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Gaslit, the new series from Netflix, begins with a slick opening scene that zooms out from a man’s face as he holds his hand above a candle’s flame. This is G. Gordon Liddy, and as the music crescendos, he slaps his hand down and extinguishes the flame, talking about how history isn’t written by the feeble masses. ..
In the days leading up to President Richard Nixon’s re-election, there are rumors of mass layoffs in the government. The campaign is tense, with Nixon and his opponent, George McGovern, trading accusations of who would be worse for the economy. On election day, Nixon is declared the winner with just over 50% of the vote. ..
John Dean is going to be working on an intelligence operation against the Democrats. However, he’s not actually going to be doing anything. He’s instead tasked with fronting the operation. This is because he believes he’s in for the chop and doesn’t want to get caught.
John Dean is unsure but when he finds out that Nixon asked for him personally, he soon changes his opinion. Now it appears that the gang have devised a plan for covert operations, with the first title being “Operation Gemstone.” There is also another called “Operation Quartz.” This phase would see them round up fringe activist leaders and export them to Mexico. It’s basically kidnapping. ..
The team decides to go with a more low-key approach, filming the officials on land instead. This plan works for a while, but as they keep going, it becomes clear that they’re not getting anywhere. So Liddy comes up with a new plan: he will film the officials in their homes, and then use the footage to blackmail them into giving him what he wants.
Dean tries to calm him down afterwards, eventually telling him he liked the pitch as a way of deflecting.
Martha Mitchell, a socialite who became the first person to speak about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate break-in, is now being interviewed by Winne McLendon from the Ladies Home Journal. This firecracker is just waiting to explode and we’re getting ahead of ourselves. ..
She speaks informally about her feelings on the Vietnam War, but is interrupted by her husband, John Mitchell. After he leaves, someone crashes the party and protesters start to show up. Martha is there, so she starts to feed this information back to Winnie later on. ..
John Dean and Mo had a date on Saturday night and the topic of politics came up. Dean was very critical of Nixon, but Mo defended him. The date ended with a fight, but it was a good one.
Dean is invited to a fundraiser that evening but he’s encouraged to bring a date along. The only person he can think of is Mo and after their awful date, he “bumps” into her at the airport. He claims he’s getting a flight but he’s actually been stalking her. Mo soon realizes what he’s been ding and calls him pathetic and a little boy. She’s incredulous about going to a Republican Fundraiser… until she learns Martha Mitchell will be there. In which case, she’ll happily go given she’s a big fan.
They both attend the fundraiser together, where Mo hilariously smiles and tells some of the people pleasantly that they have blood on their hands. Mo eventually meets Martha but it’s a flying visit as she does the rounds and greets everyone else. However, Dean does introduce her to various different heads, including the “Berlin Wall”. This happens to be Nixon’s close-knit circle, including Chief of Staff Bob Baldeman. As Dean thanks him for the opportunity to work with Nixon, he scoffs and tells him the President has no part of this and he should be more vigilant to watch out for snakes. Oof.
The evening sours when Martha reveals her information to Winnie. The two women end up fighting, and Martha’s daughter overhears and starts smoking and talking to Dean about her family woes. ..
John’s words cut deep into Martha, telling her that no one likes her and that she’s alone and without anyone. By comparison, Mo happens to see Dean in a different light after his kindness toward Martha’s daughter. ..
John Dean resigned from the Watergate Committee after learning that President Nixon was involved in a cover-up. However, Mitchell is actually out and not at his desk when Dean drops off his letter, which leads Dean to believe that Mitchell is behind the cover-up. Dean decides to leave with the letter, but is later informed by Mitchell that he was only pretending to be out of town.
As the episode closes out, we return to the burning candle scene once more, this time with James Dean trying his hand. Unlike Liddy, he can’t take the heat and pulls his hand back immediately. ..
The Episode Review
Gaslit is off to a great start with crackling dialogue, an enticing story and a hotpot of interesting characters to get the ball rolling. There’s a really nice undercurrent of drama bubbling here and for those familiar with the time period, they’re sure to enjoy this modern take on a very iconic moment in American history. ..
The opening is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the book. It’s a bit of a mystery, but it’s clear that something bad is going to happen. The mood is tense and ominous, and it’s perfect for a book about politics and the Nixon presidency.
The ending of this episode left the door wide open for the rest of the series, and it seems like we’re in for a wild ride as we continue to explore this one.
