Operation Showtime: Waco escalates the tensions in season 1, episode 3

“Operation Showtime,” escalates the tensions between the Branch Davidians and the ATF when the latter storms the compound.

Waco made some headway last week trying to show that every side was at fault with the notorious siege, but “Operation Showtime,” sends the series right back to the beginning with the Koresh as a misunderstood victim and the government as the evil group in charge. There’s no denying that the siege on the compound was incredibly mishandled by law enforcement and that many people’s lives were ruined because of it, but to shift the blame entirely on them is a careless accusation.

Picking up from the ATF storming the compound, “Operation Showtime,” spends a lot of time showing the deadly shootout. The agency swarms the building and immediately starts shooting despite David coming outside to handle things peacefully, which causes him and many others to get hurt.

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Luckily, the ATF hired a camera man to catch their takedown of the cult, yet all he catches is the agency fail to do anything but brutally attack innocent people. The mystery around who shot first is something that still plagues people today it’s weird that Waco would decide to make it very clear it was the ATF rather than play it coy like today. Of course survivors say it was the government while they say it was the cult. This never-ending process of pointing fingers at one another is big part of why there are so many people interested in this siege, and it feels like a disservice to dismiss one side’s account so quickly.

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That isn’t to say the ATF made a huge mistake by simply storming a building without properly investigating first. This decision to attack, despite Jacob warning them the cult was aware of their plan, caused a lot of avoidable deaths and injuries. Naturally, the FBI comes rushing into town to try and salvage the mess that the ATF has gotten into in the most peaceful way possible. Gary quickly establishes a rapport with David in “Operation Showtime,” and the two come to an agreement where the group will surrender themselves peacefully so long as the FBI as David’s “message” broadcasted on national television.

Things quickly go awry after Rachel’s and Michelle’s father succumbs to his injuries causing David to admonish the group for cheerfully eating rather than mourning the dead. This emotional outburst is made worse when he sees broadcasters making fun of his recording rather than embracing it the way he imagined. Naturally, when Gary calls him the next morning with preparations for a surrender, David changes his mind. The fifty-one day standoff officially begins in Waco, Texas and a modern day tragedy officially begins.

Next: Waco Recap: “The Strangers Across the Street”

“Operation Showtime,” is definitely action-packed, but with three more episodes to go it will be interesting to see how Waco manages to keep the series moving forward without it feeling like stalling. For now, things end on a dreary note with Jacob getting thrown under the bus because the ATF needs a scapegoat and Gary stuck trying to negotiate with a man who believes he’s a messiah.

Waco airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Paramount Network.

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