[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Death by Lightning, Season 1, Episode 4, “Destiny of the Republic.”]
Death by Lightning may tell the story of doomed president James Garfield (Michael Shannon), but it equally shines a light on the struggles of his would-be assassin, Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen).
Netflix’s four-part series brings to light these two lesser-known historical figures, capturing the humanity and motivations of both with striking performances from Shannon and Macfadyen, due in part to showrunner Mike Makowsky, who was inspired by Candice Millard’s 2011 book, Destiny of the Republic.
As the show tracks Garfield’s rise to the presidency, it also showcases Giteau’s delusions of believing he played a pivotal role in Garfield’s ascension, earning him a spot among their political peers. When he’s turned away, Guiteau resolves to target Garfield and make Chester Arthur (Nick Offerman) president, shooting Garfield at a train station.
While the attack isn’t immediately deadly, Garfield suffers from an infection and prodding from doctors to the point of death a few months after the ordeal. Guiteau is sent to prison, and he believes his name will carry a place in history until Lucretia Garfield (Betty Gilpin) confronts him, vowing to make sure no one remembers him.
Netflix
When he goes to the gallows, though, Guiteau waves to onlookers, seemingly under the impression that he has an adoring audience, and sings a poem he’s written. As the attendees watch on without much reaction, Guiteau utters a single, “Oh,” realizing his fate is soon to be final, and likely without remembrance as Lucretia vowed.
What exactly was going through Giteau’s head? In Macfadyen’s mind, the actor tells TV Insider, “That’s all technical, but I think Giteau was sort of… I think he sort of realized that no one was gonna come and save him. I think he really expected that Chester Arthur, who became president, was gonna send people to take him off [the gallows]. He really thought he was a hero. It’s very sad.”
This thought process is reflective of Guiteau’s own reported death in history, which also included the recitation of his poem, as the assassin believed he’d be pardoned for having cleared a path for Arthur’s ascension to the role of president. In neither the series nor history was that the case.
“One thing that really struck me about Garfield was the last question he ever asked of anybody was, ‘Do you figure my name might have some place in human history?'” Makowsky remarks. “I think despite how incredible he was in so many ways, he had a limitation that I think was prevalent among a lot of men, especially in politics in his era, who were just so preoccupied with their lasting legacy and etching their mark on American history.”
“I think Lucretia, in that moment, after her husband asks her, she doesn’t really know what to say to him, and you sort of see that play on Betty’s face a little bit,” Makowsky explains, going on to add, “So, when she’s confronting Giteau in that last scene [at the prison]… I think she is aware that her husband is not going to matter necessarily for future generations of Americans, but she wants to let her husband’s murderer know that he mattered to their family.”
In other words, Lucretia’s confrontation with Guiteau was less about diminishing Guiteau’s presence in history but rather about reminding him that Garfield’s legacy will always matter more. “I think that is sort of the significance of that moment,” Makowsky shares.
What did you think of Guiteau’s ending and Lucretia’s promise? Sound off in the comments section, and relive every epic moment from Death by Lightning any time on Netflix.
Death by Lightning, Streaming now, Netflix
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