The ‘Death by Lightning’ Cast: Ranked from ‘That Guy’ to ‘My Man!’
Rank: Fuck You, Dude (aka The Bad Doctor)
Signature Attributes:
- Completely unearned confidence
- Casually racist
- Notable lack of facial hair
First Impression
“This man is going to kill the president.”
Lasting Impressions
This man killed the president. Dr. Purvis stands out as a disaster, a character who manages to not only dig his own grave but climb inside it. From the start, he pushes aside the competent Dr. Charles Purvis (discussed later), revealing himself as bad news. He is arrogant, bossy, egotistical, and ineffective at his job.
The most noticeable clue about his negative role is his facial hair—or rather, the near absence of it. In a story where diverse hair growth is common, this character’s patchy whiskers hint that he is the wrong person to revive the fallen leader.
Credit goes to Željko Ivanek, an Emmy winner for “Damages” and a veteran actor with over 100 credits, who skillfully portrays this Bad Doctor’s commanding presence while capturing his many failures, almost earning a higher ranking.
“Death by Lightning” has a greater diversity of hair growth than a Chia Pet shop, so when this antiquated dumb-dumb walks in with a few dead whiskers under his chin, that’s the signal he’s not the man to breathe life back into our fallen leader.
Author's summary: The Bad Doctor’s confident arrogance and flawed competence define his role in "Death by Lightning," portrayed with subtlety by Željko Ivanek despite a clearly negative presence.