Documentary Now! Review: Batsh*t Valley (Season 3 Episodes 1-2)
The maddening teachings of Father Ra-Shawbard (Owen Wilson) bring together a community on Documentary Now! Season 3 Episode 1, “Batsh*t Valley.”
The season premiere of Documentary Now! is an absolute wonder. It’s a comprehensive and well-executed take on Wild, Wild Country and communal, cult-like gatherings with biting commentary on the world it satirizes.
Owen Wilson’s cult leader is such a strange character, more a catalyst to the more entertaining aspects than the true lead. His cocaine-laced manic speech, raspy and barely audible, is when Wilson is at his best, so bizarre in its delivery.
His use in the archival footage style helps build this ridiculous myth, but he’s more a tool toward the true lead of the two episodes, Ra-Sharir.
Necar Zadegan is where the episode finds its best performer. Her Ra-Sharir is so fascinating and compelling to watch, through both her performance and how she takes over and makes the cult her own (at least, for a time).
It’s what could have been a smaller piece of the story, but it becomes the central focus, and makes the episodes all the better for it. Zadegan is a force here, taking control and becoming the best part.
The brilliance of “Batsh*t Valley” also comes in its use of the documentary trappings to tell a normally dark tale and spin it into a bizarre window into the occupation of a town.
The look and feel of the documentary production is so spot-on to the works it’s playing off of, its visuals feeling like it’s ripped from VHS tapes and run through several machines to get the smeared, blurred look of the classic home video style teachings of Ra-Shawbard.
The warfare between town and cult is so simple but so effective, the escalation so childish but fiendishly fun, a great way to show how the little things blow up into such massive conflicts.
From orgies over loudspeakers, to making fun of talking to fruit, to the name of the town, it’s all such nonsense, but the way it’s told makes it feel like it matters. It’s a testament to the writing and the style.
But the episode, like many in this series, belongs to its actors.
The two-part story picks up the most momentum when Michael Keaton comes onboard. The FBI angle to the story is a hilarious turn, and Keaton plays it so straight that the crazier aspects are even funnier.
The loss of his partner to the cult, not through death but through joining the cult, is one of my favorite story moments, with their bickering over recording leading to one of the episode’s best lines. Keaton keeps it so serious, and his casting is a genius move.
The talking heads are another integral piece to the story, and each actor brings an earnest and honest read on each event. It’s absolutely silly, some of the things they have to say, but they say it with such conviction, adding to the layers of absurdist humor.
The way the episode devolves down to Ra-Shawbard being a puppet for the FBI and how the war with the town plays out to a simple surrendering to law enforcement is a low-stakes comedy of errors, taking advantage of strange and kooky characters in a bizarre situation.
At its heart, the two episodes are still juvenile (in a good way) in their portrayal of darker subject matter. Documentary Now! is nothing if not enthusiastic about its subjects, turning what could be seen as parody into an artful love letter to both its topic and filmmaking style.
“Batsh*t Valley” is about scamming people’s happiness, but it’s also about being happy. For a satire, it still manages to hit those beats with dedication and is all the better for it. The comedy is just a bonus, and with this set of actors, it’s an incredible start to the season.
What did you think of this episode of Documentary Now? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Documentary Now! airs Wednesdays at 11/10c on IFC.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.