“Tiger King” Season 2 Netflix Review

Story posted November 23, 2021 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Emily McGlynn

Did Carole Baskin feed her husband to tigers? Did Joe Exotic plan to murder Carole Baskin? Is President Trump going to pardon Joe Exotic? How are these people dealing with the new fame?

These were all questions that people were left with at the end of season one of the hit Netflix television series “Tiger King.”

“Tiger King” follows strange people in love with tigers, lions, and exotic animals as a tool for entertainment and power. It is a bizarre world that many people, after watching the first season, became obsessed with knowing more about.

The first season was released on March 20, 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that people had more time to watch whatever, “Tiger King” became everyone’s first choice of television pleasure. Quickly and surely, the internet was all things Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.

Those who do live under a rock and spoiler alert, Joe Exotic was found guilty for an attempt to murder Carole Baskin and for mistreating exotic animals in his backyard. Baskin became more of a suspect for killing her ex-husband Don Lewis. For months on end, this is all people could talk about.

A journalist was at a White House press conference and they asked President Donald Trump if he would pardon Joe Exotic for being wrongfully accused. And this is where the new season takes off.

Viewers can now get a deeper look into Exotic or Joseph Maldonado-Passage. Why is he the way he is? How did he get to this point of being behind bars?

They quickly summarize the situation for viewers who have probably not watched in over a year. But then, the season takes a sharp turn into the Baskin-Lewis debacle. Lewis’ daughters come on to explain the evidence, lawyers talk about their experiences with this case, and Baskin had nearly nothing to say about the situation.

Towards the end of the season, the two worlds of Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic reunite strangely. A person they have in common reignites Exotic fans to get him out of jail and to take a second look at his trial. “Tiger King” fans, beware because Carole Baskin is in big, big trouble.

This documentary is much shorter in length, five episodes instead of seven, it feels much longer. The first was new and crazy to many people and there was a lot to take in. Whereas this season is just an update on the madness of the cluster of trials.

Very few of the original “cast” from season one make a return. A lot of people’s lives were deeply affected and they did not be a part of it anymore. However, the really important people fill in devoted fans of the drama.

Just like people in this docuseries, a lot is going on and it is somewhat hard to follow. The details are crucial to understanding this story. If someone is not paying close enough attention, they could miss something important.

While the second season isn’t as crazy and new, it answers a lot of questions that people had. The third season will probably take a while to come out once more questions are answered from the federal government’s perspective.

The plot twist that takes place at the very end will leave jaws left on the floor. Netflix’s second season of “Tiger King” is a show people do not want to miss.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Emily McGlynn is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email esm5378@psu.edu.