Season 1 – Joe vs Carole

Audience Reviews

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Harrington M Even though Joe and Carole's story is widely known to us all, this series gives the story more depth and is a well-made example of a show that draws inspiration from news stories such to The Dropout and Pat and Tommy. The title characters give outstanding performances that make for a compelling viewing experience. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/16/24 Full Review Rivkah F Carole is a demon from Heaven and Joe is an angel from Hell. This show is a perfect weekend binge. The acting, writing, and production are STELLAR. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/24 Full Review Aubrey H I was extremely impressed by this series. It was an effective slow-burn that really took the time to meaningfully explore the characters and their pasts. John Cameron Mitchell is a knock-out as Joe - His voice/accent is spot-on, as is the costuming and his powerhouse acting. I was hesitant at first because he has such a sweetness about him that I wasn't sure would fit with the role, but he made Joe a character easy to sympathize with one minute and despise the next. The one thing I will say is that though I'm a huge fan of Kate McKinnon, I personally felt that she didn't quite match JCM's starpower - Though her costuming and even the way she walked was 100% Carole, I wish she had made more efforts to match Carole's syrupy sweet voice that has become so recognizable. It often felt like McKinnon was just acting like Carole in an SNL skit, while I found myself forgetting that JCM wasn't actually Joe Exotic because of how much he surrendered to the role. The best thing about this series is not only how well cast it is, but also how thoughtfully the characterization is done, especially through flashbacks. The peeks into Carole's past - being bullied at school, running from her abusive husband, and her goofy wedding ceremony with Howard - lends a certain sympathy and humanity to her that was really refreshing, but then is balanced out by the scathing performance of Julie Forsyth as Ann who remains totally convinced that Carole killed her husband Don. The viewer isn't sure whether to hate Carole or feel sorry for her at certain points, and McKinnon does a great job of navigating that dichotomy. One of my favorite moments of McKinnon's portrayal was near the end of the series, when Carole is laying in bed and she asks Howard, completely genuinely, "Did I take this thing with Joe too far?" The part of the series when the viewer is introduced to Joe's first husband through a series of memories, with the subsequent heart-wrenching end to that story, actually moved me to tears. JCM brought a remarkable vulnerability to that scene that I won't soon forget. Also worth mentioning is the incredible performance of Nat Wolff as Travis Maldonado, who you couldn't help but adore the moment he showed up on camera. Wolff effortlessly captures Travis' charisma and innocence. His final narration and his metaphor of being trapped in Neverland as a Lost Boy was one of my favorite parts of the entire series. (Spoiler: JCM's reaction to seeing Travis being carried out on the stretcher was gut-wrenching. If you only watch one episode, watch that one.) The rest of the cast looked so similar to their counterparts, it was spooky - Especially John Reinke! I had trouble believing it wasn't actually him. I loved the duality of Kyle MacLachlan as Howard, who easily transitioned from friendly goofball to protective husband, the simmering rage yet unyielding loyalty of Sam Keeley as John Finlay, and even the smaller players like Saff, Eric, Josh, and Dillon, who stayed true both appearance-wise and personality-wise to the characters we met in the documentary. (Big shout-out to the casting department for casting a trans non-binary actor to play Saff, and the writers for using the correct pronouns throughout the series.) The actors portraying Jeff Lowe, William Fitchner, and James Garretson were very effective in the few scenes they were in and again, perfectly cast in my opinion. Alan's journey to Tampa was hilarious to watch as the viewer realizes he's having the time of his life with no intention to carry out the deed whatsoever. Doc Antle was also a standout in his two scenes. With an armful of women and his casual exploitation of a tiger cub to a room full of legislators, he completely derails Carole's advocacy efforts and adds insult to injury by hitting on her daughter along the way. The falling camera transitions were also really interesting and the soundtrack was great. I'm not sure why the critics think this series was such a bust. Any Tiger King fan would have a lot of fun watching this series and the different viewpoint it brings to the characters that the documentary didn't touch on. It's easy to forget that these people are actual human beings, and I think this show does a great job of giving each character just that: humanity. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/23 Full Review Amber B It was emotional, dove deep into Joe and carols lives. The show turned them back into humans and not some meme on the Internet. Kate absolutely killed it. She's used to doing comedy but she was able to act so raw. Amazing cinematography and story flow as well. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member What a TERRIBLE show and yet they had endless material in which to make a funny show with, but instead it seems like most of the budget went to making the 1980's authentic with wardrobe and music but forgot to hire writers. I couldn't get through the first episode. I started to wane almost immediately but when they first showed the CGI Camel and then a CGI tiger and then decided to spray paint a CGI sheep to look like a tiger, I quit. Tiger King just cannot be duplicated. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member I think it's accurate, satiric and shows that actors are better actors than reality tv stars. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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