They had us at Julia Roberts, but Sean Penn too? 

Gaslit sees Roberts and Penn play husband-and-wife duo, Martha Mitchell – the first person to publicly sound the alarm about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate Scandal – and Attorney General John Mitchell, Nixon’s advisor and friend who is ultimately forced to choose between his wife and the President. (sidenote: Penn’s prosthetics are quite something).

Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens takes up the role of White House lawyer John Dean (replacing Armie Hammer, who was originally cast) with Glow actor Betty Gilpin playing his quick-witted stewardess-turned-writer wife, Maureen “Mo” Dean.

If you’ve yet to see Julia Roberts’ impressive image overhaul for the role (think coiffed blonde locks, enormous fur coats and chic cat-eye shades), prepare yourself for some iconic fashion looks from the archives. 

A highly influential socialite on the fashion scene in Washington, we learn of Mitchell’s penchant for pussy-bow blouses, flamboyant prints and serious bling, but it’s her forthright opinions on style we truly dig. 

“A few years ago designers decided that women shouldn’t have busts,” she told a reporter during the infamous Twiggy era. 

“Well, God gave me a bust. What am I supposed to do with it?” Quite.

For those unfamiliar with the Watergate Scandal, on 17 June in 1972, police arrested burglars in the Democratic National Committee HQ at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. 

Evidence linked the burglary – and subsequent cover-up – to President Nixon’s re-election campaign (intruders had been caught wiretapping and stealing documents), which in turn exposed a long series of illegal activities in the Nixon administration and ultimately led to his resignation. 

Martha Mitchell sounded multiple warnings, breaking ranks with her husband and the establishment in order to reveal the truth, but was repeatedly gaslit, ridiculed and silenced by those in power. 

The series launch happens to mark the 50th anniversary of the burglary, which begs the question – are women’s voices taken any more seriously today?

Like or loathe her political opinions, Martha Mitchell was smart, brave, politically engaged and unafraid to speak out at a time when wives were expected to quietly blend into the background. 

Risking not just her relationship but her reputation by denouncing the Nixon administration, she was repeatedly labelled ‘crazy’, ‘hysterical’ and an ‘alcoholic’ by those in power, (including her husband) as well as being held captive, assaulted and injected with drugs against her will. 

At a time when women’s opinions held little value politically, Mitchell insisted on speaking her truth, but being publicly shut down and discredited by those in power meant her reputation remained sullied right up until her death in 1976. 

The men involved in the nefarious scandal on the other hand, saw their careers go from strength to strength (Steve King, the FBI agent alleged to have held Mitchell against her will during the assault, was actually given a job in office in 2017). Mitchell’s legacy however, remains. 

The ‘Martha Mitchell effect’ – when a psychiatrist or medical professional misinterprets a patient’s accurate perceptions of real events as ‘delusions’ – was named after her.