In this episode, Burning Bright and Chris Paul dissect Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, blending film critique with a deeper exploration of the narratives surrounding the 2012 attack. They examine how the movie subtly undermines the official story, portraying the CIA not as saviors but as the true antagonists, hoarding information, obstructing help, and prioritizing their own cover-up over American lives. The discussion explores whether Ambassador Chris Stevens’ death was a tragic accident or a deliberate assassination to bury evidence of weapons transfers and clandestine deals. They break down inconsistencies in the narrative, like the tidy explanation for Stevens’ cause of death, the dubious claims of resource shortages, and the suspiciously well-prepared mortars that struck the annex.

Through thoughtful analysis, they argue that incompetence is often a convenient cover for malice, and they challenge listeners to follow the trail of contradictions to see where it leads. With references to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “What difference at this point does it make?” remark and the CIA’s “heroism” awards, this episode pushes past surface-level hero worship to question whether the real story was hidden in plain sight.