FILM
“Joe vs. Carole” Revisits “Tiger King”
Originality leads the way in compelling Peacock series
BY GARY M. KRAMER
After the success of
Netfl ix’s “Tiger King,”
the Joe Exotic/Carole
Baskin story now gets a
dramatization in “Joe vs. Carole.”
The Peacock series is compelling:
It presents this strange-but-true
tale of the rivalry between Joe (out
actor John Cameron Mitchell), the
owner of a private zoo in Oklahoma,
and Carole Baskin (out actress
Kate McKinnon, who executive
produced), who heads a big cat
rescue in Tampa.
The show cuts back and forth between
these two passionate, fl amboyant
characters and is designed
to show not just the differences between
them, but also their similarities.
It becomes easy to cheer for
Team Joe or Team Carole — or hiss
at them — at different times over
the course of the eight episodes
that culminate in the courtroom
and a brief aftermath.
“Joe vs Carole” opens to strains
of ABBA’s “Tiger” before Carole is
informed that a hit has been put
out on her. “He ordered my murder
like it was a pizza from Little
Ceasars,” she deadpans. The series
soon fl ashes back to what lead
up to Joe’s fateful decision.
Much time is spent establishing
both characters and their backstories.
Joe runs a zoo in Oklahoma
and handles exotic animals. This
extends to his staff, which is a collection
of misfi ts that he houses
and employs. He also occasionally
John Cameron Mitchell stars as Joe Exotic in “Joe v. Carole.”
seduces them. One night, Joe
comes on to John (Sam Keeley),
and they fall in love. Not long after,
Joe picks up Travis (Nat Wolff) and
falls in love with him as well. Joe
eventually marries both men in a
wedding ceremony fi lmed for a reality
show he hopes Rick Kirkham
(William Fichtner) will sell to networks.
But that is getting ahead of
the story.
Meanwhile, Carole is fi ghting
to stop animal abuse and neglect,
even campaigning to introduce
a “Big Cat” bill into law through
congress. Her efforts to save the
cats are relentless, and yet she has
the support of her husband Howard
(Kyle McLachlan) and others.
When she goes after Joe Exotic,
however, she ends up picking a
fi ght that consumes both of them.
“Joe vs Carole” makes the beef
that escalates between these two
PEACOCK
larger-than-life characters amusing
as they each one-up the other.
Joe creates a fake website and terrorizes
her sanctuary, so Carole
sues Joe for $1 million. He gets
mad and countersues for $15 million
dollars. When the case goes to
mediation, Joe’s outsized personality
initially causes a deadlock and
ultimately wages war.
The backstories that emerge over
the course of the series have relevance,
but they can also feel like
padding. It is important for Carole’s
fi rst husband to be seen as abusive,
and for her second husband,
who went missing, to have done
her wrong as well. Joe exploits the
fact that Carole is suspected of
murdering her second husband —
especially when he gets his hands
on information from one of Carole’s
disgruntled employees.
Joe’s past is also signifi cant,
as he meets a bartender and they
eventually become partners and
owners of a pet shop. But Joe gets
infuriated with the homophobia
they face as a couple from landlords
and bakers. At his zoo, Joe’s
staff and his subsequent business
partners — including Jeff Lowe
(Dean Winters) — never bat an eye
at him being a “gay redneck.”
“Joe vs. Carole” shows how the
rivals each suffer a series of personal
and/or professional losses
that are only compounded by the
lawsuits. They each blame the
other for their tragedies (and their
triumphs), and their reversals of
fortune reveal their true characters.
McKinnon and Mitchell play
their characters to the hilt, with
performances that are as loud as
their wardrobes. (She favors animal
prints, ‘natch; he is frequently
seen in fringe).
McKinnon gets some choice
scenes when Carole has anxiety
dreams, but she also comes off as
petulant at times. Mitchell plays
Joe as impulsive, and he has a
showstopping sequence during his
court appearance. Yet both leads
often seem to be overacting. They
can be a bit too much, even though
the series resists leaning toward
camp.
The supporting cast is what really
makes the show click. Kyle
MacLachlan is excellent as the
practical Howard, who puts up
with his wife’s passion for big cats.
As things spin out of control after
Joe’s threats are made public, or
when Carole experiences suffering,
his calming, low-key speeches
are often quite moving. Likewise,
Sam Keeley gives a nuanced performance
as John, a man who is
surprised to fi nd love with Joe —
only to feel unloved.
In support, William Fichtner
steals his every scene as a downon
his-luck producer, and Dean
Winters is memorable as Joe’s nononsense
business partner. Only
Nate Wolff — as Joe’s co-husband
Travis — fails to connect. Wolff
never make his pathetic character
sympathetic, especially during the
episode Travis narrates.
Nevertheless, “Joe vs. Carole”
tells its wild story nimbly, from a
subplot about Joe’s failed run for
governor to the way the hit was
ordered and discovered. While
Carole’s righteousness can be
abrasive, she also has a heartfelt
speech about healing. However,
what really connects these two individuals
is that they unapologetically
are who they are. And viewers
who embrace that will appreciate
“Joe vs. Carole.”
“JOE VS. CAROLE” | Series directed
by Justin Tipping | Available
on Peacock March 4
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