'Waco' Presents Right-Wing Version of the Controversial Real-Life Story
by EG
Waco, the Paramount Network's attempt to capitalize on the current true-crime TV trend, says its wants to present a version of a real-life story with no bad guys. In the eyes of one critic, that's not what happens, and instead, the miniseries casts government agents as the bad guys. It also sanitizes the character of cult leader David Koresh, essentially dismissing the claims that he terrorized his followers and sexually abused the children among them. It's the version of events preferred by right-wing observers, and it's far from impartial--and, possibly, far from what really happened. Read on for a review of the miniseries from The Hollywood Reporter.
The most famous crimes of the '90s are recent enough that viewers in the key demographic remember certain details vividly, younger viewers won't feel like they're wallowing too far in the distant past and enough time has gone by that smart writers are able to gain perspective.
That's why every established and emerging broadcast and cable network has been getting into the '90s true crime genre. OJ. The Unabomber. Menendez. Versace. Coming up this spring, we have USA delving into the murders of Tupac and Biggie. And starting on Wednesday (January 24) night the fledgling Paramount Network is hoping to make its name with a six-episode, star-studded take on 1993's Waco siege, from John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (No Escape).
Definitely the stars are the reason to check out Waco. With Taylor Kitsch, Michael Shannon, John Leguizamo and Rory Culkin leading the way, Waco boasts an ensemble worth building a cult around and a historical perspective that had me tearing my hair out.
Waco starts on February 28, 1993. That's when the 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound began with a tragic and botched ATF raid. The story goes back to introduce us to David Koresh (Kitsch), amateur guitarist and gifted interpreter of the book of revelations. Through the eyes of newcomer David Thibodeau (Culkin), whose book is one of several sources for the Dowdles, we're taken to the Mount Carmel Center, where Koresh lectures on the Seven Seals, preaches abstinence to his male followers and puts in the sacrifice to attempt to impregnate all of his wives, including original missus Rachel (Melissa Benoist), troubling Michelle (Julia Garner) and the spirited Judy (Andrea Riseborough), who he plucked from friend and follower Steve Schneider (Paul Sparks), a theology scholar.
At TCA press tour earlier this month, John Erick Dowdle said, "We kept saying we wanted to do the 'no bad guys' version of this." This is the familiar corrective to the news coverage of the moment, which emphasized the nefarious practices by Koresh and his followers and avoided the unmistakable miscalculations by law enforcement, the tragic and avoidable escalation. That may have been the initial spin, but there was an almost immediate backlash among right-wing fringe groups and even not-so-fringe right wing groups that painted Waco and also Ruby Ridge as further proof of government encroachment on individual freedoms.
In the miniseries, Thibodeau makes that case and, frankly, articulates the thesis of the first three hours of the miniseries when he says, "I feel like we've gotta call 911, but who do you call when it's your own government attacking?"
This is not the "no bad guys" version of the story at all. In one story beat after another, FBI and ATF officials prioritize violence over negotiation, concentrate on public relations over empathy and actively ignore the few contentious agents who plead moderation. And I'm not saying that's incorrect, but let me offer the counter-proposal that maybe there actually were people who made mistakes on both sides?
The Dowdles go out of the way to insulate Koresh and his followers against misdeeds. Did they have guns that were illegal? Yes, but when Koresh says they were never going to use them, that's the gospel as far as the miniseries is concerned. Did David Koresh "marry" and impregnate significantly underage girls? Yes, but the way that's depicted here, the marriages were illegal-but-consensual since Rachel got a message from God that she sincerely believes and the series sincerely accepts. We never see any crimes being committed and the polygamy and statutory rape are just plot points to force a sham compound marriage between Thibodeau and Michelle. At the time there were accusations of abuse and sexual misconduct leveled against Koresh and subsequent evidence has been spotty and you wouldn't even know those accusations existed based on the miniseries. The show's sympathies are inside the compound at every point.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Do you agree with the sympathetic portrayal of David Koresh in the series? Let us know in the comments below.