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Steve Cameron blog: GRRRRRRR…

by Steve Cameron
| April 1, 2020 9:03 AM

Still here.

Today’s tale started with a post from Kenna Scott.

She passed along a tweet from Michael Tiberi, who wrote: “Right now, you’re either talking about coronavirus or Tiger King. There is nothing else.”

With all due respect, Michael, if that’s true…

I want off this merry-go-round.

Just to get everyone up to speed, I’m turning into a (potential) Netflix regular these days – although hopefully I’ll do more reading, and for movies and ongoing TV series, I prefer Amazon Prime.

Like a whole lot of other people, though, I’m always checking Netflix for new movies or shows that pique my interest.

And there I stumbled across…

“Tiger King.”

It’s a five-part series about people who acquire, breed and display big cats – like tigers, in particular, even though they’re on the endangered species list.

But this is no National Geographic documentary.

It’s a wild, nearly unbelievable true story of some of the most unpleasant people you’ll ever come across – including Joe Exotic, who took that name somewhere along the way toward keeping 277 tigers captive on his ranch in Oklahoma.

Spoiler alert: By the fifth and final episode, Joe is sentenced under his real name (Joseph Maldonado-Passage) to 22 years in prison for cooking up a murder-for-hire scheme that would dispose of his arch-enemy, Carole Baskin of the Big Cat Rescue group.

We probably should have seen that coming, since Mr. Exotic took a helicopter ride over Big Cat Rescue in an earlier episode and told confidants he wished he could drop hand grenades on the property.

He also gladly promotes the theory (totally unfounded) that Baskin’s former husband, a missing person for years who never turned up, was killed by Carole and fed to a tiger.

Okay, deep breath…

Meanwhile, we have to mention Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the owner of another big-cat preserve near Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The series focuses partly on his business and partly on the fact that he recruits attractive young women to work with the animals, and then promotes them only when they’ll sleep with him in a polyamorous setting on the ranch.

One escapee from that cult was asked what type of doctor Antle was licensed to be, exactly.

“Doctor of Mysticism,” she replied, with more than a whiff of sarcasm.

There are plenty of other unsavory sorts populating this docu-drama and a constant hint of violence.

And yep, a young woman employee has most of her arm torn off by a tiger in an early episode, in case you’re not yet fully revved-up on the insanity.

Did I mention that Joe is gay and marries two men at the same time in the second episode?

The series is madness from beginning to end, except for the beauty of the magnificent cats – who deserve a better fate, and whose cubs are often whisked away while they’re small enough to star in high-dollar selfies with guests at the ranch.

Maybe this is what we should have expected when Netflix had everyone captured at home for months at a time.

But…

Really?

I asked our Facebook pals to try reviewing or describing “Tiger King,” and there were so many offerings that it would take quite a few blogs to run them all.

Maybe we’ll drip-feed some of them to you every once in a while.

If you watch this thing, though, wash your remote with LOTS of soap.

Then shower.

BEST REVIEW:

“In the year 2020, amid a virus crisis, American TV produced this wonder: a cowboy queen posing as a Tiger King, one who preyed on lost young men, meth, Marlboro reds, hair dye and our big-cat fascination. Next episode? Absolutely.”

--JAMES BURNS

BEST COMMENT:

“It feels like a Bonner County Commissioners meeting!”

--ALICIA ABBOTT

You’re welcome to join the blog, and we’ll publish more of the feedback. Get in touch any time, on any subject. Or with any opinion that doesn’t get us sued.

scameron@cdapress.com

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