open the door… I’m begging you. Tell me. Tell me how I can be great too.’

We now see Guiteau’s life as a series of disappointments. He constantly sought recognition and meaning, but repeatedly failed as a lawyer, salesman, preacher, and publisher. He even lived briefly with the Oneida Community, an early and controversial experiment in communal living, but was turned away. When confronted with this history, Garfield is both surprised and sympathetic. He responds kindly, explaining that everyone is flawed and that greatness comes from God, not from any individual. It’s a fascinating scene because Garfield is genuinely humble, yet struggles to find the right words to address Guiteau’s desperate plea. Guiteau receives the response, though it’s unclear if it resonates with him. Garfield’s words offer no practical help, and it’s hard to imagine what he could have said to satisfy Guiteau’s needs. The moment ultimately fizzles out. After a brief, almost silent exchange, the president is called away, leaving Guiteau still lost in his unfulfilled desires.

Despite lasting only four episodes, Death by Lightning offers a surprisingly deep look into the complicated world of 19th-century American politics. The acting is consistently strong: Kyle Shannon portrays James Garfield as an exceptionally honorable and selfless war hero, while Shea Whigham and Nick Offerman delightfully play the manipulative Roscoe Conkling and the bombastic Chester Arthur. Betty Gilpin also shines as Garfield’s wife, Lucretia, appearing in a series of powerful scenes towards the end. However, the standout performance comes from Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Guiteau, the assassin. The show presents Guiteau not as a monster, but as a disturbingly sympathetic figure – a lonely, lost man who is both desperate for connection and clearly dangerous. As one character bluntly tells him, “He doesn’t know you, and you don’t know him. You keep trying because you’re an opportunist, always looking for an angle.”

Charles Guiteau is a complex figure who invites many interpretations. Recently, the New York Post labeled him one of the first “incels” after a book, An Assassin in Utopia, suggested his violence stemmed from sexual frustration. While the series Death by Lightning acknowledges this possibility – briefly showing Guiteau being publicly shamed within the Oneida Community – it primarily views him through the lens of mental illness, aligning with most historical accounts. However, the show suggests something even deeper: Guiteau’s madness isn’t just a personal failing, but a product of the American Dream itself. He isn’t simply unstable or rejected; he represents the extreme result of relentless ambition, a man who believed sheer force of will could guarantee success.

The story begins with Guiteau addressing a parole board, desperately trying to prove his value. He’s accused of being a burden on society, which shocks him – he feels like he’s reading from a script that’s gone wrong. He argues that he’s no different than the people who built the nation, asking if America isn’t founded on the ambition of outsiders and independent thinkers. He believes this country should allow anyone to achieve success, become wealthy, and leave their mark on history. He concludes by insisting he’s not a drain on society, but a valuable asset – someone who, with a little luck, could even become president.

Macfadyen is captivating in this role, and it’s hard not to compare it to his performance as Tom Wambsgans in Succession. Both characters are similar: he plays another Midwesterner (this time an Illinois resident), and both men are outsiders striving for wealth, recognition, and affection in worlds that don’t care about them. Both also rely on self-deception to cope with their situations.

Macfadyen excels at portraying characters who experience deep humiliation. He brilliantly embodies men with strong desires, making their struggles both agonizing and relatable. His character Tom slowly loses all sense of pride, quietly accepting mistreatment until, through a combination of resilience, lack of principles, and simple fortune, he unexpectedly succeeds. Guiteau, though more blunt, shares a similar emotional core: the pain of feeling overlooked, and a desperate belief that proper behavior and sheer persistence will ultimately earn him recognition. Despite one achieving power and the other facing execution, Guiteau and Tom represent a connected idea. Tom is a modern reflection of moral decay in the corporate world, while Guiteau is an earlier version – a 19th-century American driven by the dream of self-improvement, for whom failure feels like a personal rejection by the universe.

While there’s a clear difference between the historical figure Guiteau and the character Tom Wambsgans, both reveal a fascinating point: the boundary between genuine madness and unwavering belief can be surprisingly blurred. Guiteau was seen as mentally ill, but Wambsgans is simply ambitious and driven – his behavior is considered normal within his world. However, the show suggests they share a common, distinctly American idea: that success proves morality, and failure is just a lack of effort. Guiteau’s belief that he could achieve his goals through sheer willpower and faith resonates today in movements like QAnon, the rhetoric of populist politicians, and even the promises made by tech leaders about artificial intelligence. The book Death by Lightning implies that people like Guiteau are a constant presence in our society – and always will be. There have always been, and will always be, individuals driven by this kind of conviction.

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2025-11-07 19:55