Yesterday I said to @awholebunchobananas āAziraphale reminds me of James Garfieldā, a sentence I never could have imagined uttering.
Why? (Spoilers for the end of season 2.)
James Garfield was the 20th president of the United States. He was in office from March-September 1881. Six months. Thatās because he was assassinated.
Thatās not why he reminds me of Aziraphale though. Rewind!
Garfield was from a poor family. He was raised by a single mom and was an introverted bookworm and mathematician. He got into politics in college partly because he was inspired by the abolitionist movement. He served in the Union Army in the Civil War.
When Garfield became the Republican nominee for president (remember, this was still Lincolnās Republican Party), the Republicans were sharply divided over a number of issues. Reconstruction was one, but also there was a lot of debate over political patronage and corruption. Garfield was not interested in the presidency, but he was picked by the power players in the party as a compromise candidate, and potentially someone who could be a little easily manipulated.
Like I said, Garfield was a bookish person (he loved Jane Austen). He didnāt really enjoy being president, he found it exhausting and he was frustrated by not being able to accomplish a lot of his goals.
This is what I expect will be Aziraphaleās experience in Heaven. The Metatron picked him bc he wants an empty figurehead he can push around. Meanwhile the other, spurned angels will be trying to thwart him at every turn, or suck up to him, or get him to do what they want. And he will get totally overwhelmed and long to be back at his bookshop.
Garfield was assassinated at a train station by Charles Guiteau, a man who had been petitioning Garfield for a political appointment and was frustrated at being ignored. (People have given Guiteau various diagnoses, including schizophrenia and neurosyphilis; one thing about Guiteau I find particularly interesting is that at 19 he joined a Christian religious cult called the Oneida Community which practiced group marriage, but nobody liked him there so he eventually left. The Oneida Community eventually transformed into a company that makes flatware and related products.) In a weird twist of fate, Abraham Lincolnās son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was present at Garfieldās assassination. Garfield died two months after being shot, of infection due to unsanitary medical practices.
I wouldnāt be surprised if s3 involves Aziraphale dealing with a revolt against his leadership or even an attack or challenge by a disgruntled Angel or two.
(Aziraphale ā¦ you in danger girl.)
