It’s still open season on reexamining political and pop culture events that shaped recent history and offer an illuminating perspective on the current landscape. And at Showtime, “Waco” still provides plenty of food for thought. Five years ago, Taylor Kitsch and Michael Shannon led an impressive cast in a solid yet flawed limited series about the tragic 51-day standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidian sect. Unfortunately, the show’s attempt to show both sides of the story wasn’t always successful, as its portrayal of David Koresh leaned too sympathetic at times. Now series creators Drew and John Erick Dowdle return to tell the saga’s next chapter. The new five-part series is another ambitious deep-dive into the immediate and long-term consequences of what happened at Mount Carmel in 1993, including assigning blame. But while “Waco: The Aftermath” is a compelling addition to the first show, it stumbles just as often.
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Several original cast reprise their roles, the most significant being “Waco” standout Shannon as methodical and measured FBI lead crisis negotiator Gary Noesner. This character previously pushed back against the aggressive tactics of Shea Whigham’s guns-blazing FBI agent Mitch Decker (Whigham only guest stars in this follow-up). In this follow-up, Noesner remains critical of the extreme methods used on Koresh and his acolytes. The premiere picks up in 1994, with the first anniversary on the horizon and a powder keg atmosphere illustrating the unrest brewing toward the surviving Davidians and the ATF and FBI agents who took part in the 1993 siege.
Finger-pointing and accountability are on the table, with Decker claiming they “followed protocol to a T” and that he wouldn’t change a thing about how the siege went down. The FBI’s version of events and stipulation that the Davidians “had a death wish” is only one piece of the wider story in “Waco: The Aftermath.” A bank robbery-turned-hostage situation involving white supremacists in Arkansas leads Noesner to believe that a network of homegrown terrorists is planning an attack to avenge Waco. While he investigates this severe threat of right-wing militia rebranding themselves as “patriots,” some of the surviving members of the Branch Davidians are on trial for the deaths of the four ATF Agents on the ill-fated first day of the siege.
Of course, the original six episodes portrayed those events, and previously seen footage of Kitsch as Koresh (among other scenes) is used to illustrate testimony in court. Koresh might be dead, but he casts a long shadow over this story. Flashbacks to when Koresh went by Vernon Howell (Keean Johnson) and first moved to Waco offer additional insight. Even if audiences members don’t know about this name change, it’s immediately clear from the tell-tale mullet and glasses that this man will go on to proclaim that God speaks through him—Johnson also nails Koresh’s voice. While Kitsch did a decent job of playing the self-proclaimed prophet, it’s less distracting having a lesser-known actor playing this part before he became famous is less distracting.
Flashbacks support what occurs in the courtroom and show how these five survivors came to stand by Koresh’s side. There are benefits to exploring this side of the story that pinpoint there isn’t a “one size fits all” version of the Davidians. It also depicts how Vernon honed his manipulation skills, and the material is less sympathetic toward the leader than in the initial run. Lois Roden (J. Smith-Cameron) is the original figurehead of the Branch Davidians residing at Mount Carmel when Vernon arrived in 1981, and he quickly makes his mark. However, these scenes are too slight to offer much beyond a surface-level understanding of Koresh’s rise and often stall the show’s momentum. Considering how much ground is covered in the five episodes, it is hardly surprising that some threads are less effective than others.
Filling in the gaps of how this group went from being on society’s fringes to a headline news event is essential, and “Waco: The Aftermath” understands that looking back to this botched raid is vital to understanding the current fractured landscape. Because it has been so long since the first series aired, it’s understandable that new viewers might be cautious about jumping in halfway through. Thankfully, the court case offers a reminder of the different narratives that either side is pushing. The ATF claims the Davidians shot first in a cold-blooded assault, whereas the defendants are steadfast in their recollections that the ATF attacked them without provocation. Evidence that would definitively prove who fired the initial rounds is unavailable, and defense lawyer Dan Cogdell (Giovanni Ribisi) is keen to focus on the rash actions of the federal agents.
Courtroom dramas are exhilarating when done correctly, and “Waco: The Aftermath” soars in these scenes. Dan is tenacious and forthright, taking the lead amid the group of lawyers representing the five defendants (in reality, there were nine survivors on trial). Conflict in the courtroom comes from all angles, and it’s an uphill battle from the jump. The flashbacks flesh out each defendant (two of the four lawyers are not afforded any characterization) and support their reactions during strategizing sessions. Again, not painting them as a monolith shows the nuance within this narrative. Similarly, Noesner stands out among his colleagues because he’s willing to admit that the FBI made mistakes. In these moments of internal debate on both sides, the Showtime dramatization becomes more than a paint-by-number retelling.
Whereas Shannon reprises his role, Ribisi is the de facto lead of this ensemble as the courtroom connects the dots between the past siege and the current reaction to what went down at the compound. His dogged determination is a pain for the prosecution, but viewers will cheer whenever he brings up missing doors and contradictory claims. A slightly off-kilter vibe is thrown into the mix when Gary Cole appears as a private investigator who is either a conspiracy nut or has valuable resources—or maybe even a blend of the two. Details like this enliven the mood and add much-needed levity amid the bleak moments.
Not that anyone watches “Waco: The Aftermath” expecting a barrel of laughs. Yes, there are some wry and resigned flickers of humor, but this series deals with extremely grim themes such as the rise of white supremacist groups, the deaths of many children, and rape. It gets a little heavy-handed when drawing the dots between Ruby Ridge, Waco, Oklahoma, and recent events (including the storming of the Capitol on January 6), but these connections are also the point.
While relegated to a supporting role, Shannon invokes the thesis statement of the series: “I feel this undercurrent of rage in America. It’s trying to ignite civil war. Waco has done something to them. It’s united them. We helped create the monster we’re trying to stop.” Shannon’s quiet but determined delivery avoids overt showmanship, ensuring his dialogue doesn’t come across as a knowing wink. The words still come across as slightly loaded, but Shannon sells it. The Oscar-nominated actor has played many explosive parts in the past, but his performance as Gary Noesner stands out because of the restraint in his negotiations. It’s consistent throughout the series, occurring on the job, in the courtroom, and with skeptical colleagues. Guest star Whigham doesn’t get too much screentime (his haircut and mustache suggest he shot this at the same time as “Perry Mason.”), but their antagonistic chemistry crackles—as it did in “Waco.”
While there are strong allusions to the events of January 6th, 2020, it’s the Oklahoma City bombing that provides much of the tension. One of the details included at the end of the original “Waco” that stuck out (and something every documentary about this event points out) is that future bomber Timothy McVeigh distributed anti-government bumper stickers at the vantage point where crowds watched the Waco standoff. McVeigh’s (Alex Breaux) plan and those who aided him are part of the tangled web of storylines sprouting from the siege, including Gary’s attempts to stop whatever attack is coming. It is hardly a spoiler to note that this bomb will go off, and the depiction of radicalized people is another thread that adds to the storylines jostling for attention.
“Waco: The Aftermath” suffers from cramming too much into its five-episode structure, but it’s a compelling companion piece to the first series. Viewers who don’t remember much of the Kitsch-starring series (or didn’t watch it altogether) will still have plenty to take away from the follow-up. It’s the 30th anniversary of the Waco tragedy, so there’s a renewed interest (including a three-part documentary on Netflix), and the broader context of the events this series foreshadows is illuminating—but a little limited. [B-]
