Netflix and Chill...

The "Stay At Home" order has forced my husband to go to extreme measures. Yes, we are now not only paying for a premium cable package which includes HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax (which I'm not sure we've ever even watched...) but we've recently added a Netflix subscription.

Do we really need Netflix? Of course not. We could certainly have kept ourselves entertained with the 300 zillion channels we already had. But then we heard about The Tiger King.

If you have had your head buried in the sand for the past month or two, you might not know about The Tiger King. This documentary follows the exploits (and he is very exploitative) of the former owner of a private zoo in Oklahoma. "Joe Exotic" is the name he goes by. And he is quite exotic--in looks, words, and deeds. Would I recommend this show? Only if you have a strong stomach for watching the dregs of humanity abusing each other and hundreds of captive wild animals. It's like watching a massive car accident; you will be cringing, hiding your eyes, maybe even leaving the room, but you will want to know how it ends. An eighth episode was recently added to update viewers about events which have unfolded since the show was made. No spoilers here, in case you are still mid-series.

We recently finished watching the third season of Ozark. This show started out with a strong first and second season. Okay, it's no Breaking Bad, but I felt the characters were compelling enough to make me want to continue. There's plenty of violence; most of the main characters end up murdered by the end of the second season, as you might expect with any show based on a drug cartel. Unfortunately, I felt the writers lost their way in this third season. If you disagree, leave me message in the comment section below!

Speaking of drug cartels, the first two seasons of Narcos follow the rise of Pablo Escobar, the original drug kingpin of Colombia. Your mouth will be hanging open as this true story beggars belief. At one time, Escobar had more money and more power than the entire government of his country. Did you know he built his own prison? Just to house himself? And staffed it with his own guards! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Watch this one and prepare to be shocked.

And as a yoga teacher, I was drawn to the documentary about Bikram. This film reveals the true nature of a man completely obsessed with power. Although a handful of his students and staff members eventually stood up to him in civil court, he was never criminally charged. He is still leading teacher trainings (no longer in the US) and I can only assume that the students signing up for these workshops are unaware of his abusive history. Some of the footage recorded in his classes, despite the 120 degree temperatures, is utterly chilling.

As we move into our second month in quarantine, there continues to be ample time in our lives for watching television. What are you watching? Do you have Netflix? Any recommendations for shows I should try?