Animation
Shape Island
Shape Island may charm little viewers and won’t bend their parents out of shape. But the show can also feel surprisingly flat.
Carole Baskin was put on this Earth to rescue cats. At least, that’s what she believes.
She’s devoted years rescuing mistreated and abused big cats and providing them a home at her animal sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue. The sanctuary actively tries to shut down commercial cub petting—the practice of using baby animals as photo props—which often eventually leaves the cubs abused or killed. And one such operation is run by Joe Exotic, who’s built an empire of sorts built on big cats.
Following a lead procured by a helpful volunteer, Carole successfully manages to shut down many of Joe’s scheduled operations on his traveling tour, leaving him outraged and ready to do whatever it takes to fight back.
And it’ll escalate quickly indeed.
Joe vs. Carole is the dramatized version of the 2020 documentary Tiger King, which revealed the real-life story of the big-cat feud between Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic. That story involved homosexual relationships, accusations of a gruesome murder and even a hitman.
Joe vs. Carole brings all of that, too. In fact, it’s a bit confusing as to why the show was made, as it only dramatizes a story that’s already been told two years prior. Perhaps it’s for those who never got around to watching the documentary or wanted its content explained to them in dramatic story format.
And this version of events seems to want to mix two stories together—one of Carole’s attempts to take down Joe’s zoo and Joe’s wild responses, and one of Joe’s sexual antics with other men, including a three-way wedding between himself, Travis Maldonado and John Finlay, the latter two being two of Joe’s employees.
The show mimics the crazy events of Tiger King—a true-crime story so strange that, hadthe doc came first, we could never believe it actually happened. As Plugged In reviewer Emily Clark wrote in her review on the documentary, the story includes a “former cocaine drug lord, a swinger who uses tiger cubs to attract women, a Hollywood animal trainer, and a potential murderess.”
Indeed, Joe vs. Carole dives right into the drama and gobbles it up faster than a caffeinated turkey, leaving us with a plethora of questionable content to sift through, including a colorful variety of swear words, dozens of sexual innuendos, homosexual relationships and more. And that’s not even to mention the show being centered around the mistreatment of exotic animals.
Because Joe vs. Carole is simply a creative rehash of Tiger King, there’s not much more to be said than what was previously written in the latter’s review. The documentary was a wild ride from start to finish, while Joe vs. Carole provides a more consolidated story—even though that story is still filled with inappropriate content.
After detectives inform Carole Baskin that Joe Exotic has hired a hit-man to kill her, we go back seven years to see how it all came to this. In the past, Carole does everything in her power to shut down Joe’s poorly managed traveling shows.
When she learns of the plot to murder her, Carole and her husband, Howard, purchase multiple firearms in anticipation of the killer’s arrival.
In the past, Carole cleans cat urine off her phone, and she and an assistant, Valerie, joke about it being Valerie who peed on it. Carole purchases a tiger from a private owner, and she tells the man that the tiger is a girl because it has female genitals. She mocks the man and references him scratching his genitals. Another scene implies Carole was raped in her past.
Carole compares Joe’s mouth to an anus. Howard and Carole kiss. Unable to get the visions of malnourished and abused big cats out of her head, Carole goes outside and lets out frustrated screams into her coat. Carole and her husband toast and drink alcohol.
Joe Exotic references sex to an audience. A camel eats a carrot out of Joe’s mouth, leaving slobber on his cheek. Unable to use his tiger, Joe spray paints a sheep to look like one. He also references erectile dysfunction and uses a crude word for testicles.
Joe hits on a male employee named John Finlay. John F. tells Joe that his girlfriend cheated on him, and Joe asks if John F. watches pornography. Joe then pressures John F. to allow him to perform oral sex on him. We do not see any explicit parts, but we do see John make ecstatic faces.
Men smoke, and a group drinks alcohol around a bonfire in a montage. A woman makes a joke about being high. ZZ Top’s “La Grange,” a song about a brothel, plays as Joe is introduced on stage.
The f-word is used 10 times, twice preceded by “mother.” The s-word is used 11 times and is preceded twice by “bull.” “H—” is used six times, and “a–” “b–ch” and “d–n” are also used on multiple occasions. “Crap” and “frick” are both used as well.
God’s name is misused 17 times, and many of those are followed by “d–mit.” Jesus’ name is misused three times.
Joe, upset by Carole’s success at canceling his shows, drives down to Florida to try to reason with her.
Joe drinks alcohol, and he is later seen drunk and shirtless, an empty bottle next to him. While urinating, Joe drops his phone in the toilet. At his zoo, Joe drags a newborn cub with a hooked pole, and he mentions the sex drive of the tigers. The buyer implies Joe should put down some of the tigers to make ends meet.
In a flashback, a man named Emilio introduces Joe to his boyfriend Isaac, and he lets Joe hold a baby tiger cub, telling him to be prepared to be peed on. Emilio later tells Joe that he knew Joe was gay the moment he laid eyes on him. Joe tells Emilio that he tried to kill himself. Later, Joe walks into a gay bar with a pet tiger and orders a whiskey. Men kiss in the background.
Joe and John F. wear speedos to the motel jacuzzi, much to the astonished looks of parents and children. Joe confronts John F. on whether or not he is gay, and John F. references that the two have had sex. John F. also comments on how his speedo is uncomfortable. Later, John F. agrees to date Joe publicly, and the two kiss.
In another flashback, Joe and a man kiss at multiple points, and they open a pet store where they hang an American flag, the traditional red, white and blue replaced with rainbow colors. When Joe’s landlord Stan says they must take the flag down due to a leasing agreement, Joe claims it is only because the flag is rainbow colored. Joe threatens to bring his gun to Stan’s office, and Joe’s partner makes a crude reference to sex.
Joe makes a joke about a genital disease. As a prank, Joe throws a firecracker into employee John Reinke’s bathroom while he’s in it. Joe makes a crude reference to erections and liquor and jokes about a tiger being addicted to drugs. He destroys a large ceramic tiger statue in anger. Later, Joe points his middle finger at Carole, and Carole reciprocates.
John R. calls Tampa the “strip club capital of the world” and makes a lewd reference to female genitalia. John F. explains that Joe will “charm the granny panties off” Carole.
Carole and Howard kiss on multiple occasions, once passionately. After successfully bribing a man to turn on his employer, Carole explains that she is compensating him for “doing the Lord’s work.” Carole says that she believes Joe is evil.
Men smoke. The camera reveals a ceramic middle-finger trinket for sale. A lion has a seizure as a result of a nearby helicopter stunt organized by Joe.
The f-word is used 20 times and is once preceded by “mother.” The c-word is used once. The s-word is used 15 times, and we hear “h—” seven times. “D–n,” “a–” and “b–ch” are all used extensively, a combined 29 times. “B–tard,” “p-ss,” “crap,” “frick,” “t-ts” and “pr–k” are all used as well. A Spanish phrase that translates to “crazy b–ch” is said twice.
God’s name is misused 16 times, some of which are followed by “d–mit.” Jesus’ name is misused once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Shape Island may charm little viewers and won’t bend their parents out of shape. But the show can also feel surprisingly flat.
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