I just unsubscribed from Netflix — because we weren't watching it — but now....

This is the story of President James Garfield and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau, the man who would come to kill him.

Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Nick Offerman, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford and Shea Whigham star in Death By Lightning. Premiering November 6. pic.twitter.com/OGWlgbziaM

— Netflix (@netflix) October 9, 2025

It's titled "Death by Lightning," but it's based on a book titled "Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President" (commission earned). I've read that. By Candice Millard. Great! Nice to see Matthew Macfadyen — Tom Wambsgans from "Succession" — as the ridiculous, awful Charles Guiteau.

I'll turn Netflix back on for that. I originally subscribed to Netflix for one show — "The Crown." That's all it takes to rope me into a subscription. And I would not have unsubscribed if they hadn't dropped "Loudermilk."

"Is it ever appropriate to slap someone in the face to calm them down or stop them from spiraling emotionally?"

"I'm thinking of the 'Snap out of it' slap Cher delivers in 'Moonstruck.'"

That's a question I asked Grok after reading "Plane passenger blasted for slapping man amid a panic attack in wild video: ‘You shouldn’t have raised your hand'" (NY Post). 

Here's Cher's memorable slap (or, I should say, slaps):

Don't try that at home and don't try it in public either. Now, you might wonder, what if the man doing the slapping sincerely believed he was helping? (That makes me think of the episode of "Loudermilk" where the main character gives someone the Heimlich maneuver and gets sued.)

Here's Grok's answer, if you are curious. Excerpt: "The 'hysterical slap' is a common cinematic device rooted in early 20th-century ideas about treating emotional distress (once labeled 'hysteria,' now recognized as conditions like panic attacks, anxiety, or dissociation). Physiologically, a slap might theoretically trigger a fight-or-flight response by activating the sympathetic nervous system, increasing alertness through hormone release (like adrenaline) and potentially interrupting a panic loop via surprise. However, this is unreliable and short-lived at best, often depicted in media for dramatic effect rather than accuracy. In practice, it can backfire by provoking aggression, deepening trauma, or shifting the person from emotional distress to physical pain or anger, making de-escalation harder."

ADDED: What are some other ways to deal with emotion that the movies might make you think are a good idea? Grok's answers: 1. Throw a drink in somebody's face to express anger, 2. Kiss someone suddenly to interrupt their verbal argument, 3. Keep pursuing your love object after she/he has turned you down, 4. Grab someone by the shoulders and shake them hard while yelling "Get a grip!" right in their face.

Basically, the movies are full of bad ideas!

IN THE COMMENTS: I'm being savaged for my failure to acknowledge "Airplane!"

Now, I gotta get outta here!

"People want to regain their agency, their sense of control, and do something to match their fears to their actions."

Said Chris Ellis, a U.S. Army colonel who researches the prepper movement, quoted in "US 'prepper' culture diversifies amid fear of disaster and political unrest" (Reuters).

Researchers say the number of preppers has doubled in size to about 20 million since 2017. Much of that growth is from minorities and people considered left-of-center politically, whose sense of insecurity was heightened by Donald Trump's 2016 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, more frequent extreme weather and the 2020 racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd....