Copyright The New York Times
“Death By Lightning,” about the assassination of President James A. Garfield by his one-time supporter Charles Guiteau, is a trenchant reminder of the legacy of political violence in the United States. It’s also a hoot. The four-episode limited series on Netflix is both a timely exploration of leadership and disillusionment in the post-Civil War era and a frequently amusing character drama featuring a host of beloved actors in bushy beards. It understands that American history is both comedy and tragedy, a saga of men with delusions of grandeur in conflict with others just trying to do good work. The show was adapted by Mike Makowsky (“Bad Education”) from the Candice Millard book “Destiny of the Republic,” and stars Matthew Macfadyen as Guiteau and Michael Shannon as Garfield. When the series begins in 1880, the charming but unstable Guiteau has just been released from jail following a dispute with a landlord. At the same time Garfield is headed to the Republican National Convention, where he will be unexpectedly selected as the presidential nominee after giving an impassioned speech about party unity. Shannon is steady throughout as Garfield, who is presented as the rarest of men: A truly good person and honest politician. He stands in contrast to scheming power brokers like Senator Roscoe Conkling (Shea Whigham) and his bumbling ally Chester A. Arthur (Nick Offerman), who is strategically selected as Garfield’s running mate. Garfield’s surprise victory at the convention enchants the erratic Guiteau, a layabout with big ambitions and little grasp of reality, constantly searching for a cause. As Tom Wambsgans on “Succession,” Macfadyen brought pathos to an unabashed striver. Here, he pulls off a similar trick. His take on Guiteau — who is clearly mentally ill — manages to be simultaneously funny, chilling and heartbreaking. There is plenty of humor in “Death by Lightning,” particularly from Offerman as the drunken Arthur, but the story builds to an inevitable dark conclusion. Makowsky, who wrote the series, and the director Matt Ross (Gavin Belson of “Silicon Valley”) balance the tone well, drawing out the sorrow of Garfield’s death. The show makes the point — perhaps a bit too explicitly — that this nugget of history remains widely unknown, and this telling feels essential. It offers an artful reminder that this country has always had its share of disappointment and rage.
