Review: The problematic ‘Waco’ recasts cult leader David Koresh as a sympathetic figure

The ’90s is the decade that keeps on giving in terms of tragedy and crime that can be spun into bankable television. Following O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers and Gianni Versace comes “Waco,” a six-part, limited series that unpacks enough political baggage to fuel a 10-season run.

The Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) series dramatizes the 1993, 51-day standoff between government agencies and the Branch Davidians, a religious cult led by polygamist and self-proclaimed second Messiah, David Koresh.

Six Koresh followers and four Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents were killed in the initial February raid. The ensuing standoff — which received wall-to-wall media coverage — culminated in a fire that engulfed the Davidian compound, killing 76 followers, many of whom were children.

Waco, along with an earlier siege known as Ruby Ridge, validated and stoked anti-government sentiments in a growing number of Americans, some with separatist beliefs. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh cited both events as motivation for blowing up a federal government building in 1995, killing 168 people in the country’s deadliest domestic terrorism incident prior to 9/11.

Press materials sent out for “Waco,” which premieres Wednesday, contend that media distortions, government lies, religious zealotry and conspiracy theories make the Texas standoff “one of the most misunderstood stories in American history.” So this production from showrunners John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (the former directed episodes along with Dennie Gordon), is meant to raise new questions with a fresh narrative based on four years of research and interviews with key players and witnesses from all sides of the conflict.

But as the first three episodes of “Waco” attest, detangling a tragedy as fraught and loaded with triggers as this one is no easy task, which explains why this dark chapter hasn’t already been strip-mined like the O.J. Simpson or JonBenet Ramsey cases.

“Waco,” however, doesn’t appear to have struggled with the rigors of balance over its first three episodes. It’s firmly planted in Koresh’s corner, inspiring sympathy for a man who, by all accounts, showed little sympathy for the followers he led into a futile battle with a militarized foe.

The series opens in the initial moments of the ATF raid, when helicopters and heavily armed troops swarm the Branch Davidian compound as a tactical commander proclaims “Showtime. Showtime. Showtime.”

A stunned and frightened Koresh (Taylor Kitsch, “Friday Night Lights”) comes out the front door wide-eyed, hands up, pleading: “Calm down. There are women and children in here.” Then there’s the sound of gunfire, and the screen goes black.

Who shot first, and who ended up burning down the compound, are still the source of heated debate today. “Waco” implies throughout the first few episodes that the FBI was trigger-happy, and the cult — or at least Koresh — was victimized.

Yet the self-ordained “Lamb of God” is known to have taken girls as young as 12 as “wives,” emasculated his male followers by insisting they take a vow of celibacy while he impregnated their wives, and stockpiled an arsenal of automatic weapons for a doomsday battle that would usher in the End Days. That disturbing side of Koresh is included here, but portrayed largely as a side effect of his earnest faith as opposed to dangerous ego.

“Waco” spends much more time establishing that Koresh was a handsome, fun-loving and devoted father to the multiple children that he, like the FBI, would ultimately endanger. Koresh is charismatic in Kitsch’s portrayal, but it’s his genuine character that wins over new recruits. Undercover agent Jacob Vazquez (John Leguizamo) even miraculously falls for the cult leader after a few short conversations.

It’s a much more sinister scene at the the FBI crisis management unit training in Washington, D.C., where students learn the art of hostage negotiation in a classroom where posters read: “Bad Things Happen.” Instructor Gary Noesner (Michael Shannon) is a respected FBI negotiator who sees a disturbing pattern of the agency choosing military-style force over dialogue. His experience at Ruby Ridge reinforces his suspicions when an alleged white supremacist holes up with his family in a shootout with tactical forces, but it’s his wife and son who are killed.

“Waco” isn’t skillful enough to weave all the opposing perspectives here into a three-dimensional story, where the ultimate victims are the innocent folk betrayed by their leader and their government. It’s so busy delivering Spam-sized chunks of ham-fisted dialogue defending the misunderstood Koresh, it loses all those other critical threads that make “Waco” a cautionary tale for all sides.

Unless the series flips the narrative in its second half (the last three episodes were not made available at the time of review), it boils a complex tragedy, that still vexes Americans today, down to a simplistic, good vs. evil tale.

When the compound is under siege and Koresh himself is bleeding profusely, terrified members dial 911 for help. But as one person screams: “Who do you call when it’s your own government attacking you?!” It’s a provocative question that would carry a lot more weight had there been a more balanced setup, and more accountability for the man who led his flock — and children — astray.

‘Waco’

Where: Paramount and CMT

When: 10 p.m. Wednesday

Rating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14)

lorraine.ali@latimes.com

@lorraineali