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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.

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