Death by Lightning Recap: Men Like Us
It’s hard to say what kind of president James Garfield would have been, as he spent most of his time in office—80 out of 200 days—struggling to survive after being shot. The show “Party Faithful” hints that despite seeming like a natural successor to Lincoln within the Republican party, Garfield may not have truly wanted the job. The first episode cleverly leaves his motivations unclear: he initially went to the Republican National Convention simply to support John Sherman, but unexpectedly became the party’s nominee. Was he genuinely dedicated to serving the country, or did he harbor hidden ambitions that others, like Sherman and his wife Lucretia, suspected despite his humble demeanor? He may have been pretending to be less interested than he actually was.
