The Aisle Seat continues it’s ‘Home Edition’ series. A reminder that you’re welcome to make suggestions for reviews of streaming material, just email me….jason.armstrong@jpbg.ca. Today, it was requested by some of my work colleagues that I take a peek at the wildly popular Netflix series, ‘Tiger King’. And I can honestly say – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything QUITE like it. And fair warning, the trailer has some really, really naughty language. If you’re all set….off we go.
You think the world outside is crazy? Wait until you see THIS.
‘Tiger King’ is a docu-series that follows the, shall we say, eccentric big cat owners living and operating their business in America. It kicks off with various interviewees chatting about the individuals who dabble in such fare – then we meet the spotlight character.
Joe Exotic runs his own exotic animal park in Oklahoma. Complete with bangs, a mullet and a Fu-Manchu mustache (oh, and he’s a country singer too), the first we hear from him is in a county jail, awaiting trial for hiring someone to kill a rival. Hooo-kay, kinda gives you a good idea of what you’re in for.
But then, it gets even nuttier. Filmmaker Eric Goode takes us on a bizarre journey, unraveling his footage of the various kooks who dabble in exotic animals. Joe is, by far, the most electric (I had to find a complimentary adjective, ’cause it probably wouldn’t be polite to outright label the guy bats*#t crazy) of the personalities, setting the bar on overall insanity – though others, including Doc Antle, who has multiple wives and employs scantily clad women as part of his ‘show’, is more than warped enough to scale it.
I have to be honest, I didn’t get too far into the series; once these big cats start to rip off limbs, I tend to lean towards the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ re-runs as safer fare before bedtime – y’know, not too fond of fang-and-claw riddled nightmares. But I CAN easily see how ‘Tiger King’ keeps viewers hooked. It’s impressively weaved together, and the content is just SO out there, it’s escapism at its most bold and peculiar.
