BY KATHY WILLIAMS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The story of Joe Exotic continues to make his appearance in 2021. Season two of Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” on-screen simply as “Tiger King,” was released on Nov. 17 for people’s viewing pleasure after its announcement in Sept. 2021.
The first season of “Tiger King” was a massive hit in 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, and quarantine orders with a mix of social-distances were needed, people were stuck inside, bored and in desperate need of entertainment. The circumstances at hand combined together set “Tiger King” up for a successful release, and according to Nielsen ratings, was watched by 34.3 million people over the initial ten days of its release.
The docuseries unveiled the interrelationships between big cat conservationists including zookeepers Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and their staff members. Questions of the quality of the zoos and rescue facilities came from critics as well as the actual ethics of the people observed in the series. With five episodes spanning a little over 40 minutes each, “Tiger King 2” on the other hand dove deeper into the aftermath of Exotic’s imprisonment and explored conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of Don Lewis, the missing spouse of Baskin.
After its season two release, “Tiger King” climbed to the number one streaming spot on Netflix. Returning cast members such as John Reinke, the former manager of G.W. Zoo, and Kelci ‘Saff’ Saffery, a former zookeeper at G.W. Zoo. However, Carole Baskin and her husband Howard Baskin refused to participate in season two. Jeff Lowe, Exotic’s business partner, owner of G.W. Zoo and new Tiger King Park, became the new center stage as exottic is still in prison after being involved in murder-for-hire.
Episode one, “Beg Your Pardon,” starts with audio from Exotic from prison where he expresses how he feels robbed and awaits to see the documentary. Others who were involved in the first season discussed their new found fame. Lowe in particular found new monetary gains from the fame and continued to capitalize on it.
A different look at the outcome of the series that Carole Baskin faced, however, was a darker side to popularity. Several clips showed Baskin expressing how since the release of season one, she has received numerous death threats and hate while people have praised Exotic and his actions. People even went as far to create the hashtag on social media #FreeJoeExotic, and the series took a look at the relationship between misogyny, Baskin and Exotic.
Overall, this season was a let down to fans, but the premiere of season one set a high bar with its extensive success. This season did not contain nearly as much chaos and violence to bring the shock value fans of “Tiger King” desire. As many are no longer confined to quarantine and isolated in their homes, “Tiger King 2” did not live up to its expectations.
