Netflix’s “Death by Lightning” is an electrifying political drama that brings history back to life

Screenwriter Mike Makowsky is bringing his talents to Netflix with an adaptation of the 2011 book “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President.” He has changed the title to “Death by Lightning.” This four-part series explores the life of James Garfield (played by Michael Shannon), the reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer, Charles Guiteau (played by Matthew Macfadyen), who would ultimately become his assassin.

Michael Shannon is electric as Garfield, bringing both a quietly righteous sense of moral authority to the character and an elegiac air of quiet sadness to the spaces between his words. Matthew Macfadyen is the embodiment of a train wreck as assassin Charles Guiteau, giving one of his creepiest performances to date as a delusional man determined to force the world to acknowledge and reward him for his efforts. The scenes between Shannon and Macfadyen are some of the most powerful in the play; there’s a music to them, two enormous forces of energy and violence and speech, barreling towards each other like figures on a collision course.

Director Matt Ross keeps the whole thing grounded. The dim lighting and grey-toned color palette, the oppressive air of Washington’s halls and staircases, all bring a verisimilitude that makes this feel like the America of the late 19th century—an America that was still, less than half a century after the Civil War, trying to work out who it was and who it wanted to be. Ross’ script doesn’t have a hand for the grandiose; instead, the dialogue rings true and real, and feels like a careful echo of the actual —or at least the most likely. You can hear the weight in the deals that are brokered, the hesitations in the handshakes, the resignation in the threats.

Nick Offerman as Chester A. Arthur is both an object lesson in performance, bringing a weary sense of guilt and dignity to the role, and Betty Gilpin as Lucretia Garfield is full of strength and tenderness, quietly heartbreaking. I was particularly impressed by the inclusion of Blanche K. Bruce (Barry Shabaka Henley) and Frederick Douglass (Vondie Curtis-Hall). It was rare to see such long-overdue recognition of Black political leadership during Reconstruction, but Bruce was represented onscreen here with the dignity and depth he so richly deserves.

“Death by Lightning” doesn’t glamorize power, it anatomizes it. It’s the story of how ego, blind ambition, and bureaucratic failure corrupt and ultimately undo the good work of a good man. The writing is sharp and layered, the performances are stellar, and the emotions of the whole thing feel both resonant and immediate. Death by Lightning is one of the most affecting and powerful political dramas of the year. This show isn’t just retelling history; this is remaking it.

Final Grade: B

“Death by Lighting” is available to stream now on Netflix.