Everything Waco Thread

Stoked!! So apparently then, Melissa's part wasn't that big. But once the writers and producers saw how good she was, they kept giving her more and more dialogue? AWESOME sauce.

It will be interesting to see if she wins and supporting actress awards from this. For those outside of the States, Paramount has promoted the HECK out of this miniseries.

Anyone else remember when Waco happened? I remember watching it all go down on the news when I was a junior at BYU.

Yeah, I watched that exclusive 3 times to make sure I'd heard right. I was so proud of her.

Seriously tho, if you were a writer, wouldn't you want to write for this actress. I think she's a writer's dream. You don't have to write to her strengths. You write the material and she'll deliver. The great thing about her is that I don't think about any other part she's played when I'm watching her work. I'm not thinking Marley when I watch Kara. I'm not thinking Kara when I'm seeing these clips etc. She really has the potential to be a seriously great character actor and I'm thrilled for her that she's already becoming known for character work. Directors love that.

Marc Guggenheim in a recent interview was fangirling her, stating that there was nothing you can write that she can not act.

I know, I know, I have a serious crush on this girl's work.

Yeah, I watched that exclusive 3 times to make sure I'd heard right. I was so proud of her.

Seriously tho, if you were a writer, wouldn't you want to write for this actress. I think she's a writer's dream. You don't have to write to her strengths.

Writing to her strengths assumes that she has a weakness in acting and if she has any, I have yet to see them . I've never been so blindsided by an actor/actress' talent before. Most of the time, I have heard of them and they have received many positive accolades for their work beforehand so, I am not surprised when they are actually THAT good. Melissa started off pretty good in Supergirl but, she rose to impressive very quickly in Season 1.

Anyone else remember when Waco happened? I remember watching it all go down on the news when I was a junior at BYU.

I'm one of those that can't remember where I was when last week happened, lol. But, I do remember watching this on the news when it happened. It was so crazy. It will be interesting to see more behind what went on. The information we got at the time was very lean in details.

I was a sophomore so yah I remember. There was a guy a year below me who’s mom died in the siege. She left him and his dad to join the Branch Davidians when he was young, so he didn’t really remember his mom.

Wow, that's terrible. I heard that those kinds of things went on and still go on in cults but, to know someone that it happened to would really bring it closer to home.

While doing Waco press tour, Melissa discusses new atmosphere on set after A. Kriesberg...

Wow! Very well paced, intriguing series, thus far. Terrific acting. Koresh sure was some charismatic slime.

Melissa hasn't had too much screen time, as of yet, due to the fact that they were mainly laying down a foundation for Koresh, his best friend Steve (who's wife Koresh had a child with...after Koresh miraculously had a revelation that the men would remain celibate and HE would take on the burden of reproducing duties), Thibodo (who actually wrote the book...one of the survivors... The heavy set gentleman in all the promotion events), and the ATF agent. You CAN, though, already tell Melissa's character IS queen bee, as has been described.

I read somewhere, I think it was tvguide.com, that Waco was getting good reviews; but that the "surprise break out star here might very well be Melissa Benoist."

Waco started trending on Twitter. Read a lot of tweets saying they stumbled upon the show by accident, but couldn't stop watching. I saw a few people shocked... "Oh look!! it's Supergirl!!!"

I will say, this first episode did a really good job making you want to ummm... firmly express yourself to the tv, "What is wrong with you people?" lol They weren't forced to stay, didn't suffer from Stockholm Syndrom, and didn't appear to be socially inept. On the contrary, some were once rich, well traveled, educated (one from Harvard, another with a doctorate, etc etc).

"It wasn't police carrying this out at that time, it was the ATF..."

I meant it as the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms) being a law enforcement agency, not under military's jurisdiction. I'm assuming ATF first took "lead" due to the firearms stash. Then what we began to see in last episode was how operations were taken over by two separate teams of FBI--the negotiator vs. hostage rescue. SURE hope they have sense cleaned up how they operate between one another--learn from their mistakes, right? Even with lessons learned from 9/11, still sounds like agencies aren't talking as much as they should. Example: the gunman who shot up the church in Sutherland Springs should never have been sold a gun due to the fact that he had been court marshaled. There's another recent shooter, I can't remember which one, that one of the gun shop owners felt uneasy about him--I believe the fact the shooter wanted body armor along with AR-15--so the shop owner notified FBI, but it went no where.

The Sutherland Springs incident was a total screw up of unbelievable magnitude by the military, and they have found 100's of other of their screw ups and are now taking care of those. Agencies not talking with each other has been a huge problem. Not having enough interpreters to interpret chatter from around the world has been a problem. The fact that the 2nd Amendment was written in a time where the gun you used took you minutes to load and shoot, rather than 3 minutes to kill 50 people...and people still scream about their 2nd :Amendment rights when lawmakers talk about banning a device that turns a semi-automatic into an automatic.....*shakes head* it is just amazing.

I have had several attempts at watching this, but haven't persevered. It is simply not my sort of programme, primarily in view of the violence. I would of course watch anything to see Melissa, but she is simply not in it enough for me!

Two points:
I hadn't realised that more than 30 of the cult had recently been recruited from England: over 20 of them were among the dead.
As someone from outside the US, I was distressed (but not totally surprised) by how many people had guns, and the ease with which they were used. I know there are lots of guns in movies nowadays and I tend not to watch them, but they are usually works of fiction. This programme was meant to depict real life.

"This gets me angry.They had child services come in based on false accusations might i add and there was zero evidence of it.The lady who checked is on youtube to and even says it was lies."

Rachel... Married at age 14 after having left home so quickly, she was still in her pajamas. Statutory rape. Case closed on that one. Couple that with then having young children in the same "home" as a proven child rapist, under unusual circumstances? Why so angry?

Still doesn't make him a pedophile also Rachel was complicit.

Actually, that's the exact definition of a pedaphile. It's the exact reason Warren Jeffs is currently sitting in jail, as he should be. Complicit? She was 14. I don't think I can say anything more there that hasn't already been proven.

However, the part about the FBI's actions... I will probably have to agree with you, but withhold further judgement till I watch. I have a feeling it'll fit with my current thoughts on the FBI--parts of the upper echelon might be corrupt, but rank and file members are patriots doing a selfless job protecting this country.

At the time this all started, I was fresh out of college beginning my teaching career. Teaching which was my first choice was put on the back burner because I thought that I wanted to be an FBI Forensics specialist instead, got my Criminal Justice degree and was ready to go, until I realized how I hate guns, and realized just how much of a pacifist I really am....I quickly got my teaching certificate and found my true calling....HOWEVER, the FBI agent inside has never died....LMAO......and I watched ever single bit of news coverage, documentaries, read every article I could on the Ruby Ridge incident, the Waco incident and the Oklahoma bombing....The family at Ruby Ridge were most definitely were radical white supremacists no doubt....and definitely need to have eyes on their comings and goings....but was it to the point of the FBI going in with such force to get them out? I don't think so...

As far as Waco, I think the most recent FLDS and Jeffs situation, I think shows that the FBI learned from the Waco incident and followed their leads and did what they needed to do in the right pace and manner. At Waco, the entire time I was watching all of that happen I was thinking, "What is going on there, does it rise to the point of this kind of force?" And I was never able to answer that as yes. I remember talking about with friends from school that have gone on to be Texas Rangers, ATF officers, DPS, FBI as well as Sherrif and local police departments around Texas. 100% shook their heads at what was happening, we all just kept thinking....maybe they had information that we just did not know about....I have yet to see or hear anything since then that said yes, they had the kind of information that merited going in with that kind of force. And I'm talking about the first push in where the ATF agents were hurt and killed as well....tanks, etc....???? I just don't see that...

Did they (people in the compound) commit suicide, start the fires, etc....???? Probably....but were they pushed to that cliff with what was going on outside.

I always think about this man.... http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Authorities-ignore-fugitive-holed-up-on-Texas-1693380.php he has been holed up on his land for quite awhile, they keep an eye on him and his family, but he lives off the grid out there. One of these days I'm sure they will have their chance to take him in.....

I just have a feeling that if they had just chilled and kept a watchful eye on David Koresh to the point where they would not be able to leave their land easily, maybe law enforcement build a relationship with them to allow CPS in just to make sure the children were ok, and build their case, they could have ended this differently? That question will never be answered....

I also think they could have talked to many of the families there at different points, building relationships with them outside of the compound. They could have gotten more information on the children....

AND, had they gone after David Koresh only, as zeroed in on him as they were Jeffs, I think they could have gotten him...

I just think it is sad for the people like Rachel who only knew of that life were never given a chance to realize there was so much more out there for them...It would have been great if those that knew of nothing else like Warren Jeffs daughter could have been given the chance that she has had to leave that life behind and move on...

"This gets me angry.They had child services come in based on false accusations might i add and there was zero evidence of it.The lady who checked is on youtube to and even says it was lies."

Rachel... Married at age 14 after having left home so quickly, she was still in her pajamas. Statutory rape. Case closed on that one. Couple that with then having young children in the same "home" as a proven child rapist, under unusual circumstances? Why so angry?

Still doesn't make him a pedophile also Rachel was complicit.

Actually, that's the exact definition of a pedaphile. It's the exact reason Warren Jeffs is currently sitting in jail, as he should be. Complicit? She was 14. I don't think I can say anything more there that hasn't already been proven.

However, the part about the FBI's actions... I will probably have to agree with you, but withhold further judgement till I watch. I have a feeling it'll fit with my current thoughts on the FBI--parts of the upper echelon might be corrupt, but rank and file members are patriots doing a selfless job protecting this country.

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

I don't know, but according to family members he had permission from her parents.

Yes, crazy enough, it's legal in many states to marry at the age of 14. So, basically, the way the law works is that if you're 14 and don't marry the person, it's statutory rape but, if you marry him/her with parent permission of course, then everything is okey dokey. You'd be surprised the number of laws written in the 19th Century that are still on the books in many states. But, just because the archaic law still exists, doesn't mean that it is the right thing to do.

Consent by a 14 year old has to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, this is someone who is, at the most, a 9th grader, depending on birthday. A teen who is most likely still having problems managing homework, a locker, what they're going to wear and how they're going to find transportation to the out of town ballgame. Thinking that they are mature enough to be in a relationship with an adult and have rational thought and emotional capability to decide what's best in terms of a lifetime commitment is absolutely absurd.

As far as the FBI and other enforcement agencies, they're no different than any other occupation. There are bad teachers but, that does't mean that an entire school is incompetent. Same for doctors, counselors, mechanics, etc. There have been and still are some individuals within the law enforcement organization that are unscrupulous but, that doesn't make the entire organization corrupt.

Perry Jones, Rachel's father, was David Koresh's chief errand runner who died in the Feb. 28 shootout at the compound with agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. This was prior to the fire that killed Rachel along with many other Branch Davidians in April.

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

I don't know, but according to family members he had permission from her parents.

Ew *shivers*

Can you EVEN picture one of our students at that age going through that? *shivers again*

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

I don't know, but according to family members he had permission from her parents.

Ew *shivers*

Can you EVEN picture one of our students at that age going through that? *shivers again*

I guess because I teach AP Human Geography and World Geography going on 28 years....and one of the things we have to do is to step outside of ourselves, our mores, our values, our perspective, our environment and look at all things in as much of an unbiased manner as we can in order to study other religions, cultures etc...that it is very easy for me to understand how this could happen when you have a group of people, that are following a book that was written in a different time period, different land, etc and basing their entire existence on it it would look very strange to us. Yet if we asked people in the Middle East, who live under Sharia Law, who follow ancient texts so closely as to live their lives to the most specific detail they would probably totally understand these people and how they live their lives. It's not really a matter of right or wrong.....if I look at it totally from my perspective, it is ALL KINDS OF WRONG. But, I don't tend to do that....it's just habit.

So though it may seem cold to some, it is a different religion, different culture, different way of life...that is pretty much how I look at it.

Now, where the deviance of it really comes in is when Koresh begins to make up new rules of their lives, and what were his motives behind that.....I look at the ATF, FBI, etc in much the same way....in their decision making were they changing the rules to suit what their motives were....I think in both cases...yes, and that is why you began to see people questioning Koresh, and questioning the ATF, FBI etc....and their actions.

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

I don't know, but according to family members he had permission from her parents.

From what I've read, wasn't her father a member of the group and was actually in the compound when it was raided and burned?

As far a s marrying Rachel at 14, the age of consent at the time in Texas was 14, with parents permission, permission was given. So crazy, but legal.

Wow. Just...wow. Wonder why leaving in pajamas then.

I don't know, but according to family members he had permission from her parents.

From what I've read, wasn't her father a member of the group and was actually in the compound when it was raided and burned?

I think several of her family was in the compound. I believe a sister and possibly an aunt either were not there at the time, or were some of the few that made it out. I believe an aunt left before she had to become one of Koresh's wives, she left her husband and children there. She had very little good to say about Koresh.....

They had a Waco panel that Melissa was involved in yesterday. When I can track down some vids, I'll post. Until then, here's some photos....

Melissa's Waco Panel appearance.

Thanks for posting these. I'm looking forward to watching this when it airs, mostly because of Melissa's appearance in it