In the word(s) of Owen Wilson, “wow”.
You probably haven’t heard of Batshit Valley, so consider this your chance to get in there early and tell your friends you heard about it before it was cool.
The show actually first aired about two weeks ago, but most of the video online can’t be watched in South Africa because of licencing issues (that dreaded “the uploader has not made this video available in your country” message).
Before we dive into the footage, you’ll need to have an understanding of Wild Wild Country, the series that is being parodied.
You can read about that here, but we’ll pop the trailer below:
You know, your standard weird sex cult vibe that was pretty popular in the 70s and 80s.
That series is excellent, and it’s also a genre that is ripe for parody, which is where Documentary Now! comes in. In their third season (even though they advertise it as their 52nd), they’re going all out in one episode with Batshit Valley, starring Wilson as the cult leader.
Here’s a little more info from IndieWire:
While Wilson wears Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh-inspired robes, and co-star Necar Zadegan said she was happy to play on the “archetype” provided by Ma Anand Sheela, “Batshit Valley” drew from more than Netflix’s Emmy-winning “Wild Wild Country.”
There’s also Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille’s 2012 film “The Source Family” (which examined Hollywood utopians in the ’70s) and Will Allen’s 2016’s “Holy Hell” (about the implosion of a West Hollywood cult in the ’80s)…
Wilson said what attracted him to the role was simple: “I just thought it was a funny idea and I wanted to work with these guys.” That attitude worked well for the “Documentary Now” ethos. “I never try to think of it as trying to be funny,” he said. “I don’t have a background in stand-up or anything, so I just try to make it feel like real. And hopefully, that can be funny.”
Judging by the limited clips we could find online, it looks like Owen and the team succeeded.
Here’s something of an overview:
So many people left their lives behind to join Father Ra-Shawbard in Chinook, OR, but none of them expected what would happen next. “Batsh*t Valley” premieres tonight 11P on @IFC. pic.twitter.com/Fg5YPCcTXn
— Documentary Now! (@DocumentaryNow) February 20, 2019
How about those FBI agents?
The elite Cult Unit of the FBI had plenty of fun with the Shawbardites. The way it ended, though, was not so pleasant. Watch the #DocumentaryNow Season 52 premiere, Wed 11P on @IFC. pic.twitter.com/GsvQ3rpi0O
— Documentary Now! (@DocumentaryNow) February 18, 2019
Remember, vegetables are people, too:
Many of the Shawbardites’ rules seemed unnecessary to the townspeople of Chinook. Mainly, because they were. Catch up on #DocumentaryNow‘s “Batsh*t Valley” at https://t.co/CNAqFfwP12 pic.twitter.com/saQymv6wLS
— Documentary Now! (@DocumentaryNow) February 21, 2019
Yeah, that’s all the footage we could find that doesn’t end with a blank screen and “The uploader has not made this video available in your country”.
I’m sure if you scratch around online, you’ll be able to download the Documentary Now! episode featuring Wilson’s parody.
Namaste.
[source:indiewire]
