TV Review: "Chimp Crazy: Fantasy Island" (S1, Ep. 4)

The finale of the HBO docuseries is a potent reminder of the power and the limits of empathy.

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As you have probably already guessed, I’ve been more than a little hooked on Chimp Crazy, the newest docuseries from the creator and director of the phenomenon Tiger King. During the course of the series’ four episodes we get to spend a lot of time with pseudo-protagonist Tonia Haddix, who ends up going on the run with the chimp Tonka, whom she wants to keep out of the hands of PETA and the chimp sanctuary to which they (rightly) want to send him. It’s been quite a wild ride, as we’ve come to spend more time with Tonia as well as gained more insight into the types of people who keep chimps as pets and companions.

Having reviewed the first three episodes, it’s time to turn my attention to the finale, which brings the entire sad saga to a troubling close. 

As one might assume, much of the finale episode of the series is about the consequences of Tonia’s actions, including the very welcome moment in which Tonka is at last sent to a chimp sanctuary where he can live a life outside of a dreary basement with others of his own kind. We also learn of the sad fate of Sandra Herold, who never quite recovered from the horrible incident with Travis and even went so far as to try to procure another chimp as a companion before dying suddenly of heart trouble. We also get more insight into Pam Rosaire, a chimp trainer who, like Tonia, sees her simian charges as akin to children (even going so far as to have a funeral service for Chance, a chimp who dies prematurely of unspecified causes). 

I’ve written before of the way that the series frames Tonia and the extent to which it really wants to draw our attention to the way in which she is in an important sense a travesty of traditional femininity, with her ever-plumpening limps, her zany hairstyles, and her bouts of (sometimes faked) emotion. Much like Joe Exotic, one gets the sense that Tonia fully understands the type of performance that she’s putting on, and I’m sure that in the future we’re going to see drag queens doing an impression of her in the years to come. 

More importantly, the finale reminds us of the very real stakes in this story. After all, Tonka isn’t just a pawn in a game of tug-of-war between Tonia and PETA–much as she would like us to see that way–but is instead a being with feelings of his own whose needs are routinely ignored by Tonia in favor of her own emotional gratification. Tonia (and Pam, for that matter) may insist on believing that they’re doing what’s best for their charges, and they might even sincerely believe that their feelings for their chimps are as emotionally deep as that they have for their children, but the truth is that they are actually doing harm. While Chance might not have lived even if he were in a sanctuary rather than performing at Pam’s demand–and it’s worth pointing out that she almost always has him chained and collared–it’s nearly certain he would at least have had a more natural life rather than one dictated by humans and their entertainment whims.

And, of course, there’s also the fact that chimps–most notably the infamous Travis–are an actual threat to their human caretakers if not handled appropriately. 

There’s something tragically apposite about the series’ final few moments, which reveal that Tonia, chimp lover that she is, ended up going into a strange ape’s cage, only for it to viciously maul her. Among other things, the animal tore off a part of her ear, savaged her hand (though it’s more than a little unclear, to me at least, just bow badly), and left bites all over her legs. I’m not saying that she deserved what happened to her, obviously but, given how the series has effectively highlighted the dangers that captive chimps pose, one is almost surprised that it didn’t happen before. What’s more, one can’t help but wonder whether this would have happened had Tonka remained in her care.

Ultimately, Chimp Crazy is a fascinating exploration about the power and limits of empathy. While we might be led to sympathize with Tonia and with the other people who make chimps such an (unsettlingly) intimate part of their lives, one need look only at Tonka and his obvious relief at being among his own kind in the natural environment of an ape sanctuary to see who truly deserves our understanding. No matter what Tonia would like to believe–and what she would like others to believe–this poor creature was not flourishing in her care. In fact, if anything it was the opposite, since he was largely confined to the basement (color me skeptical about her claims that he was allowed to explore other areas of the house). Even for a chimp raised in the entertainment world, this seems like a dreary existence. 

Some, I’m sure, will continue to regard Tonia and the other figures profiled in this series as heroes or at least misunderstood and tragic figures who simply couldn't bring themselves to separate themselves and their identities from the apes in their charge. Revealingly, one of the last things we see is Tonia waving a Gadsden flag, implicitly aligning her with the types of rebel figures that American culture so loves to fetishize. Like Joe Exotic, Tonia fancies herself a rebel, even if she has ultimately lost her battle with PETA and the state.

Chimp Crazy more than lives up to its title, highlighting the way in which far too many people view chimps as essentially extensions of their human selves. This is certainly true of those who raise chimps for entertainment, but it’s also true for those of us who consume such entertainment. It’s for this reason that Alan Cumming’s presence throughout this documentary is so important. Even though he acted with primate costars throughout his career, he rightly realized that doing so was enabling their subjection. It’s a timely lesson for all of us to take in and, just as importantly, it’s also a reminder of who is truly deserving of our compassion.