BEST TV Shows to watch... CURRENTLY...

HornheaDD

Viewpoint Vigilante
Fagit of the Year
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Posts
4,272
Tiger King

I watched this mostly because once the memes started cropping up, I wanted to understand what the fuck was going on.

Wow, what a show.

As I was watching this disastrous series of events, I couldn't help but think 'could any society other than the U.S.A. have produced this particular group of rogues, with these particular personality quirks and character traits?'

I don't think this scenario is possible anywhere else in the world. Yay us, I suppose.

The absolute ego of these people is so crazy that you couldn't make this shit up and have it be received as anything other than the blackest of comedy.

Burying Travis on the G.W. Zoo grounds beneath a pile of ATVs is like something you'd expect the Cohen Brothers to write. Same with Joe preying on Travis' desire to be cared for by telling him that liking big dicks in porn means you're probably gay-this is pure Cohen Brothers level stuff.

In fact, if you'd have told me the story of Tiger King before I knew this all really happened, I'd have said to cast Sean Penn as Joe Exotic, Danny McBride as Doc Antle, Kathy Bates as Carole (Fuckin') Baskin and Michael Emerson as Jeff Lowe.

It is so easy to get caught up in the drama, mesmerized by the clash of wills, bewildered by the desire to win and hypnotized by the swirling chaos of so many lies that you are legitimately unable to know the truth that it utterly beggars all belief. And, like everyone pulled into the abyss of this game of animal kingdom thrones, it's so easy to forget that the real victims in all this are the animals.

All of them are devious, cunning masterminds with long term goals with the exception of Joe Exotic. Hear me out.

I think Joe is very much like the bystanders and the audience. I think, at the start, he was the only one with a pure motivation. But you watch this guy go through all of this and you see just how alone and abandoned he felt from a young age . Being gay with his upbringing, in his environment, at his age, must have been an incredibly isolated experience. Everything he did was precisely because he had a lot of love in his heart wanted to be loved back.

The garish outfits. The country music (dubious if he's even singing it but I'm inclined to believe it if only because the show peeled back so many other layers of his life that if this wasn't real, it probably would have exposed this, too), the outlandish segments he filmed, the king's throne, cuddling with tigers and other big game and wild animals, seeking acceptance and love from vulnerable human strays that he took in. The politics, the desire to defeat Carole Baskin. All of it came from loneliness.

But as the walls closed in on Joe, he became more and more desperate and didn't see that he was becoming the worst out of all of them. Compromising every morel tenet that he professed to uphold because being successful and adored was more important than doing what was best for the animals and his workers. He was a bigger enemy to himself than any of the people he found himself pitted against. Pure Greek tragedy.

There was a lot of stuff to be learned from how big cats and other wild animals are treated at these places, how these businesses cut corners (like the Walmart meat donations) to stay open and of all the shady under the table shit (like selling off tiger cubs just to keep the money flowing). This show is an indictment on the way business is conducted in the American heartland in niche industries. It makes me wonder how any of these places are going to survive in a post-COVID world. Like many niche industries (like comic books, for example), they were walking the edge of economic collapse and were absolutely NOT buffered for this kind of financial downturn.

Even if you don't care about this subject matter, it is an utterly absorbing portrait into the human psyche.

I'm not saying it's the 'greatest documentary ever made', but it's one of the few that isn't specifically a history related subject that I was glad to have watched. I totally understand the hype.

Also, Carole Baskin 1000000% killed her husband and Joe Exotic, for all his flaws and mistakes, was totally set up by Jeff Lowe. And Doc Antle is the most evil out of all of them.
Did you watch the newest episode? Was released yesterday I think. I thought it was gonna be an actual continuation but it was just Joel McHale cracking wise in one of those "aftershow" shows. Pretty lame.

It definitely wasn't Joe singing. I feel bad for the dude but he apparently was pretty cruel to the animals. That was pretty sad.

I don't think he put the hit on Carole even with the amount of hate he had/has for her. He was set up. And I think the entire planet agrees that she killed her husband.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Did you watch the newest episode? Was released yesterday I think. I thought it was gonna be an actual continuation but it was just Joel McHale cracking wise in one of those "aftershow" shows. Pretty lame.

It definitely wasn't Joe singing. I feel bad for the dude but he apparently was pretty cruel to the animals. That was pretty sad.

I don't think he put the hit on Carole even with the amount of hate he had/has for her. He was set up. And I think the entire planet agrees that she killed her husband.

I'm watching it as I type this.

I still don't know if I can take anyone at face value other than Saff, who seems like the real deal.

I feel like this episode would have been more effective if they'd have conducted these interviews 6 months after the first 7 eps were launched.
 

smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Posts
12,919
I won't dispute Joe's screwed up early life...but he's no saint, he's just a moron. The way he manipulated his "husbands" proved how big of a dirtbag he really was. The whole murder for hire shit? I'm sure he was involved...but like others have said, he was pushed into it by the other two human trash piles. Left on his own, he would have just kept making those stupid web videos.

Again, I'll say it...what a pile of human trash the lot of them really are.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Okay, watched the McHale interviews

Amendments to my review:

Joe Exotic didnt sing any of his songs.

He was also a bitter asshole well before the events of the first episode are timestamped.

He had serious anger management issues that stem from more than depression.

If the story Rick Kirkham told about the old horse is true, holy shit that is fucking cold blooded.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
Is Kim gonna get murdered, or is she just going to leave Jimmy's dumb ass?
 

F4U57

General Morden's Aide
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Posts
7,632
Tiger King is the most American thing I’ve ever seen, I loved it.

Ozark, Better Call Saul, Westworld, TWD - the usual fare, I need something like Banshee back in my life.
 

Xavier

Orochi's Acolyte
20 Year Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2002
Posts
5,103
Starz American Gods.

Warning: is probably sacrilegious for the deeply religious.

Entertaining would call it mindless fun but it has underlying messages about the American dream, everyone's journey here and a commentary on social media.

High production value, top notch acting and guest stars.

Main character Wednesday kind of reminds me of a ripoff Al Pacino from Devils Advocate
 

djjimmyjames

NG.com Tattoo Artist.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Posts
948
Just watched the second season of High Score Girl. It wasn't nearly as good as the first season but still a great show.
 

HDRchampion

Before you sell me something, ask how well my baby
10 Year Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Posts
4,485
Wow The Walking Dead Season 10 is actually really good. Ended w/ wimper w/ the 15th episode. I guess they will show the finale sometime this year.

Kim's Convenience - Watching this for short episodes to watch. Pretty funny.

The Hunters - The Nazi so far seem cooler than the Hunters. A bit cartoony at times, kind of similar to The Boys.

Money Heist - Not sure about the high rating on this one. Im half way into the 1st season and not really any likeable characters. So many dumb annoying stuff keeps happening.
 

mjmjr25

went home to be a family man
10 Year Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Posts
2,865
Money Heist is all dubbed-over voice, yeah?

I haven't bored with TWD like others have. I think it was S8 that was pretty slow - felt like 4 eps stretched out into 10, but I thought 9 was good all-around.
 

F4U57

General Morden's Aide
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Posts
7,632
Yeah, season 8 (and 9 to an extent for me) really clutched at straws, but 10 has been great. It’s a simple formula, but it works, for me at least and keeps me entertained.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
Devs with a proper mindfuck of an ending. And somehow it looks like there's gonna be a second season. Someone give Alex Garland a budget that matches his ambition.

Also, all hail the return of Colin Robinson!
 
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smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Posts
12,919
I finished McMillions last night...it was solid, and a rather insane story. I'kk say it was a bit long winded at times, they probably could have cut it down a few episodes.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
I finished McMillions last night...it was solid, and a rather insane story. I'kk say it was a bit long winded at times, they probably could have cut it down a few episodes.

Doug Marshall basically saved that show for me. Dude was clearly loving every second of both the show and his undercover work, and he managed to be both charismatic and self-effacing throughout.
 

smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Posts
12,919
Doug Marshall basically saved that show for me. Dude was clearly loving every second of both the show and his undercover work, and he managed to be both charismatic and self-effacing throughout.

Doug Mathews?

100%...that dude is a riot. Like most other docs of this nature many of them involved are really despicable people and they leave massive pain and misery in their wake. I legit felt sorry for some of the folks involved as they didn't seem like the smartest folks you'd meet. I really feel sorry for everyone that lost their jobs because of it.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
Doug Mathews?

100%...that dude is a riot. Like most other docs of this nature many of them involved are really despicable people and they leave massive pain and misery in their wake. I legit felt sorry for some of the folks involved as they didn't seem like the smartest folks you'd meet. I really feel sorry for everyone that lost their jobs because of it.
Yes, that's the guy- I got him mixed up with Doug "The Rhino" Marshall, who used to fight in the WEC. LOL very different guys. Agreed, a lot of those people didn't seem like bad folks, and the ones on the periphery i.e. the security company or the printers really did get boned.


I am hoping that Beanie Feldstein makes a return.
Absolutely- seems like they're already fully leaning into familiars (Haley Joel Osment looks like the exact same homeless person/tech genius in every role he plays, it's amazing) and goofy supporting characters (the ghosts), would definitely be a shame not to have the best of the lot back.
 

StevenK

ng.com SFII tournament winner 2002-2023
10 Year Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
10,084
I just finished the last episode of The Crossing. I didn't know it was the last episode until it had finished, it got canned after 1 series, but I thought it had promise.

Having said that I'm trying to think back to a character I liked and I'm struggling. The one I liked the most only made it 4 episodes.
 

DevilRedeemed

teh
20 Year Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Posts
13,554
Tiger King

I watched this mostly because once the memes started cropping up, I wanted to understand what the fuck was going on.

Wow, what a show.

As I was watching this disastrous series of events, I couldn't help but think 'could any society other than the U.S.A. have produced this particular group of rogues, with these particular personality quirks and character traits?'

I don't think this scenario is possible anywhere else in the world. Yay us, I suppose.

The absolute ego of these people is so crazy that you couldn't make this shit up and have it be received as anything other than the blackest of comedy.

Burying Travis on the G.W. Zoo grounds beneath a pile of ATVs is like something you'd expect the Cohen Brothers to write. Same with Joe preying on Travis' desire to be cared for by telling him that liking big dicks in porn means you're probably gay-this is pure Cohen Brothers level stuff.

In fact, if you'd have told me the story of Tiger King before I knew this all really happened, I'd have said to cast Sean Penn as Joe Exotic, Danny McBride as Doc Antle, Kathy Bates as Carole (Fuckin') Baskin and Michael Emerson as Jeff Lowe.

It is so easy to get caught up in the drama, mesmerized by the clash of wills, bewildered by the desire to win and hypnotized by the swirling chaos of so many lies that you are legitimately unable to know the truth that it utterly beggars all belief. And, like everyone pulled into the abyss of this game of animal kingdom thrones, it's so easy to forget that the real victims in all this are the animals.

All of them are devious, cunning masterminds with long term goals with the exception of Joe Exotic. Hear me out.

I think Joe is very much like the bystanders and the audience. I think, at the start, he was the only one with a pure motivation. But you watch this guy go through all of this and you see just how alone and abandoned he felt from a young age . Being gay with his upbringing, in his environment, at his age, must have been an incredibly isolated experience. Everything he did was precisely because he had a lot of love in his heart wanted to be loved back.

The garish outfits. The country music (dubious if he's even singing it but I'm inclined to believe it if only because the show peeled back so many other layers of his life that if this wasn't real, it probably would have exposed this, too), the outlandish segments he filmed, the king's throne, cuddling with tigers and other big game and wild animals, seeking acceptance and love from vulnerable human strays that he took in. The politics, the desire to defeat Carole Baskin. All of it came from loneliness.

But as the walls closed in on Joe, he became more and more desperate and didn't see that he was becoming the worst out of all of them. Compromising every morel tenet that he professed to uphold because being successful and adored was more important than doing what was best for the animals and his workers. He was a bigger enemy to himself than any of the people he found himself pitted against. Pure Greek tragedy.

There was a lot of stuff to be learned from how big cats and other wild animals are treated at these places, how these businesses cut corners (like the Walmart meat donations) to stay open and of all the shady under the table shit (like selling off tiger cubs just to keep the money flowing). This show is an indictment on the way business is conducted in the American heartland in niche industries. It makes me wonder how any of these places are going to survive in a post-COVID world. Like many niche industries (like comic books, for example), they were walking the edge of economic collapse and were absolutely NOT buffered for this kind of financial downturn.

Even if you don't care about this subject matter, it is an utterly absorbing portrait into the human psyche.

I'm not saying it's the 'greatest documentary ever made', but it's one of the few that isn't specifically a history related subject that I was glad to have watched. I totally understand the hype.

Also, Carole Baskin 1000000% killed her husband and Joe Exotic, for all his flaws and mistakes, was totally set up by Jeff Lowe. And Doc Antle is the most evil out of all of them.

Very interesting
To me Tiger King is an unnoficial sequel to Making a Murderer season 1, if only because it is a morbid almost erotic look into the lives of outcasts and lower class marginalised groups of people, creating sympathy whilst also making fun of the white trash featured. It is exploitative for sure, snobbish.could be almost anthropological.
Joe is definitely an anti hero, he comes off as endearing all the way through, beyond all his blunders, schemes, abuses.

The country songs are incredible. They reminded me of that episode of Breaking Bad with the Mexican ranchera song with which it opens and features the twins. A bizarre but very poignant presence in both cases. And I mention this with regards to how you compare Tiger King with works such as those of the Cohens
.
 
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LoneSage

A Broken Man
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Posts
44,746
I've heard someone mention Tiger King as an allegory for Trump vs Hilldawg.
 

wyo

King of Spammers
10 Year Member
Joined
May 22, 2013
Posts
10,109
Nice Tiger King write up, Taiso. Thanks for that!
 
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