A Review of “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” by Ron Baxley, Jr.
*** ½ (3 1/2 stars out of 5)
(Warning: Perhaps a few minor spoilers)
This is a Disney, Baxley, and Oz blog, but perhaps I can make this fit with the 1939 M.G.M. “The Wizard of Oz” classic line, “Lions and tigers and bears… oh, my!” I emphasize the “Oh, my!” The lions, tigers, and bears in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” are allegedly mistreated, kept in a backwoods zoo, and, at times, allegedly sold illegally by the titular Oklahoman Tiger King/ “Joe Exotic” while tiger sanctuary owner and Florida-resident Carol allegedly stalks him and does her best to put an end to his traveling animal shows. The disagreements escalate between them online, some thugs and other characters enter the picture, and, as the somewhat misleading title indicates, alleged, premeditated murder for hire eventually goes into court by the feds for prosecution (among other what some would call trumped-up charges). What does result you may want to watch, and I am leaving the thugs and other characters out of the review to prevent a lot of spoilers.
Initially, I was drawn in by all of the hype about the series and did enjoy the first few episodes with the disagreements between Carol, who happens to keep her tigers in cages in what is allegedly touted to be a more non-profit-based tiger rescue, and the Tiger King, who she accuses of doing the very same thing I perceive her as doing. The Tiger King’s bleached mullet, high drawl, and cowboy-esque attire, and Carol’s tiger prints, hippie-esque head-band, and voice which sounds close to a certain female politician may keep you watching as I did for their sheer eccentricity. (This is what makes it more like a classic documentary like “Grey Gardens” – the close-up, no-holds-barred look at real people.) All of the eventual crime elements were interesting like an “Unsolved Mysteries” episode or two or a Mystery show on PBS. Those kept one in suspense.
The Tiger King being gay and anti-government but also being more like a member of the NRA with his attitude towards weapons made for an interesting twist. Also, like Oscar Wilde, Liberace, and others, his boyfriends tended to be around 30 years his junior at times but still of consenting age – all of which was discussed several times in the series. Whether that makes “Joe Exotic” predatory like his lions, I will leave to the viewer (when women do this, they are sometimes called cougars). Carol has some alleged skeletons in her closet that “Joe Exotic” and other tiger owners with parks mention – her millionaire husband, her first husband, went missing and was never found. What she is fully accused of can be further explored with a series viewing as can the droning voice of her second husband.
I started out being intrigued by the feud and the escalation between Joe and Carol. But, though I know it was for mature audiences, I grew tired of hearing all of the expletives like one had flipped to an episode of “Jerry Springer”. I know the documentary filmmaker had to put those in to show everything realistically, but perhaps some could have been bleeped out. Also, though it was touched on for just a few minutes, Joe Exotic’s background as growing up gay in rural Oklahoma and how he was treated there and how it affected him on a socio-psychological level could also have been greater explored. Carol’s fundamentalist background, a tragedy from her youth, and her back-story could also have been go into with more detail. Yet there are more episodes and perhaps another season planned. Relatives close to Joe and Carol (parents, aunts, cousins, etc.) could have been interviewed more specifically about these two individuals’ youth. These relatives are brought in to discuss the current conflicts with the back-stabbing and the various murder plots that relate more to the present. However, like with any crime-related program, it always helps to have more back-story on how the players grew up. More back-story can provide greater insight into the motivation of these people beyond just basic greed and revenge.
Granted, that this documentary show bravely shows people’s depravity and does not make excuses for it is refreshing in some ways. It shows the fallibility of human nature, etc. However, the way this documentary show is being hyped as the ultimate escapism during the coronavirus pandemic is misleading. Though I enjoyed the suspense and the candid way all sides of Joe Exotic were shown and was drawn in by the circus train wreck that was the escalation between Joe and Carol, I was ultimately just left sad at the tragedy with them and the animals and emptiness of a lot of it. I felt there needed to be some redeeming factor somewhere, somebody who wanted to do completely what was right (perhaps no one could be found... one or two were close). The suspense and the story kept me going through most of it as did the brave way the documentary filmmaker showed the depravity of humanity in general. However, the non-bleeped foul language, lack of in-depth back-stories and lack of interviews that could have extended further into the principal players’ pasts made me lose interest toward the middle of the episodes. Toward the end of this season, the lack of a truly redeemable, basic good person made me drift further and just sad at a long-played-out tragedy with the humans and the animals.
You may want to watch just the first few episodes to get the gist and may get hooked into it, but if you are wanting something to watch to escape the pandemic news, perhaps the fantasy films “Onward” or “Frozen 2” on Disney + may be more uplifting (I know I recently gave “Onward” 3.5 stars too (fair to good) but that was leaning more truly toward 4, the good – especially with my comments. I recommend it as more uplifting than "Tiger King...", and I, of course, gave “Frozen 2” four stars, and it is very uplifting). By the way, if you are looking for something more realistic and uplifting (but with a tragic start), I have heard good things about “Self Made : The Real Life Story of Madam C.J. Walker” on Netflix and will be making it my next viewing during the pandemic crisis. Unless they get more into the back-stories of the principal players, I do not know that I will be watching additional episodes/seasons of the "Tiger King..."
*** ½ out of 5 stars (3 ½ out of 5)
While the backstories and such were not explored much, the focus was more on the over-the-top drama. That's what people want to see, especially during this time when nothing else is going on.
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ReplyDeleteThank for your reply. I appreciate your seeing my point about the backstories not being explored as much, and I do think that I also made points about the project being over-the-top. However, not all people want to see this kind of programming -- even while they may have less work at home or a reduced work load. In my opinion, there are other ways to escape the pandemic crisis and better forms of escapism, even through other films and shows I recommended toward the end of the review. I think we can agree to disagree on some points, though. Thank you again for your reply.
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