Plan B Forum

Death by Lightning comes across as a moving tale of pure goodness martyred by corruption aligned with the madness and maladies that possessed Charles Guiteau and led him to commit a monstrous act. As history, it’s all a bit overwrought and simplistic. Having said that, the idea that civil-service reform was a holy cause is newly credible now that Garfield’s successor in the White House is working to dismantle it all and turn federal employment into a spoils system that would have embarrassed even Roscoe Conkling’s most avaricious dreams. So as an experiment in civic education, Death by Lightning is valuable and effective, as well as entertaining, so long as you understand it’s not gospel truth.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article ... urate.html

Watched the first episode tonight and (with reservations) heartily recommend it. Could have done without one 21st century MF which was out of place (not to mention time) but, within the limits of experimental error, this looks like a good 'un. The full review (part quoted above) is favorable while correcting some dramatic corrections to reality.

This series is commentary on 1880 and on 2025. Not quite as obviously as Titans: Wall Street and the eerie similarity of the arguments made by corrupt financers/brokers back in the early 30s and those we hear today. The Titans series on Hollywood was better than the one on Wall Street. The latter simply does not really explain the mechanics involved in the shenanigans of Wall St in our own times. The film business was much easier to understand and contained many interesting and unknown (to me) tid-bits. Gotta love RL.