'Waco' Recap: 'Operation Showtime'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I have to admit, that I was extremely anxious when I settled in to watch last night’s episode of Waco. Simply due to the fact that I knew the story was about to kick into overdrive the instant the ATF arrived at David Koresh’s doorstep and also because something in my gut told me, the series was going to hold nothing back when it came to the bloody raid that led to the 51-day standoff and wouldn’t you know it, that feeling in my belly was one hundred percent correct when all was said and done.
 
Because ‘Operation Showtime’ was a savage hour of television that truly unleashed its fury upon the audience and what really took my breath away when it comes to this particular chapter in the tale, is the sheer fact that it only took a matter of minutes for the carnage to get underway and for the next ten minutes or so, it was gunfire, blood shed, and confusion and panic before cooler heads prevailed. But even then, the damage had been done in this segment of the story and lives were lost and when one considers that real lives were lost in this actual battle, seeing people die here adds a sobering level of gravity to this retelling. 
 
However, once the dust did settle from that opening salvo, there was still plenty of story to be told as since, the FBI took charge of this mess in the hopes of getting David to stand down and come out and this is where Gary Noesner and David spoke for the very first time and Gary’s skills as a negotiator were put on display since he was able to get David to agree to a deal after all. If the FBI were to broadcast the message of the Branch Davidians to the rest of the world, Koresh and his followers would leave the complex peacefully, ending the standoff and saving lives in the process.
 
Unfortunately, though, there’s a reason that David’s magical words don’t work on every single person out there, because in order for him to properly sucker someone into his sermons he has to reach them on a fundamental level. So, it came as no surprise to me that the tape was instantly derided and mocked upon its release, leading to a severely bruised ego for David and well, the damage done from hearing the world straight up call David crazy was enough to motivate him to call off the deal with the FBI and make his stand inside the compound and just like that, the 51-day standoff, is now underway…
 
Yet, while all of that was impressive storytelling in its own right, and compelling to say the least, what truly blew me away when it comes to this episode, was the fact that it was downright intense even during the ‘downtime’ portions of the story. Because in those moments, the blame game between the ATF and the FBI kept tensions high, and the horrible injuries being treated inside the compound kept you on your toes since it served as a fine reminder of the pain that people suffered during the actual siege. Either way, things are only going to get more intense from here on out as everyone is pushed to their limits in the days ahead. Until next time. 

---