From big cats to murder for hire, Netflix’s new documentary “Tiger King” gives a lot for audiences to binge. And believe me, it gets pretty wild (pun intended).
The show dives deep into Exotic’s longtime hate-hate relationship with fellow big cat owner Carole Baskin. When it comes to personalities, there are none like those of Exotic and Baskin.
In Oklahoma, there’s Exotic: a gun-wielding, sequins wearing, outspoken redneck with bleach blonde mullet and an eyebrow ring.
Down in Florida is his arch rival Baskin: a cat print and flower crown wearing, bike-riding animal rights advocate who, according to most, may have killed her first husband but we can ignore that for now.
Comically, these rivals compliment each other rather well. With their loud internet presences and, of course, their shared love and ownership of big cats, they’re almost the definition of two peas in a pod.
Alas, there is one tiny detail that ruins their pairing: the fact that Exotic is now serving jail time for putting a hit on Baskin’s life (I said this show gets wild.)
How wild this show gets is by far one of my favorite things about it.
Picture an eight part documentary with illegal breeding and selling of big cats, speculations of cults built on animal sanctuaries and, not one, but two muder plots.
Well, that’s only about half of “Tiger King;” the half leaving out Exotic’s country music and political careers, all of the cat print clothes and whatever has half of the internet saying “hey all you cool cats and kittens.”
Another huge selling point are the employees of the G.W. Zoo, a genuine cast of hardworking individuals with hearts of gold.
From the sarcastic remarks of head keeper Erik Cowie and manager John Reinke to the nail-biting scene of a tiger ripping off employee Kelci Saffery’s arm (yes, this actually happened), they are an entertaining and fun to watch bunch.
And who can forget the toothless smile of Exotic’s former husband John Finley?
This show truly has something for everyone… and also nothing for everyone.
It doesn’t really have a message. It just has a ton of shock factors. But, honestly, that’s probably just what we all need right about now.
As the world continues to practice self quarantining, we need something to get lost in and this show is just that. There’s drama, tragedy, comedy, mystery; something so far from real life that the world can’t help but dive into.
Overall, I’d highly recommend “Tiger King” to anyone interested in anything really. While the plot is all over the place, the cast are some of the funniest, good intentioned people on T.V.… well, excluding all of the wildly (pun intended) illegal stuff they get into.