Netflix and Spill: The Tiger King and I

Joe Exotic is a household name, and his arch nemesis Carol Baskin is the subject of many memes and dinner table discussion. Both personalities are in the big cat business, one that offers an up close and personal experience while the other promises to rescue tigers in captivity. From the outset, the Tiger King series is in the zeitgeist because it has all the elements to distract us in our time of need.

There’s an incestuous zoo sex cult run by the ostentatious Bhagavan “Doc” Mantle, who offers internships to pretty twenty-somethings to live, work and then have relations with him at the Myrtle Beach Safari. With existing links to Hollywood and the entertainment world, Doc is renowned for his animal handling but criticised all the same for breeding in captivity.

As vicious as the criticisms by animal rights groups are, they don’t compare to the physical injuries sustained by zoo employees in the series. One employee, Kelci “Saff” Saffrey is shown to have part of her arm torn off. Head zookeeper John Reinke walks around with prostethic limbs after a previous bungee jumping accident, and there are far too many near misses to count. The animals might be savage, but the politics and behind the scenes backstabbing is definitely perceived to be a bigger threat by the end of the documentary.

What then, are we to make of the follow up episode of Netflix’s most popular and contentious documentary? Noticeably absent from the ‘Where Are They Now’ special is the king himself, although he is the subject of host Joel McHale’s questions. Likewise, Carol Baskin has ostensibly declined to appear, with no question as to why. The new episode essentially runs like a Zoom call, with each player waiting their turn to give their own spin on why the series is so successful and just how true to the events it purports to be.

On the question of whether Joe Exotic deserves to be behind bars for his murder-for-hire charge, there’s many that are gloating at the result. Erik Cowie, the Vince Neal doppleganger has not even seen the documentary but believes that the animals came out better than most. There’s also the admissions of how difficult Joe Exotic was as a colleague, with new owner Jeff Lowe citing his many outbursts and excuses for putting down cats. Probably the most rewarding glow up is Joe Finlay, spotting a new set of teeth and wearing a shirt that covers his tattoos. All seem to agree that their portrayals were sensationalised, with the exception of campaign manager Josh Dial, who argues that it is a fair and balanced representation of the crew. He laments the stigma of working with the Tiger King, noting that many people were led to believe he dabbled with drugs, specifically meth.

In an ironic twist, the scope of Joe Exotic’s fame has never been greater, and all this notoriety means surely he has gotten what he wanted. More or less. As Jeff Lowe notes, he’ll be locked up for most of the day, not receiving a penny from the royalties and not able to view the series on a screen. It’s all rather unceremonious, beginning with an elaborate series only to wrap up with a Zoom call that removes the gloss and aura of the show. By being continually reminded that we’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by host Joel McHale, it leaves us with the reality that these characters aren’t as glamorous as we’d like to believe.

Producer Rick Kirkham comes full circle, ending his time by revealing an anecdote during his tenure with Joe Exotic. A lady was promised by the Tiger King that he would look after her ailing horse, and after she was out of sight, the horse was swiftly put down and used for tiger meat. In a similar vein, this new episode that has promised to lift the veil on what “really happened” has made us feel like the prey in an ongoing cultural saga.

Netflix Australia.

About The Author

Shahbaz Malik

See author's posts