Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Gaslit

 Gaslit
type
TVTItem
 Gaslit
label
Gaslit
 Gaslit
page
Gaslit
 Gaslit
comment
An American political thriller Mini Series that has Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), wife of John N. Mitchell (Sean Penn) who was the first to sound the alarm on a break-in that soon leads to the Watergate Scandal.The series also stars Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Darby Camp, Allison Tolman, JC Mackenzie, Chris Bauer, Chris Messina, Carlos Valdes, among many others.It aired Starz from April 24 to June 12, 2022.
 Gaslit
fetched
2024-03-19T20:48:00Z
 Gaslit
parsed
2024-03-19T20:48:00Z
 Gaslit
processingComment
Dropped link to HistoricalDomainCharacter: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Gaslit
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Gaslit / int_1282bf4f
type
No Celebrities Were Harmed
 Gaslit / int_1282bf4f
comment
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Martha's "bodyguard" Peter, who keeps her locked up in the Mitchell estate after the break-in and later roughs up and sedates Martha, is based on Steve King. Presumably his name was changed because King is still alive and active in politics in Real Life, having served as a Republican political organizer in Wisconsin and as Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
 Gaslit / int_1282bf4f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_1282bf4f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_1282bf4f
 Gaslit / int_1ba17583
type
The Ghost
 Gaslit / int_1ba17583
comment
The Ghost: Nixon himself only appears in silhouette (and in the final episode, shown in extreme close-up as he showers and dresses in his bedroom) and never directly as a character.
 Gaslit / int_1ba17583
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_1ba17583
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_1ba17583
 Gaslit / int_20860a0e
type
Punch-Clock Villain
 Gaslit / int_20860a0e
comment
Punch-Clock Villain: A few of the more sympathetic Nixon staffers like burglar James McCord, who is guilty at worst of blind loyalty to Mitchell, and arguably Dean and Jeb Magruder, fall under this category.
 Gaslit / int_20860a0e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_20860a0e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_20860a0e
 Gaslit / int_259d5879
type
Anachronism Stew
 Gaslit / int_259d5879
comment
Anachronism Stew: One episode shows John and Mo Dean watching a Sesame Street episode where Cookie Monster is interrogated by journalist Robert McNeil about stealing cookies (dubbed "Cookiegate") and responding to questions with variations of "I don't recall." This episode actually aired in 1988, well after the events of the series, though it was clearly parodying McNeil's coverage of Watergate for PBS.
 Gaslit / int_259d5879
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_259d5879
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_259d5879
 Gaslit / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Gaslit / int_2d4fa515
comment
Ax-Crazy: The portrayal of Gordon Liddy, who enjoys killing rats to overcome his fear of them, roasts his hand over an open flame to prove his toughness, sings Nazi anthems and routinely threatens to murder his coworkers for "betraying" him. All of this is barely an exaggeration of things Liddy himself admitted to in his memoirs.
 Gaslit / int_2d4fa515
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_2d4fa515
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_2d4fa515
 Gaslit / int_3e8d9cd3
type
Historical Hero Upgrade
 Gaslit / int_3e8d9cd3
comment
Historical Hero Upgrade: A few scenes make Martha Mitchell seem more progressive than she actually was. The depiction of the Carole Feraci incident in particular: whereas Martha silently but sympathetically watches her hustled off the stage after her protest, in reality Martha was leading the hecklers herself while demanding that Feraci be "torn limb from limb." In general Mitchell was known for her outspoken conservative opinions and generally supported Nixon and her husband's policies, despite disliking John's involvement in politics. While John Dean isn't the most sympathetic character in the series, Gaslit overemphasizes his supposed naivety by showing him only getting involved with White House "dirty tricks" by hiring Gordon Liddy. Dean had worked for the White House for almost two years by that point, and had already been involved in harassment campaigns against Nixon's political opponents long before Watergate. As a minor point, while he wasn't a member of Nixon's inner circle, Dean had met Nixon on several occasions before the events of the series and certainly wasn't unknown to Haldeman (who hired him), Ehrlichman or others.
 Gaslit / int_3e8d9cd3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_3e8d9cd3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_3e8d9cd3
 Gaslit / int_3e95582f
type
The Greatest Story Never Told
 Gaslit / int_3e95582f
comment
The Greatest Story Never Told: A major goal of the series is to focus on figures like Martha Mitchell, Frank Wills and the FBI agents investigating the break-in as opposed to the usual names of Nixon, Haldeman and other White House higher ups.
 Gaslit / int_3e95582f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_3e95582f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_3e95582f
 Gaslit / int_4691c64f
type
Mission Briefing
 Gaslit / int_4691c64f
comment
Mission Briefing: As in Real Life, Liddy gives an extravagant one to Mitchell, Dean and Magruder wherein he outlines his "Operation Gemstone" plan of political sabotage against the Democrats. He's infuriated when Mitchell instructs him to come back with something less expensive.
 Gaslit / int_4691c64f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_4691c64f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_4691c64f
 Gaslit / int_565106b3
type
Women Are Wiser
 Gaslit / int_565106b3
comment
Women Are Wiser: A consistent theme of the series is how women in the Nixon Administration react to the pressures of political life, often more reasonably and ethically than their husbands. Martha most obviously, who is unwilling to keep her opinions to herself or to share her husband's self-sacrificing loyalty to the President despite the White House's attempts to smear and silence her. Maureen Dean constantly calls John out on his self-serving attempts to exculpate himself from the cover-up and helps coach him for his Senate testimony. It extends even to minor characters like Jeb Magruder's wife, who convinces him to testify because it's the only way he'll avoid a long prison sentence.
 Gaslit / int_565106b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_565106b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_565106b3
 Gaslit / int_57de4e72
type
Beauty Inversion
 Gaslit / int_57de4e72
comment
Beauty Inversion: Believe it or not, that's Sean Penn buried under layers of make-up to play John Mitchell.
 Gaslit / int_57de4e72
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_57de4e72
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_57de4e72
 Gaslit / int_66ef1fa1
type
Hauled Before a Senate Subcommittee
 Gaslit / int_66ef1fa1
comment
Hauled Before A Senate Subcommittee: Unsurprisingly, the Ervin Committee's hearings on Watergate play a central role in the series, with Dean called as a witness and Nixon and Mitchell attempting to manipulate them behind the scenes. Martha Mitchell, however, was never called before the committee as depicted in the show.
 Gaslit / int_66ef1fa1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_66ef1fa1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_66ef1fa1
 Gaslit / int_9e1e14ea
type
Ambition Is Evil
 Gaslit / int_9e1e14ea
comment
Ambition Is Evil: John Dean's arc centers around him being drawn into Nixon's inner circle through his involvement in the break-in and cover-up. It strains his relationship with Maureen and eventually lands him in prison. Dean admits in the final episode that hearing himself on the White House tapes, he barely recognizes himself after spending so much time close to the President.
 Gaslit / int_9e1e14ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_9e1e14ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_9e1e14ea
 Gaslit / int_a1d48853
type
Stupid Crooks
 Gaslit / int_a1d48853
comment
Stupid Crooks: Invoked by Magallanes when he and FBI partner Lano track the burglars to a Nixon campaign office. As he notes, they've been going under the assumption they were dealing with professionals escaping notice by being a few steps ahead "but what if they're just idiots?"
 Gaslit / int_a1d48853
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_a1d48853
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_a1d48853
 Gaslit / int_aed65980
type
All for Nothing
 Gaslit / int_aed65980
comment
All for Nothing: The opening episodes have characters openly asking why they are bothering to spy on the Democrats when Nixon is leading by double digits in every poll and the election is "in the bag." Sure enough, Nixon won in a historic landslide only to resign in disgrace and his reputation forever tarnished in scandal.
 Gaslit / int_aed65980
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_aed65980
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_aed65980
 Gaslit / int_ba0ff694
type
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!
 Gaslit / int_ba0ff694
comment
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: A common reaction. The White House higher-ups can't believe a simple burglary got turned into this mess, thanks to sheer incompetence. There's also the reaction to how many of these plans were recorded on tape. L. Patrick Gray confesses to his staff that for the last year, he's been giving the White House inside information, complete with forms and reports, about the Watergate case.
 Gaslit / int_ba0ff694
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_ba0ff694
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_ba0ff694
 Gaslit / int_be009bbc
type
Alliterative Name
 Gaslit / int_be009bbc
comment
Alliterative Name: Martha Mitchell. Marty Mitchell. Charles Colson.
 Gaslit / int_be009bbc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_be009bbc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_be009bbc
 Gaslit / int_d0f0a80d
type
One-Word Title
 Gaslit / int_d0f0a80d
comment
One-Word Title: Will. California. Honeymoon. Tuffy.
 Gaslit / int_d0f0a80d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_d0f0a80d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_d0f0a80d
 Gaslit / int_de10dda2
type
Caught on Tape
 Gaslit / int_de10dda2
comment
Caught on Tape: Subverted when Mitchell is called into a meeting at the Oval Office where Nixon's inner circle acts like they barely know Liddy when every one of them met him numerous times. They then press Mitchell to explain how he put the entire Watergate burglary together. Realizing what's happening, Mitchell brings up scores of other dirty tricks the team has pulled that would implicate them more on tape. He then laughs it all off before leaving. As soon as he does, Chuck Colson asks, "Wait, are there microphones in here?"
 Gaslit / int_de10dda2
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Gaslit / int_de10dda2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_de10dda2
 Gaslit / int_eb8f64a6
type
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
 Gaslit / int_eb8f64a6
comment
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Frank Wills uncovers the Watergate burglary which sets in motion the biggest America political scandal of the century. His reward is a brief splash of fame, a miniscule bonus from his boss and ultimately being fired from his job for bringing undue attention to his employer. Wills eventually leaves DC altogether and moves back to Georgia with his parents, preferring obscurity to unrewarding notoriety.
 Gaslit / int_eb8f64a6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_eb8f64a6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_eb8f64a6
 Gaslit / int_f0f03464
type
TheSeventies
 Gaslit / int_f0f03464
comment
The '70s: Takes place from the break-in at Watergate to Nixon eventually resigning from office in 1974.
 Gaslit / int_f0f03464
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_f0f03464
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_f0f03464
 Gaslit / int_ff41780
type
Young Future Famous People
 Gaslit / int_ff41780
comment
Young Future Famous People: One episode features Frank Wills meeting several political activists, including a young Elijah Cummings and a character implied to be Hillary Clinton at a bar,note Clinton did work for the House impeachment committee's legal staff in 1974, though the scene with Wills takes place a year earlier who praise him for his exposure of Nixon's corruption.
 Gaslit / int_ff41780
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_ff41780
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_ff41780
 Gaslit / int_name
type
ItemName
 Gaslit / int_name
comment
 Gaslit / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Gaslit / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Gaslit
hasFeature
Gaslit / int_name
 Gaslit / int_name
itemName
Gaslit

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Gaslit
hasFeature
Series of the 2020s / int_29c7e105