Year Released: 2020
Starring: Cameron Britton, Arliss Howard, Gethin Anthony, Carla Gugino, Jack Huston
(Not rated, 10 episodes, 42-51 min.)
Genre: Crime TV Dramas, TV Mysteries, TV Thriller

“This bomber theory – it’s a good story. It works in a newsroom. There is no way Jewell did this.” – Earl Embry, ATF bomb expert

Although the events chronicled begin in 1996, Manhunt: Deadly Games is more timely than ever. It exposes the media malfeasance and FBI arrogance that ruined the life of Richard Jewell when they wrongly portrayed the “hero” security guard who found a deadly backpack at the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, as the culprit.

This series chronicle one of the largest and most complex manhunts on U.S. soil--the search for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park Bomber--and the media firestorm that consumed the life of Richard Jewell in its wake. With their legacies on the line and divisions within communities stoked, investigators must choose what is most important to defend--their reputations or the truth.

And it looks like a lot of them chose the former – their reputations. In fact, then Head of the FBI Louie Freeh (Desmond Harrington) never apologized nor acknowledged his agency’s mistakes even after Eric Rudolph (Jack Huston) confessed to setting the Olympics bomb himself.

Everyone raves about Briton Cameron’s great turn as Richard Jewell, and he certainly does a tremendous job, but to Different Drummer, the real hero of the film is the unassuming ATF bomb expert who uses both his knowledge and intuition to find the truth.

Both are demonstrated in his first meeting with a condescending and dismissive FBI agent:

Yes, Earl Embry listens to the bomb, and he uses his years of on site experience to find clues. He is ten times taller than the FBI “experts” who plan to box up all the evidence in Georgia and send it to their headquarters for computer analysis.

And that attitude is the mistake of too many of our so-called experts today. Relying on statistics (“There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”), computer analysis, and models, they lose touch with reality.

Hercule Poirot relied on his intuition, his “little grey cells,” and even more important, talking to people. Sherlock Holmes never neglected in situ (Latin, situated in the original place), and he was never happier than when he was mucking about, down on his knees on moor or manor, looking for the almost invisible clue.

And that is exactly what Embry finds at the Olympic bombing site, even after the FBI brags that it has shipped off every single clue to its labs. Digging at the explosion site, Embry finds it, and that clue is what eventually unravels the whole case against Jewell. (You will have to watch the series to find out what it is, though.)

***

Another important person, perhaps the real protagonist – in that it is he who changes the most – is FBI agent Jack Brennan (Gethin Anthony). At first, like the others he is equally dismissive of Embry, but he changes as he gains more and more respect for him and his methods, eventually making a career ending decision that smacks of his newfound integrity.

Journalist Kathy Scruggs, who some insist is too maligned in Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell (not seen it yet), is given a somewhat more nuanced character here. We do see her overriding ambition, her exchange of liaisons for information from sleazy law enforcement types, and the drug addiction that would eventually take her life in 2002. However, we also see her vulnerability in some scenes with her mother and sister, as well as what she sees as being overlooked because she is a woman at the Atlantic Journal and Constitution, the publication where she first leaked the story that the FBI was looking into Richard Jewell as the bomber. We also see that it is her editor who rushed to story out against her better instincts.

As Earl Embry points out, that was a turning point, not just for Richard Jewell, but for the real bomber as well:

“And as soon as the FBI put Jewell on the evening news, they gave the real bomber as pass.”

Cameron Briton imbues his Richard Jewell with vulnerabilities and an adherence to the truth, about himself as well as his actions. We see those most in his interactions with his mother (Judith Light), who berates and doubts him, first basking in the glow of his short-lived heroism and then turning against him as the false story breaks.

“They don’t do this to people who did nothing, Richard.”

Jewell is neither clever nor quick-witted and he knows it. He knows that most people he interacts with treat him with poorly disguised condescension at best.

When the 60 Minutes host characterizes him as a “failed security guard who lives with his mother,” Richard replies, “Unkind, but true.”

His honesty here is disarming as it is also after he has supposedly been cleared. Jewell assesses his situation quite accurately, and it reflects that of so many others wrongfully accused than cleared. There is always that lingering doubt in the eyes of the public.

“I can’t get a job, can’t open my curtains. Until the day I die there will be people who believe that I’m a murderer.”

And perhaps that is why his death occurred when Richard Jewell was only only 44 years old, just 11 years after the Olympic bombing .

The second part of the story, the hunt for the real bomber Eric Rudolph (Jack Huston) is not nearly so absorbing and actually departs from the facts quite a bit. However, the unctuous Rudolph is a great foil for the innocent Jewell, as he persuades so many that he is indeed a God-fearing man needing their help to hide from the police.

Many in the real town of Murphy, North Carolina, where he was ultimately found, have objected to their being characterized as a hotbed militia underground friendly to the fugitive Rudolph. In reality, there is not evidence that suggests Randolph getting any local assistance.

However, that reality does not stop Netflix from promoting another of their tireless stereotypic narratives about Southerners. In fact, in the series itself we see that the southern drawls of Richard Jewell, as well ATF expert Earl Embry, and even Kathy Scruggs, are met with only partially concealed disdain by the northeastern movers and shakers in the media and the FBI.

***

A while ago television heralded attorneys like Perry Mason, who defended the innocent. As crime rose, prosecutors became the celebrities, as series like Law and Order and its many spinoffs took their place. Now, we are seeing too many incidents of rogue prosecutors, so the tables are turning again.

Manhunt: Deadly Games reminds us again of that unique American legal maxim. “Innocent until proved guilty.” Watch Richard Jewell’s story and be reminded of its truth.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

Our story begins with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where security guard Richard Jewel finds a suspicious package, and for a short time he is lauded as a hero for clearing the area just before a blast goes off.

Let’s find a good recipe from the peach state, one that is as tasty as it is creative.

Although our recipe actually comes from a great cook in North Carolina, that is fine, too, since the real bomber, Eric Rudolph, hid out in the North Carolina woods for years, although the TV film compresses that time.

***

My son and I collaborated in the kitchen one day to put our own unique twist on classic baby back ribs. We added a sweet peachy glaze and a little heat with chipotle peppers. It was a great bonding experience, and now we have a keeper recipe for fall-off-the-bone ribs. —Rebecca Suaso, Weaverville, North Carolina

Peach–Chipotle Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 pounds pork baby back ribs (about 3 racks)

6 medium peaches, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large sweet onions, finely chopped

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

4 finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 2 tablespoons sauce

3 tablespoons white vinegar

4 teaspoons ground mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne. If necessary, remove the thin membrane from back ribs; discard membrane. Rub brown sugar mixture over ribs. Transfer to large roasting pans. Add 1 in. hot water. Bake, covered, until ribs are tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, place peaches in a blender; cover and process until smooth. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 12-15 minutes. Add brown sugar, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, vinegar, mustard and peach puree; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 25-30 minutes.
Drain ribs. Grill ribs, pork side down, covered, on an oiled rack over medium heat until browned, 5-7 minutes. Turn ribs; brush with 2 cups sauce. Cook 5-7 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.

Taste of Home.com