Skip to main content

Tiger King Review - Pure Madness



Tiger King - Documentary Review


You start the show with an "Awwww, these animals are so cute!" and later, you realize how bad all this is, and end up with tears in your eyes.

Full of surprises, Tiger King is about a bizarre yet charismatic man who keeps a private zoo full of big cats. An eccentric? Maybe, but there is more. And it's not pretty.

They start the show by demonstrating his charisma and power. They introduce him as he would want, and then they dig under the surface. Joe Exotic has a lot to tell.  

Absolute madness


The first episode seems like a guidebook about the world of private zoos and Joe. It introduces us to his paranoid personality and his open war with Carole Baskin. This woman seems to have two missions in life: protect wild cats, and destroy Joe Exotic.

I loathed her. The way she laughs in the most inappropriate situations disturbs me. For example, when she is asked about her husband's disappearance. It is disgusting. What the hell is she thinking? 

More than that, what really got on my nerves is that they are the same. Joe and Carole are equal, at many levels. Throughout the documentary, they both have terrible actions. No, she isn't better than him, only more discreet. Besides, it seems that tragedy happens around them. 

And how about the big cats? They are trapped in both cases, aren't they? 

Hate, schemes, and revenge


The situation escalates so quickly that it is stunning. We follow the madness developing, but before you realize it, it is at a scary level. You may find yourself thinking: how did we get here? 

It is hard to know which one is the craziest. Yes, Joe is guilty, but Carole? I don't know. She is pretty shady as well.  

Travis death


The way the documentary was produced is terrific. It is a full piece of entertainment, and I believe that it is the key to its success (that and the cute tigers, of course). It has a lot of plot twists and moments that can leave you out of breath. One of these moments is Travis' death. 

It is the saddest part of the whole documentary, and it hurts to watch. Did Travis know what he was doing? Or was it an accident as Joshua Dial seems to believe?

Perhaps what looks like suicide was, in fact, ignorance and stupidity. Anyway, it was the sad loss of a young life. 

The After Show


That extra last episode was very interesting to watch. I loved it, and it was a good addition. While watching the documentary, there were a few unanswered questions and confusing facts. This episode kind of answered those and brought new facts. 

If you doubted Joe's cruelty, all your doubts would end with the story of the neighbor's horse. Tragic and revolting. Sedate the tigers for photoshoots is not exactly new, unfortunately. Many touristic spots around the world do this. Yet, somehow, coming from this man, who pretends to love them so much, feels even worse.

The bigger question remaining is: will Joe Exotic ever get out of jail?

Once more, well done, Netflix.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gen V Season 2: From Cameos to Confidence

I wasn’t a huge fan of Gen V ’s first season . For me, it lived more on cameos and ties to The Boys than on its own merits. It often felt like an extended piece of world-building rather than a show that could stand on its own. Season 2, though, feels different. For the first time, Gen V is carving out its own identity. The storylines are more engaging, the stakes feel higher, and it’s not just hanging on the shadow of Homelander or Vought headlines.  The Highs and Lows of Performance That said, not everything works. The acting is uneven—some scenes land with the intended emotional weight, but others feel awkward enough that I wondered how they made it past editing.  On top of that, the show piles on so much interpersonal drama and mystery that it occasionally slips into Scooby-Doo territory: a gang of young heroes pulling at conspiratorial threads, but without enough grounding to keep every subplot compelling. A Thoughtful Tribute One aspect the show handles beautifull...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zero Day (Netflix): When Power, Fear, and Truth Collide

  What happens when society’s most terrifying vulnerability—our digital infrastructure—suddenly collapses?  Netflix ’s political thriller Zero Day dares to explore exactly that. Starring Robert De Niro as former U.S. President George Mullen, alongside Angela Bassett , Lizzy Caplan , Jesse Plemons , and Dan Stevens , this six-part miniseries blends conspiracy, paranoia, and deeply human drama into a story that feels both timely and unsettling. A Premise That Feels Too Possible The series kicks off with a catastrophic cyberattack that leaves the nation in chaos. It’s not just thrilling entertainment—it’s frighteningly plausible. Watching events spiral out of control, you can’t help but ask yourself: could this actually happen? Twists That Keep You Guessing From backroom deals to sudden betrayals, Zero Day is packed with sharp turns. You might think you know where it’s going, but the finale delivers a conclusion that’s both surprising and thought-provoking. Jesse Plemo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story - review

  While I found the pacing of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story slow and, at times, even boring, the show shines in one particular area: its psychological depth.  What kept me engaged wasn’t the storytelling rhythm, but the way it explored two very distinct and haunting personalities under the same roof. Two Sides of the Same Violence The series captures the sharp contrast between Lyle and Erik brilliantly. On one side, we see the volatile, angry, and violent brother—unpredictable but outwardly dominant, always ready to explode. On the other side, there is the insecure, fragile “mouse” of the family—timid, hesitant, almost paralyzed by fear.  Yet, what makes Erik compelling is that under the right conditions, even he can lash out violently, especially when pulled into the orbit of his more aggressive brother. The dynamic between them feels like a nightmare recipe: one commanding, the other submissive, but both carrying destructive potential. The Many Shape...
Post a Comment
Read more