Hey all you cool cats and kittens!
America's been in desperate need of a distraction from the news – and Netflix supplied it and then some with "Tiger King," a new seven-part docu-series about wild tiger zoos and the even wilder people who run them.
Is it ethically dubious? For sure. (Having an entire episode dedicated to con men and criminals conspiracy theorizing about a legally innocent woman being a murderer is definitely problematic.) Is it redneck-sploitation, ogling on the lives of the poor and tasteless? You could argue that. Does it struggle to maintain a coherent story as the thread splits off into 47 different sprawling and insane directions – each with its own bizarro lead at the center? Probably.
It's also one of the most wildly watchable things you'll see all year, a truly unpredictable true-crime saga that turns everyone who watches it into Stefon from "SNL": "This series has everything: missing sexaholic millionaire husbands, mulleted gay gun-addicted rednecks running for president, assassins who decide to bail on their deadly mission to party in South Carolina, exceptionally bad pop music videos." Every episode introduces a new character that seems too crazy to be real, and every time you think you've got a handle on who the good guys and bad guys are, "Tiger King" flips everything on its head within the next five minutes. It's television so nuts, it can't be spoiled – even if it gets spoiled. I knew some of the twists, turns and flailing music career aspirations before going in, but nothing could prepare me for how it all comes together in Netflix's latest craze.
The only seemingly responsible way to consume this 192-proof bottle of pure bonkers was with wine and company – so, much like with "Love is Blind," I took to Facebook Live for another weekend of wine recaps. Because, again, while we may not be able to gather at our local community centers right now, that doesn't mean we can't be a community, chatting and interacting and trying to unpack everything that is "Joe Exotic."
So here are all three wine recaps for your watching pleasure – and stay tuned, because we're doing this again this weekend with another crazy Netflix reality show, "The Circle." We'll watch the show in three parts – episodes one through four for Friday, the next four for Saturday, and the final four chapters on Sunday – pour ourselves a glass of wine, and then meet up on OnMilwaukee's Facebook page at 9:05 p.m. to drink and talk about it all. And then drink some more wine.
Here's to staying home, staying healthy and staying entertained.
"Tiger King" episodes one and two
"Tiger King" episodes three and four
"Tiger King" episodes five, six and seven
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.