Television That Requires A Shower

Well, what do you do on a blog where you usually review movies but can't because the theaters are closed?

You review TV shows.  And here's one that became the first viral frenzy of the 2020 Pandemic.  "Tiger King" on Netflix.  For a few days, that's all I read on social media.   It seems everybody but Dr. Anthony Fauci was enthralled with this limited episode docu-series.  I personally wasn't buying into the hype.   It wasn't until some very good and close friends recommended it that I succunbed to Episode #1.

And then this usually anti-binger went straight to Episode #2.  Three days later, I was done with the seven episodes.

So I can you can assume I was a fan.   Or maybe I just wanted to see what despicable thing could happen next.   In a time where all of us are cooped up inside, perhaps the attraction was that we were all enjoying people who were in a worse situation than the rest of us.

Indeed, "Tiger King" is the type of television that makes you want to take a shower when the hour is up.   Yep, you feel that dirty.   This is all grimness on steroids.   All of the folks in this Eric Goode-directed production are people you would not want in your personal circle.  But there they are in your living room.  And you let them in.  Pass the soap.

Allegedly, this is all a true story that happened right under America's collective noses over the past 15 years.  Somewhere in Oklahoma, there's this weird-o who calls himself "Joe Exotic."  He is some gay guy, missing teeth and with metal protruding from all sorts of body parts.   He runs a wild animal zoo with emphasis on the word "wild."  These are tigers and lions and mostly anything else that is illegal for normal people to own.  Nevertheless, Joe is proud of what he has built.   And very protective of it.

Enter some milder form of idiocy called Carole Baskin in Florida.  She hates what Joe does to these animals in a passion, but, to me, her treatment of the big cats isn't much better.   She launches a campaign to destroy Joe.    He, in turn, launches a campaign to destroy her which may or may not include murder-for-hire.  Meanwhile, the series introduces us to a whole rogue's gallery of low lifes...from zoo attendants with limbs missing to Joe's three...count 'em...three simultaneous husbands.  To sweeten the pots, there are intimations that Carole may have also killed her first husband and fed him to the tigers she keeps.

Yes, gang, these are all people that live in our country.   So, in reality, the Coronavirus may not be our worst threat.

Okay, I did watch it all.   Okay, I was compelled.   Okay, I'm glad it's over.

I can't wait to see next month's water bill.

Dinner last night:  Leftover Chinese food.