Joe vs Carole

Kept watching and binged the season to see what "dramatic effect" whey would add. Did like the back stories on Joe and Carole but the Netflix documentary is unmatched to this. Yeah, it might have been peak Covid and puzzle season, but the real thing documentary trumps this show big time.

So I wasn't sure how they would add anything new to the circus that was Tiger King. Or better yet, flesh out the characters (based on real people) into a full fledged "working show".

But it kinda works well for a scripted comedy/drama, and better yet, it's pretty entertaining too.

Kate as Carole is really funny (but she's always funny anyway) and brings a good amount of seriousness and truth to the dramatized version of Carole Baskin. I enjoy that she doesn't play her as an overblown skit or cartoon parody.

The real shocker to me was John Cameron Mitchell as Joe. I mean wow... I would have never have predicted his casting... but damn does he shine. I grew up with Hedwig, and his other directorial outings too.

The mannerisms used and especially the vocal work Mitchell does for this part... I mean he actually becomes Joe Exotic.

I laughed, binged, and saw some surprisingly tender scenes. Would definitely recommend the show.

I know that it's adapted from the original podcast, and not from Netflix's all conquering "Tiger King" documentary, but it's still unfortunate that the documentary exists rendering this series, despite its good performances, largely unnecessary.

Carole Baskin (Kate McKinnon) owner and operator of Big Cat Rescue is campaigning against the ownership of Big cats by private owners. She targets the operations of Joe Exotic (John Cameron Mitchell) a hot tempered and charismatic zoo operator. As the feud extends to personal insults, accusations and lawsuits, Joe eventually decides on a desperate plan to rid himself of Carole once and for all.

As a person that has seen the documentary, what I can immediately say is that everyone is doing a decent impression of the real-world nutcase that they are playing. Both Carole and Joe are both such big characters impressions of them are, I'd imagine, relatively easy for skilled performers like McKinnon and Cameron Mitchell. My favourite performance then was Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Carole's husband, Howard and who receives a more prominent role than Howard has in the documentary.

The trouble is the obvious one though, I know this story as I watched it not that long ago. So, I knew when the horrible moments were coming, and conversely, what wasn't going to happen, as the show ran on. There was no genuine drama, because I know where everyone is right now. Though I do think that the "Tiger King" series has flaws, mostly to do with keeping a decent handle on the timeline, it's much more thorough than this, and, if anything the real Joe is even more extreme than his portrayal here. The CGI work on the animals, whilst an understandable choice, isn't very good.

I watched it all, it was entertaining enough - but there is a better version of this story readily available.

I think a lot of people will agree that Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell nailed Carole Baskin & Joe Exotic. They got the look and voices down to a T. As far as the show goes. Don't go into it expecting it to be as good as the docu-series. If you do, you're going to be disappointed. The documentary was pure gold, the show, not so much. Dont get me wrong, it's still a decent show. It just doesn't compare to the docu-series. 6 stars.

What first appears to be a cheap TV series based on actual events depicting a feud between a big cat lover and a backyard animal entertainer abuser, ends up being a fascinating insane journey into the lives of the two protagonists. Yes! I see both Joe and Carole as duel protagonists since they do believe deep in their hearts that what they are doing is righteous!

What gives these character an extra bounce is the insane and outrageous performances by Mitchell and McKinnon. I at first was not convinced, but as you journey deeper into this series, their characters develop to the point where you begin to understand all their quirky motives and actions.

What did throw me askew was the Australianess feel and look about it, with a supporting Aussie cast attempting American accents. The locations almost had that Florida feel (it was shot in the state of Queensland that is somewhat akin to the state of Florida). Once I got over that hurdle, I was able to ride on the backs of Joe and Carole with a zest of cringing enjoyment.