WE’VE BEEN WATCHING VOL. 2 | CULTURE IN QUARANTINE
TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS (Netflix)
Tigers. Cults. Murders. If you’re not sold already, Netflix’s Tiger King [above] is a totally bonkers documentary following the trials and tribulations of an eccentric zookeeper in Oklahoma, Joe Exotic. Initially concerned for the welfare of the animals, of which there are almost double the amount in captivity than in the wild, Mr Exotic becomes entangled in the incredibly competitive business of keeping big cats, while filming a reality show, filing million-dollar lawsuits and entering polygamous gay relationships on the way. Make sure you have a whole evening ahead of you, as you’re most definitely going to want to binge this one. ****Alex Myles
If you were intrigued by the heavy social class theme of Parasite, then you will appreciate The Platform. Set in a future prison dubbed ‘The Pit’, prisoners must live off the scraps passed down from those above them. A very interesting and thought-provoking watch, but admittedly the ending lost me a bit. I think the metaphorical message was too elaborate for me, but I enjoyed it anyway, and Netflix gives you the option to view it in English or its original Spanish. ***Lottie Catrin
Disney+ launches just as lockdown hits and their flagship programme is The Mandalorian, which you must know about by now, even if only through Baby Yoda memes. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, if cliché-ridden, space western set between Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens, with heavy nods to The Man With No Name; a behelmeted Pedro Pascal stars as a bounty hunter rediscovering his humanity via the cute mini-Yoda ‘child’. Packed with star cameos, including the brilliantly odd baddie and arthouse director Werner Herzog, this expands the Star Wars universe – free from the Skywalker story to entertaining effect, with plenty of details that any fan will love. ****Keiron Self
The Weimar-set detective noir based on Volker Kutscher’s book series is beautiful to look at! From the queer Kabaret clubs to the slums and brutalism, series three sees our Kommisar Rath chasing answers while murder stalks Babelsberg Film Studio. It starts with the murder of the leading lady of the show’s faithful recreation of German Expressionist cinema, includes pagan rituals along the way. As well as the plot, there’s the rise of Nazism and the impact it has on the various characters, making for complex and sometimes surreal sequences. *****Chris Williams
Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9 has just wrapped up its fifth season, and the genre-traversing anthology series provides the perfect isolation viewing. With all 31 half-hour episodes on iPlayer, they’re perfect to watch in between work breaks, or during lunch – but with a twist occurring at the end of most episodes, pay attention throughout to have the best chance of guessing it. My personal episode picks are Tom And Gerry, The 12 Days Of Christine and Misdirection, but the 2018 Halloween live special Deadline is a television experience I’ll look back on for a while. ****Kat Smith