Abc Sheds Light On Suspects In Oklahoma City Bombing
ABC’s Peter Jennings hosts the first of a pair of network specials over the next two nights marking the first anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.
“Rage and Betrayal: The Life Stories of the Accused Bombers of Oklahoma City,” at 9:30, profiles the two men authorities believe are responsible for the terrorist attack.
This 90-minute report tries to explain Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols: one a decorated war veteran who became an embittered critic of big government, the other a family man whose life seemed to fall apart.
Both, as it’s spelled out here, blamed their personal failures on the federal government. Both came to see Washington as the enemy of the people.
Both became radicalized by activists who fuel dissent among those who say that the Constitution has been destroyed by a government out of control.
This isn’t one of those reports where the news celebrity merely shows up. Jennings talks candidly with both men’s fathers as well as with family members and others who knew them well.
What comes through clearly is that neither McVeigh nor Nichols started out as a malcontent or a troublemaker. They’d be better described as patriotic Americans - certainly McVeigh, who was a model soldier who served in the Gulf War.
Jennings’ report is a meticulous and chilling account of how they changed. And it carries an unnerving suggestion that other Americans may have changed with them.
Highlights
“Living Single,” FOX at 8: There’s something a little different in this episode as Max (Erika Alexander) falls for a client (Giancarlo Esposito) who is accused of murder.
“50 Years of Funny Females,” ABC at 8:30: From Lucy to Roseanne, this repeat pays tribute to women who have made us laugh on television and the big screen. John Ritter, Annie Potts and Paula Poundstone are among the stars raising the salute.
“Boston Common,” NBC at 8:30: Boyd’s (Anthony Clark) latest effort to romance Joy (Traylor Howard) is a familiar one. He arranges a double date just to be near her but spends most of his time fending off the advances of his own date (Lea Lail).
I’m finding Clark’s energy a little too much to handle. Somebody get this guy some decaf.
“Mystery!” KSPS at 8: The first of four “Chandler & Co.” tales introduces a pair of private detectives (Catherine Russell, Barbara Flynn) who specialize in infidelity cases. But the two women, former sisters-in-law, haven’t solved their own personal crises, which play prominently in the premiere.
“48 Hours,” CBS at 10: A 1993 Ohio prison riot is revisited. Included is an interview with the parents of a guard killed in the uprising.
They’re pushing for the death penalty for the inmate they say took their son’s life.
“ER,” NBC at 10: In a repeat of last season’s finale, Hathaway and Taglieri prepare for their wedding. And that doesn’t make Ross (George Clooney) happy.
I’ve never felt that the personal story lines were as good as the medical drama that drives the show. More than anything, this episode seemed to wrap up a story line that was going nowhere anyway.
Cable Calls
“The Masters,” USA at 9: From Augusta, Ga., it’s first-round highlights. USA has 2 hours of live coverage at 4. The same broadcast schedule is set for Friday before CBS picks up the coverage this weekend. (CBS has brief highlights tonight and Friday at 11:35.)
“The Big Sleep” (1946), TMC at 9: It’s a big Raymond Chandler double feature as TMC airs the unforgettable Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall original about a gumshoe mixed up with blackmail and murder.
It’s followed by 1978’s Robert Mitchum-Sarah Miles remake at 10:55.