The new Netflix limited series Death by Lightning begins with the following statement on a black screen: “This is a story about two men the world forgot. One was the 20th president of the United States. The other shot him.”

The four-episode series follows former President James A. Garfield, Class of 1856, who inspired the College’s “On the Log” initiative, and Charles Guiteau, a disillusioned office-seeker who assassinated the president just three months into his term. Garfield’s progressive agenda is often overshadowed by the brevity of his time in office. Like many historical dramas, the show’s momentum comes not from the question of “What will happen next?” but rather from the dramatic irony of knowing Garfield’s eventual fate.

In Death by Lightning, Garfield, portrayed by Michael Shannon, leaves his small farm in Ohio to attend the 1880 Republican National Convention, where he gives a rousing speech that outlines a vision of America from which his colleagues have strayed — a vision of how the nation should uphold the values outlined in the Constitution and represent the needs of the people. 

At this time, Garfield has no intention to run for president. However, after his speech, the delegates nominate him even though he didn’t campaign, believing he embodies the nation’s ideals. Throughout the series, Garfield is portrayed as alternately passive and active, caught between indecision and leadership. The show portrays him as an outsider in Washington, D.C., whose commitment to ordinary citizens was seen as idealistic.

Guiteau, portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen, believes he himself embodies the American dream. He initially draws a great deal of hope from Garfield’s nomination, since Garfield rose from poverty in Ohio and went on to serve nine terms in the House of Representatives prior to his presidency. Guiteau has visions of grandeur. His inflated self-image only sharpens in spite of his failed business ventures; with each rejection, he searches for someone other than himself to blame. 

Having supported Garfield’s campaign, Guiteau believes that Garfield owes his election results to him and should therefore reward him — specifically, by appointing him the position of consul general of France. Refusing to accept that his repeated rejections from the higher-ups in Garfield’s administration may be due to his shortcomings as a candidate, Guiteau identifies the perfect scapegoat: James A. Garfield, the man whom he expected to elevate him from his shame and poverty. 

In an attempt to justify his assassination plans, Guiteau turns to God, deciding that he is destined to kill Garfield. Furthermore, he convinces himself that killing Garfield is the only way to unite the Republican Party and save the nation. Guiteau’s angst — and his ensuing ecstasy upon realizing he is God’s agent — are strikingly clear on screen. Some of his exchanges are even hard to watch. He is pathetic yet terrifying as he embodies the dangerous product of delusion and determination.

In Death by Lightning, Garfield’s unlikely political career and his assassin’s tragic delusions are given approximately equal screen time and weight. The show remembers both stories side by side with a nuance and compassion not usually offered in an assassination tale. Furthermore, it invites viewers to consider how stories are preserved or discarded, a tension that comes to a head in one of the final scenes. 

Shortly after Garfield dies, his widow, Lucretia “Crete” Garfield, approaches Guiteau in jail, seeking closure following the death of her husband. She explains that she understands Guiteau’s longing to be remembered. She admits that she knowingly lied to Garfield on this deathbed about his place in history, and insists that Guiteau, like her husband, will also be forgotten. “You will have no voice once you exit from this world,” she tells Guiteau in the show. “I will erase you, as you did to the man I loved most… They will forget you.”

If reading this article or watching the show has piqued your interest in Garfield’s life, look no further than Special Collections’ James A. Garfield Collection, replete with memorabilia including “Cartoons,” “Assassination and Memorial Ephemera,” and “Sheet Music.”