'Gaslit' Episode 2: Who is G Gordon Liddy? Meet mastermind behind the Watergate scandal
Created by Robbie Pickering and based on the first season of the podcast ‘Slow Burn’ by Leon Neyfakh, ‘Gaslit’ stars Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, and focuses on the untold stories of the Watergate scandal.
The first episode of the Starz series is named after the 1980 autobiography of G Gordon Liddy (Shea Whigham) titled ‘Will’. Episode 1 begins as Liddy performs one of his infamous pledges by placing his hand over a candle flame. Whigham’s Liddy tells us, “History isn’t written by the feeble masses — the pissants, the commies, the queers, and the women. It is written and rewritten by soldiers carrying the banner of kings.” This perfectly sets up the character and the atmosphere and tone of the show. Episode 2 titled 'California' makes the viewers realize that it was Liddy who was the mastermind behind the Watergate scandal.
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Who is G Gordon Liddy in 'Gaslit'?
George Gordon Liddy was an FBI agent and chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit during the Nixon administration. In ‘Gaslit’, Liddy is portrayed as ruthless and loyal to Nixon. With his intense stare, cannonball head, bristling mustache, and machine-gun style of speaking, Liddy looks like the archetypal bad guy. In addition to going on to be a talk show host, actor, and lawyer, Liddy was also an important figure in the infamous Watergate scandal.
Episode 2 reveals Liddy as the leader of the group that broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Complex. Working alongside E Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building in May and June 1972. The break-in was detected and subsequently, five of Liddy's operatives were arrested. The episode ends on a dark note where Gordon reveals that he sees retribution coming, implying that all the men behind the Watergate scandal will be punished by the law. Stay tuned to the next episode of ‘Gaslit’ to find out what happens next.
Episode 2 of 'Gaslit' is available on Starz.