TravLehn There is only one "problem" with this mini series and im going to start with that so its out of the way.. The problem is i think some viewers will interpret that this show is trying to defend david koresh and his actions... I dont believe this is the case i think by showing a more sane/normal viewpoint of david in the earlier episodes is just trying to humanize his character for the audience. The producers of this series want us, the viewers, to understand the point of view of the victims of waco. The point of view of david thibodeau (in my opinion). Because im assuming the point of view from thibodeau was that koresh was a decent man and "messiah". People who are in a cult are brainwashed and follow whatever the leader says no matter how ridiculous. A lot of the bad reviews on this site complain about how there is an agenda with this show to somehow normalize domestic assault and paint a picture of david koresh as some martyr..But personally i do not believe that was the case based on the previous paragraph. But after about episode 2 we start to see the true facts of the horrible heinous crimes that occurred at the mount carmel center. Episode 3 and episode 6 are pure television gold. If you weren't around back then to witness this atrocity this show will put you in a time machine back to february 28th, 1993. I rarely get emotional when watching a series such as this based on true crime ***SPOILER*** but when melissa benoist's character is stuck under the bus and shea whigham's character cannot get her out...that has got to be one of the saddest/darkest moments i have ever seen on television (especially for a basic cable series). This is a must see mini-series its more than worth the 5+ hours by a long shot.

jennvzbrown I cannot adequately communicate the brilliance and necessity of this masterpiece. So many people really knocked it out of the park when they put this together. The performances, the pace, the intensity, the dialogue, the perspectives, the transitions...nothing was left desiring when I finished this series. The legacy of an artwork like this lies in the emotions and beliefs it instills in its viewers, and the actions that result. The team that put this together knew what they wanted to say, and they said it flawlessly.

Leftbanker First things first, six episodes seems to be just about right for this story. They seem to be learning that you don't need to stretch out an idea to absurd lengths and then try for a second season. American network series go 22 episodes which is simply a recipe for disaster--or mediocrity.Say whatever you want about the politics of this series but the quality is top notch and the acting at every turn is superb. I remember vividly when this happened and I didn't really think much of it. I was living without a TV so I only caught bits and pieces. I just thought it was some religious lunatic (he was) who went off the deep end (he did).The immediate fallout was from the right-wing crazies. This may have been their Bastille Day. All I could think was that the cops were morons, but who cared about some religious nut armed to the teeth who resisted arrest?Once we arm the police like an army good luck getting those weapons back and good luck expecting restraint from the police in a conflict. They're loaded for boar, baby! Look at the way they deal with school shootings. They run in armed like the marines storming Normandy far too long after the fact, in every case thus far. I don't think that the police have saved a single person in hundreds of shootings.So why does law enforcement continue doing it this way? Because good luck getting them not to be storm troopers after we have given them an incredible amount of military-grade weapons. Their high-handed methods just serve to further up the ante in the escalation of arms in the streets. Seriously, if some hillbilly local police department really needs an Armored Personnel Carrier then I think we've already lost.The guy is supposed to be this hotshot FBI negotiator and he can't even negotiate with his coworkers. At one point he gets into the most pedestrian religious argument with Koresh and he acted like he'd never given religion a thought in his entire life.

wildsparrow16 Every actor in this is incredible. The resemblance of Koresh to Kitsch is uncanny, even the voice. This man has many movies in his future, his acting is superb and the screen loves him. This movie seems pretty accurate so far, and it really delves into the human side of every single person involved. It is almost if there are multiple protagonists - the children, Koresh, the FBI negotiator who clearly wanted to end this with no violence, and the lost souls whom we only slowly get to know. There are no dull moments. I am loving this series so far....