Mini-Series Review: Death by Lightning (2025)

 

As far as the general public is concerned, one of the most least known parts of American history is what occurred in the eastern part of the nation between the Civil War and the rise of Theodore Roosevelt. This is ironic, because the most filmed part of American history is probably the Old West of the same period. So imagine my pleasant surprise when, just a week before its release, I learned there was a four-part Netflix series on President James Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau!

James Garfield is one of the most fascinating and over-looked figures in American political history. Born into a poor Ohioan family and raised for most of his childhood and youth by a single mother, He became a voracious reader and was noted for his vast knowledge as an adult. Initially a teacher, he entered politics as a Republican and an Abolitionist. In the Civil War Garfield joined the Union Army and, with quite a bit of good fortune, rose to the rank of brigadier-general before leaving the army to become a US Representative as well as a lawyer. In 1880 he went to the Republican Convention in New York to support John Sherman as presidential candidate, but surprisingly found himself nominated after he gave a rousing speech defending certain delegates from expulsion (the speech is one of the more historically altered moments in the show).

Mini-Series Review: I, Claudius (1976)

 I, Claudius is an adaptation of Robert Graves' novel of the same name and its sequel Claudius the God. This twelve-part TV series follows the Julio-Claudian Dynasty of emperors, from the first emperor Augustus himself to the assumption of the throne by Nero. The story is primarily told from the point of view of Claudius (Derek Jacobi), who was the fourth emperor of Rome. Claudius is born with a twitch, lame leg, and terrible stutter. It is eventually revealed that he has actually acquired control over most of his issues and is quite the intelligent historian and observer. However, to survive the intrigue-filled, blood-soaked events engulfing the imperial family, he persists in playing the fool to avoid any fears that he might come for the throne himself. This keeps him alive until he shockingly becomes emperor.

It should be stated that Graves' novels and its adaptation are not meant to be straight historical presentations. The plot is that the aged Claudius is writing down the true history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and thus there are dark secrets that historians have failed to uncover. For example Livia (Sian Phillips), Augustus' wife, is a schemer who arranges the deaths of many characters in order to guide the empire to what she perceives is the best course. The historical Livia was a notably intelligent woman who Augustus usually consulted when making decisions, but there is no evidence that she was a masterful villainess. Graves also plays up the horrific stories about Tiberius (George Baker) and Caligula (John Hurt). Historians have questioned many of theses tales, such as Tiberius' transformation of the island of Capri into his personal and perverted pleasure garden (complete with young boys). Caligula in particular is shown to be a psycho from childhood while even historians who believe all the salacious stories about him credit his madness to a bout with a severe illness as well as outrage over the assassinations of much of his family (in this show he actually helps kill his father Germanicus). Despite these liberties, this is still a fascinating look at early Imperial politics and drama, as Graves kept his narrative possible within accepted history.