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2 Mar 2022, 16:05
Credit: Sky and Premier PR
Spoiler: There will be lots of animal print
The new Tiger King-inspired drama from Sky, Joe vs. Carole, premiers tomorrow and will follow the relationship between the two eccentric characters.
The series begins when Carole learns of Joe’s murder-for-hire plot against her but then jumps back seven years to the moment the pair first came into each other’s lives. Viewers are then taken through all the crazy twists and turns in their relationship from that point.
After the success of The Tiger King documentary, this new drama has sparked the interest of a lot of people.
So, if you’re thinking of putting this one on your ‘to watch’ list, here is what to expect from Joe v Carole.
Well, that’s not completely true- some real house cats feature in the series.
But there are no real tigers, lions, or any other wild animal.
Of course, the whole feud between Carole and Joe is down to animal rights and abuse, and that was also one of the main takeaways from The Tiger King documentary. So, it would be somewhat hypocritical if the drama had used real tigers or any wild animal.
It is a bit difficult to do that, however, when they play such a part in the story, but Sky and Peacock have got around this by using special effects.
They’re not the best special effects in the world, but they are by no means bad.
They do their job in the sense that you still feel sympathy for the animals locked in cages and the cubs pulled away from their mothers at birth, even if they aren’t real.
Both Kate and John Cameron Mitchell, who plays Joe Exotic, do a stellar job at portraying the two eccentric characters.
John embodies the impulsive and whacky nature of Joe very well but there is something about Kate’s performance as Carole that just works.
She has all of her mannerisms nailed including her voice, facial expressions and even the way she rides her bike around Big Cat Rescue.
Kate also adds an element of humour to the character with her dry remarks and sometimes oddly calm reactions to things. For example, when informed by the FBI that Joe had ordered a hitman to murder her, Carole appears to wipe tears from her eyes, but when comforted by the FBI agent, she laughs and says flatly: “Oh no it’s not that, it’s because I forgot to take my allergy medication”.
It’s exactly how you would imagine Carole Baskin to react.
Most things that happen in Joe vs. Carole have already been outlined in the Tiger King documentary, but one aspect we are given more of an insight into is their life before they became big cat owners.
The series provides a closer look at the type of abuse Carole faced as a young woman and how she was forced to sleep under cars with only her pet cat as company.
With Joe, we understand more about how his sexuality prevented him from finding family and friends for a very long time, but how he used big cats to fill that hole.
The flashbacks provide quite a good explanation as to why the pair care so much about what they do, and ultimately shows they aren’t as different as they may like to think.
One of the first things you might notice about Joe vs. Carole is the incredible selection of songs that make up the soundtrack.
In the opening scenes, we are greeted with the Abba song aptly titled ‘Tiger’.
The music plays as we first meet Kate McKinnon as the infamous Carole Baskin and the lyrics blare in the background: “I am behind you/I always find you/I am the tiger/People who fear me never come near me/I am the tiger”.
Could this be foreshadowing future events between the Big Cat Rescue boss and Joe Exotic?
Another great moment underpinned by an even better song is when, during a flashback, Joe Exotic has embraced his sexuality and walks into a gay bar in a red sparkly waistcoat holding a tiger on a lead to the song ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ by Glen Campbell.
If nothing else, these moments will make you chuckle.
Of course, one of the great things people picked up on in the Tiger King documentary was Carole’s love of animal print, both in her wardrobe and her house.
That is exactly what we get from Joe vs. Carole.
There is rarely a scene where the character is not dressed up in some incredible big cat printed outfit with patterns that often clash (apart from when she is wearing her Big Cat Rescue polo, of course).
Although Joe doesn’t wear much animal print, his outfits are just as worth the watch, with lots of tassels and fringing, sequined shirts and some very small swimming trunks.
And, obviously, John is also sporting a bleach blonde mullet for the role.
It’s also probably important to note each show begins with a disclaimer that Joe v Carole is a dramatization of real events and is “not intended to reflect on any actual person or entity”.
Joe vs. Carole episode one will premiere on Sky and NOW TV in the UK on 4 March.
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