A&E Viewers React to ‘Chilling’ Waco Siege Documentary

A&E aired its documentary on the 1993 Waco siege Sunday and Monday night, and viewers were shocked […]

January 29, 2018, 9:13pm

A&E aired its documentary on the 1993 Waco siege Sunday and Monday night, and viewers were shocked by what they saw.

The documentary, Waco: Madman or Messiah, dives into the growth of religious cult The Branch Davidians, the sanity of leader David Koresh and the FBI standoff that resulted in 86 deaths.

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Viewers of the show were treated to creepy footage of the cult, as well as first-hand accounts from their members. Some heard these testimonials and got chills, while others lambasted Koresh and the cult members.

This Waco Seige documentary on A&E is chilling.
— Seth Cohen (@_Mkieva) January 30, 2018

Watching Waco: Madman or Messiah. Wild.

After the ATF raid (during which 4 agents were killed):

Koresh: All these accusations are crazy. Sounds almost like it did 2,000 years ago about Christ.
My dad (from another room): Yes I remember when Jesus shot all the Pharisees.
— Sarah (@WildHorses65) January 30, 2018

There’s a show on A&E right now called “Waco: Madman or Messiah.”
I gotta go with Madman.
— Greg Newburn (@gnewburn) January 30, 2018

Some viewers even took aim at the law enforcement side of the case. Some online (and in the documentary itself) criticized the ATF and FBI’s tactics for the siege, which resulted in four ATF agents’ deaths, 82 cult members’ deaths and a 51-day standoff.

Why did the government not retreat and leave them alone until they could have planned a true ambush without Koresh knowing? They all knew before hand but totally under estimated the determination of this madman to fall on his sword…just so sad
— Tammy Robinson (@tamrobinson1966) January 29, 2018

Many also praised the A&E series for its in-depth look at the event, which is also the subject of an ongoing Paramount Network drama mini-series. The Waco siege is not something many who did not live through it have learned about, so it was seen an education experience by many.

Watching #Waco on @AETV . Extremely intriguing. It is shows like this that make me want to know more. Not just about that particular thing, but so many. My mind races
— Tammy NOHillary Lee (@T9Tammy) January 30, 2018