hold that tiger

I gave in. I usually don't, but this time I did. Eh... who am I kidding? I've given in before and I'll probably do it again.

A few years ago, the Netflix series Stranger Things had everyone buzzing. I heard about it from my co-workers, my son and, of course, it was all over the internet (where I seem to spend a lot of time). So, against my better judgement, I watched the first season. I watched it in one weekend, cramming the eight hour-long episodes into two days. When the dust cleared and I snapped off the television after the final episode, I decided I didn't like it. I knew I was in the overwhelming minority, but I just didn't like it. I didn't like the story or the characters or the overall tone of the series. I thought about it more, going over it in my mind, trying to see something that I may have missed. Nope. Nothing.

When Seasons Two and Three were released — yes! — I watched them, too. I don't know why, but I did. Surprise! I didn't like them either. I was hoping that something would click — some subtle something that I previously missed, but no. I was in the same place I was before, except now, I had watched seventeen additional episodes to get to the same conclusion.

So, once again, the internet is a-flurry with excitement and obsession over a new Netflix series. This one is a documentary about the seedy — heretofore unknown — world of big cat breeding. The show, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, centers on one Joseph Schreibvogel Maldonado-Passage who goes by the name "Joe Exotic." Joe owned the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, which was home to over two hundred big cats, including lions, tigers, pumas and ligers (the cross-bred feline that hasn't had this much publicity since the fleeting popularity of Napoleon Dynamite). Joe, however, is currently serving a 22-year sentence in a federal prison.

The limited series also features an assortment of colorful, albeit shady, characters that are involved and interconnected through the big cat trade. The story spans seven 45-or-so minute episodes. I watched the whole series in the period of two days.

And I didn't like a single minute of it.

I remember seeing Joe Exotic on an October 2016 segment on HBO's Last Week Tonight, a humorous look at the news hosted by comedian John Oliver. (A clip of Oliver's commentary is featured in episode 5 of Tiger King.) Although I found the short segment and Oliver's jokes funny, I found Tiger King tedious to watch.

The series seemed very "thrown together" and not fully thought out. It focused on parallel plot lines in a very disjointed fashion, introducing irrelevant characters only because they had some connection to the big cat trade. It couldn't decide what story it wanted to tell. Was it the story of big cat breeding? Was it the story of how different breeders handle the same situations differently? Was it a story of blackmail and intrigue and treachery? Was it just a venal look at the underbelly of a particular faction of society? Who knows, because each of these were only briefly touched on before jumping to another, unrelated story line. It was poorly edited, poorly written and poorly executed. Unless this was done purposely, there ain't a single likable character in the entire seven episodes. Tiger King blatantly exploits its misfit cast with the same malevolent goal as a circus sideshow. Its production and mood is very reminiscent of The Anna Nicole Smith Show that ran on for a year on the E Network.

I really wanted to like it, just like I really wanted to like Stranger Things. But, alas, when it was over, I was relived that I didn't have to watch any more episodes. I have no desire to re-watch any episodes, hoping for a new perspective. I don't care what happens to any of the major and minor characters. I found them all repulsive, repugnant, unsavory and any one of a number of other synonyms. I think I have made my point.

But, I probably haven't learned my lesson.

www.joshpincusiscrying.com