Also - SPOILERS.
We've come to the point in 2020 where nothing seems normal and everything is on fire. We're only three months into the year! How is that even possible? I feel like I've lived an entire year in the last week. This new reality makes fiction seem like fact and fact seem like fantasy. Of course, that means it's the perfect time for the greatest docuseries of all time to make its way into our lives.
As filmmakers Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin set out to make a movie about the exploitation of big cats at roadside zoos and attractions, but it became something entirely different (although they do focus on the negatives of these attractions, but it's not the focus). Goode, a conservationist, was making a film about the venomous snake trade (also a thing - I've learned so much and we're only on the first episode) when he stumbled upon the super shady world of big cat owners and sellers. The series follows the life of one particular person in this world, Joe Exotic (not his real name). There's so much more to say about the "plot" of the series, but really, nothing I write will do it justice. If you haven't watched it, watch it. If you have, let's move on to the most important point of discussion about the series:
Tiger King is as watchable as it is because of the slice of humanity that make up the world of the series. We're introduced to the two main players, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, as they relate to one another. Joe runs his roadside zoo, Carole believes big cats shouldn't be in cages and wants to shut Joe's operation down, while also running an animal "sanctuary" where big cats can live out the rest of their lives (in cages). This should be an easy sell; we have a villain and a hero. If it were that simple, everyone wouldn't be talking about this show. We're also introduced to Doc Antle, Joe's "mentor" (maybe? sorta?), another big player in the big cat exhibition world. There's also a former drug dealer (who says he's the inspiration for the main character in Scarface), a guy who's probably/definitely a serial killer, lots of ex-cons, Carole's second husband, Joe's husbands (more on this shortly), and an employee of Joe's who is the person I'd like to see get their own series. Joe is not necessarily the villain, and Carole is not necessarily the hero. And Doc, well, he's probably an actual cult leader.
With all of this being said, the most "important" question of 2020 remains: which "cult" leader do you choose? As I pondered this question, I realized it's not an easy answer. All three of them are problematic, and definitely not on the right side of the moral issues around keeping big cats (and other animals) in captivity for private use. Yes, they've provided space for these animals, but they shouldn't have them in the first place. And they definitely (I'm looking at you, Joe and Doc) shouldn't be selling them (although both would say they don't do that). So the only thing that makes sense is to do what we all do when needing to make a really important decision:
Let's make a pro/con list.
I enlisted the help of friends on Facebook, from work, and random people on the internet to come up with a handy pro/con list to help me, and maybe you, make up your mind about which tiger cult leader to follow. We're living in strange times, where our political leaders are failing us (well, one very specific political leader is failing us), so knowing where your tiger cult leader allegiance lies could be considered currency in this new world.
Naturally, we begin with Joe.
- Fashion icon in a "if you ever wondered what a gay tiger cult leader who lives in Oklahoma and has a mullet would look like" kind of way.
- Supports diversity in hiring practices if diversity means "probably did time."
- Lots of access to pyrotechnics/explosives
- The music videos! "Here Kitty, Kitty" is art.
- Makes Thanksgiving dinner for his community.
- His husbands. One of the most surprising things about Joe is that he somehow convinces multiple men to marry him. I guess it's the tigers and probably the meth? John is my favorite, and deserves all the happiness the world has to offer him.
- Ran for governor of Oklahoma (he got 19% of the vote). He also ran for President in 2016. He's clearly civic-minded.
- So much meth (and probably a bunch of other drugs).
- His misogyny. I get it, you don't like Carole, but the misogyny is awful. His hatred of Carole leads me to believe he might have a larger issue with hating women in general.
- Abusive behavior toward the animals. It's implied that others abuse or mistreat their animals, but we actually see Joe do it on camera.
- Ability to attract a person to his circle who is probably/definitely a serial killer or rapist.
- He ran for President in 2016.
- He "killed" Michael Jackson's alligators. (Michael Jackson is not mentioned in the series. Let that process for a minute. This show is so wild that he is not referenced at all.)
- You'd have to live in a van down by the river and eat expired Wal-Mart meat.
Moving on to Carole.
- FASHION ICON! There is no doubt about it, Carole is a fashion icon. Her cute kitten hats, her white lady at a farmers market peasant tops, her getting down to business khaki capri pants, this woman rocks them all. Fashion Icon.
- Access to a really lovely bike trail so you can enjoy nature and make awkwardly sincere videos while riding a bike.
- Her current husband, Howard, seems like a nice dude. Delusional, but nice.
- Understands how social media works, and uses this power to build an "empire."
- Is trying to get laws enacted at the federal level to stop big cat trading and breeding in the US.
- From now on, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens" is the only way to start a meeting or greet people.
Cons
- Laughs at super inappropriate times in a way that makes everything and everyone super uncomfortable
- Might have a stash of sardine oil on her person or property at all times
- Actually created a cult-like system of volunteer classification (shirt colors and timelines for moving from one volunteer level to another).
- Doesn't pay anyone.
- Possibly involved with the death of her second husband, Don. I don't personally believe that Carole killed her husband, but I also don't believe she doesn't know more than she's letting on. It's the nervous laughter. Maybe the Don't F**ck with Cats team can reunite and solve this case for us. I'd watch that show everyday.
- Still keeps big cats in cages.
And finally, Doc.
Pros
- Have you seen the property? It's definitely the nicest of the three and looks like it's well taken care of.
- You're free to leave "at any time" - seems legit.
- Celebrities! Doc has a following and support from a lot of very famous people.
- He was featured in Britney Spears's iconic performance of "Slave 4 U" at the VMAs. Everyone talks about the snake, so we all forgot there are big cats on stage too. (Also not mentioned in the series.)
- On camera, appears to genuinely love the animals he owns.
- Myrtle Beach is nice.
- Controls the bodies/weight/wardrobe of his female staff. This includes "consensual" body enhancements. (Note: at least two of my friends placed the enhancements item in the Pro list, but I don't agree.)
- Refers to himself as "lord" or "master of the universe." Seriously.
- You have to work all the time. It sounds like a 90-98 hour work week for about $100.
- Questionable practices with baby tiger cubs. One former employee talked about a cub she cared for every day, and then one day, he was gone. She never found out what happened to him. (Antle's property has been raided, but nothing has come of this.)
- His ponytail.
All I can say is thank you, Netflix. Just when I thought Nailed It was the best gift you could ever give me, you rolled out Tiger King. What's next? How can you possibly top Tiger King?
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the pro/con lists. You're the best!
Note: There are actual sanctuaries in the world helping to protect these beautiful animals. We can support organizations like Panthera and others who work to protect big cats and their homes.
All the memes I used are listed in one of these posts with the original source:
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