Waco: The Aftermath Miniseries Review

Waco: The Aftermath (2023)
Miniseries - 5 episodes

Rent Waco: The Aftermath on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle
Starring: Michael Shannon, Giovanni Ribisi, Keean Johnson, Abbey Lee, David Costabile, J. Smith-Cameron, Gary Cole, Shea Whigham, John Leguizamo
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer

Plot
Portraying the aftermath of the disastrous Waco standoff at the Branch Davidian compound, that event galvanized American militia movements and helped radicalize Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

Verdict
The first mini-series, Waco, captured the most tantalizing parts of this story as it took us inside the cult. This follow up is the aftermath. While it's an important bit of history, it's not as engaging despite showings us former cult members, FBI agents, and lawyers working the case. The absence of Taylor Kitsch who no longer plays Koresh is noticeable. The final episode is really good, but there's too many episodes to get to that point.
It depends.

Review
Three stories intertwine; FBI negotiator Gary Noesner (Michael Shannon) is unhappy with what happened in Waco. He feels he could have negotiated that without bloodshed, and is now tracking a branch group that could turn violent.. Dan Cogdell (Givanni Ribisi) is the lawyer defending cult members charged with various crimes during the siege. It's clear his clients won't get a fair trial. There are flashbacks to David Koresh (Keean Johnson) and how he ended up in Waco. Taylor Kitsch played Koresh in the first mini-series, and Johnson just doesn't have the same gravitas. I wonder if Kitsch didn't want the smaller role or had prior commitments.

Aside from the biased judge, a big aspect of Cogdell's case is that the government is covering up what happened and trying to depict the cult as attacking first. His clients want to take the stand to defend themselves, but he makes it clear the prosecutor would completely undermine them.

Noesner is unable to pursue his investigation and Cogdell's clients get only a temporary stay due to an out of control judge.

I liked this series as a history lesson, but it was never a show I was excited to watch. This could have been shorter or it needed to focus the story and develop the characters further. It's an overview that culminates with the Oklahoma City bombing, a violent response to Waco, and a warning about domestic terrorist groups.