Sumith Prasad
The third episode of Showtime’s crime series ‘Waco: The Aftermath,’ titled ‘The Gospel According to Livingstone Fagan,’ revolves around the prosecution’s attempts to establish that Branch Davidian member Livingstone Fagan shot an ATF agent named Jamie Helliver as the Waco trial continues. Dan Cogdell and his fellow defense attorney Rocket Rosen seek the help of Gordon Novel to deal with Helliver’s testimony against Livingstone. Gary Noesner meets a white supremacist, who warns him about the second anniversary of the Waco siege. The episode ends with enthralling developments concerning Gary’s investigation into the residents of Elohim City and the tensions between Vernon Howell and George Roden. If you are up for a detailed take on the same, let us be your ally! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Waco: The Aftermath Episode 3 Recap
‘The Gospel According to Livingstone Fagan’ begins with Livingstone recollecting his first meeting with Vernon Howell while the latter was preaching in an educational institution in the United Kingdom. Howell asked Livingstone to join his religious community in Texas upon getting impressed by the latter’s knowledge of the Bible. Livingstone then ended up in Texas, right when Vernon announced that God chose him over Lois Roden, infuriating the latter. Ruth Riddle also chose Vernon over Lois upon believing that God has left the Mount Carmel Center because of the prophetess’ actions. Rocket and Cogdell meet Livingstone in prison to know whether Helliver is saying the truth, only for the theologian to say that he was with Clive Doyle when the ATF agent was shot.
Cogdell and Rocket meet Novel to find any information about Helliver. When they come to know about the crimes committed by Novel, they leave him. Still, the private investigator offers a document from a Texas ranger in which the officer had concluded that Helliver had trouble identifying Livingstone from a line-up. After the judge dismissed Livingstone’s alibi since Clive doesn’t have any credibility as a co-defendant, Rocket calls out Helliver’s possible racist behavior that possibly made him accuse Livingstone of nearly killing him. Gary Noesner meets Elohim City founder Pappy Millar’s associate and white supremacist Richard Snell to know more about the community’s plans.
Snell warns Gary that there will be payback on April 19th, the second anniversary of the Waco siege. Rocket’s attempts to fight Helliver by projecting the latter as a racist do not yield any results. Cogdell encourages him for the trial ahead. In a flashback scene, Livingstone set out to leave Vernon’s community after he realized that the latter is projecting himself as a messiah. Vernon explained to the theologian that they both are chosen by God. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols go to Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and inspect the place.
Waco: The Aftermath Episode 3 Ending: Why Does Carol Howe Become an Informant?
After his meeting with Richard Snell, Gary realizes that he has to find out what’s really happening in Elohim City to prevent the tragedy that is expected to happen on April 19. He meets Carol Howe again even though she dismisses the opportunity the former gave her to become an informant. When Carol makes it clear that she hasn’t changed her mind, he offers her money to work as an informant. She then accepts the assignment and gets into Elohim City upon forming a companionship with Becca Whitsett as Wild Bill’s girlfriend. However, money isn’t really what motivates Carol to become an informant.
In her letter to her father, which is supposed to be read when she dies, Carol wrote that if she is dead, she died doing “something right for once.” Carol has disappointed her parents by leaving them and ending up with Wild Bill, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi. She hasn’t done anything worthwhile in her life other than spending a considerable part of the same with her ex-partner, who only raped and emotionally abused her. Carol must have felt that being an informant to help an “important” cause is her way to gain redemption, which leads her to Elohim City by putting her life on the line.
Gary and Carol’s handler Angie Graham read her letter to her father when they doubt whether she escaped from them. However, in reality, Carol went to Elohim City as an informant to garner information concerning the activities happening at the place. Under code number CI-183, she communicated with Angie while she was working in the community as a confidential informant. As the series depicts, Elohim City founder Robert Millar didn’t trust Carol outrightly and eventually had suspicions that she was a government informant. According to reports, Carol was able to inform ATF agents that Andreas Strassmeir “talked frequently about blowing up federal buildings with bombs” before the Oklahoma City bombing happened. Still, the ATF couldn’t prevent the tragedy.
Why Did Vernon Howell and George Roden Fight?
Lois died soon after she storms off from Vernon’s commune. Her son George Roden then arrived in the commune and fought with Vernon, predominantly in the name of the sexual affair the latter had with his mother. However, the affair wasn’t the only thing that pushed George to fight Vernon. When Lois became the leader of the Branch Davidians after the death of her husband, George was considered as the successor of his mother. Vernon’s rise as a self-proclaimed prophet challenged George’s authority and significance among the members of the religious sect. In reality, the tensions between Vernon and George didn’t limit to just a fistfight.
In 1987, after the death of Lois, Vernon AKA David Koresh returned to the Mount Carmel Center with a group of followers with firearms. A shootout ensued between Vernon’s group and George, only for the latter to flee from the scene with wounds. Although the self-proclaimed prophet explained that his group raided the establishment to unravel the illegal activities that had been happening at the place, it is alleged that the former was aiming to claim the Center for himself and his followers to become the supreme leader of the Branch Davidians. Vernon eventually won the fight when George got admitted to the state mental hospital in Vernon, Texas, after killing a man. He claimed that the man was sent by Vernon/Koresh to kill him.
Read More: Where Was Waco: The Aftermath Filmed?
