Hello all, and welcome to the inaugural review by the one, the only, the never-before-heard-of Joey Hedrick! I could promise you that we're in for a world of fun and excitement, but I hate breaking promises and there's no way I can guarantee that. What I can promise is a strong dedication to television, starting with the second season of TNT's Animal Kingdom. If you're anything like me, you've been scouring the internet trying to find a recap video akin to what Netflix lovingly does before their new seasons. You also, like me, would have found out that there is no video to be found (unless you found one, in which case please send it to me). But, never fear. I am here to offer you a "what you need to know" recap in our weekly segment:
Keys to the Kingdom
Our story began with J (Finn Cole) being brought to live in the world of his grandmother, Smurf (Ellen Barkin), who is not blue, and his uncles Deran (Jake Weary), Baz (Scott Speedman), Pope (Shawn Hatosy) and Craig (Ben Robinson) after his mother (Corpse #1) overdosed. As the season progressed, we learned the ins and outs of the family heists, while J did the ins and outs with his girlfriend, Nicky, and also with his teacher. Needless to say, the girlfriend didn't work out, and she ended up sleeping with Craig to hurt J. It worked. J's life was also complicated by the fact that his teacher/lover was being coerced by the cops to try to get information on J's family through their "relationship". She eventually let J in on the secret, and the cops decided to start working with J more directly, asking him to wear wires around his family. During the time he spent with his family, however, he learned that family comes first and refused. Craig apparently forgot this mantra when he slept with Nicky, but bygones. In the midst of all that, J discovered that Deron was hiding the fact that he is gay, and Deron kind of made J's life hell for a little bit, but this passed.
Another troubling journey in the first season was that of Baz's wife, Catherine, who didn't approve of the family at all and wanted her daughter, Lena, as far away from them as possible. Smurf had other plans. She was very attached to Lena and did everything she could to spend time with her. She may have technically kidnapped Lena for a day, but Lena had a great time. Catherine was also approached to snitch on the family, but she, too refused. These people are loyal! But, despite the loyalty to remain silent, she immediately returned home to pack bags for Lena and herself. While the boys were off on a heist at Camp Pendleton (which ended up getting them all a hefty sum of money), Catherine decided to stop by and let Lena have a visit with Smurf. While grandmother and granddaughter played, Catherine slipped off and stole a bit of money that was hiding in the house, then left with her daughter later as though nothing had happened. Smurf knew better than to think nothing of this, and later sent Pope to confront her. Side-note: Pope and Catherine used to be an item way before she and Baz got married, and Pope never fully got over her. When Pope arrived at Catherine's house, things got pretty intense. In an act of self-preservation, Catherine attempted to seduce him. It worked pretty well at first, but then Pope started using his big boy brain and figured out what she was doing. He then stopped using his brain and smothered her. Obviously, this wouldn't go over well with Baz, so Pope called Smurf, who basically told him to take care of the problem. So he did. He buried the body and made it seem like Catherine just left Baz and Lena alone.
There's a million other things that happened last season as well, but these are all that events that pertain to the season, currently. If you're using this review to just now hop into things, I highly recommend finding and watching the first season. But, now for our current events.
This Week's Prey
This week, we begin with Smurf waking up in the morning and swigging her Vodka Cran drink from the night before. This will not be the only one she has this episode. This woman knows how to live. The boys, meanwhile, are off pulling a heist at a brewery. Now, I've never agreed with any of the jobs they've pulled in the past, but I believe this is the one I am most against. You just don't steal money from a place that provides the happiness of alcohol to the world. That's a new level of low. I was actually rooting for them to get caught, but then J set a fire and saved the day. However, I was immensely satisfied when their stolen safe turned out to have almost nothing inside. Serves them right. You don't mess with alcohol people. Smurf later confronts her Brewery informant about the lack of money. We learn that he specifically told her Thursday, but she told her boys the job needed to be pulled Tuesday. Smurf made an oopsie.
After their failed job, they decide they want to have a conversation with Smurf, their powerful crime boss mother, about having more power in their relationship. A larger slice of the pie, if you will. The phrase "let her know she has no choice" was actually uttered. They really thought this was a good idea. The talk went over about as well as you would expect it would go. To their credit, they were presenting very sound arguments, but all Smurf has left to hold on to is her power. She also has done many things for each of them, which she was extremely quick to point out. The conversation ended with Craig, Deran and Baz storming out resigned to start pulling jobs on their own (Pope was busy standing next to Baz's wife's grave thinking about how he murdered her). J served as the silent observer to this discussion, and got to see the brief moment Smurf couldn't keep it together as she realized her family is starting to crumble like her pie crusts.
Craig realizes that Smurf has cut off his credit card when he can't pump gas, and he also is dealing with J's ex-girlfriend constantly texting him, so he's got a lot going on in his life at the moment. She even comes over to his house later with soup for the cold he made up to keep her away from him. Meanwhile, Baz and Pope head out to a bar for a bit, with Pope acting a tad off because, you know, he killed Baz's wife and all. Pope leaves, Baz tells a girl who's been checking him out that he's shy, and then Baz gets laid. He tries to get some food with a her a little later, but she turns him down and is also upset that he's seeing her naked in the shower despite the fact that they just had sex. Baz is sad, and missing some human connection he had with his very dead wife.
Smurf returns from the grocery store with Baz's daughter, Lena, and tells her to go get their movie night ready. Smurf is visited by a money collector while she is getting ready to put her groceries away in the garage. We get a nice view of their conversation from inside the fridge, where we see a handy gun attached to the back of milk carton. Good to know she's got her milk gun.
Deran scoops up J, telling him not to go to school today, and the boys have their first official No Smurfs Allowed meeting. The NSA, if you will. Though this is a very different NSA. This NSA is holding a debate on whether they should pull of a job on wedding yacht, or pull one off at megachurch. There are many arguments about which job to do, and also how the cuts will work, but this is all halted when Lena comes out with a second drawing for her father only to be told, for the third time this episode, that her father is not going to take her where she wants to go (previously the park, currently the beach). Things are a little awkward for a moment, but Pope steps up and offers to take her to the beach. As the party breaks up, Baz stops J and tells him not to improvise on a heist in the future. J looks unhappy, but leaves without much conflict.
We then see Smurf in her kitchen wrapping up some slices of pie and trying to figure out where to put them. She opens the fridge and tries to find some space between some ground beef and a Pepsi product placement, then decides to just take the beef out completely. We then find Baz meeting up with a woman named Gemma(?) at a bar where they flirt briefly before Baz tells her that Catherine is gone for good and she's not coming back. The episode ends with everyone at a meatloaf dinner that Smurf invited them to (she had to get rid of the beef somehow!). She puts on quite the strong face, despite seeing the facade of her old life in front of her, and hosts a very quiet meal. She tries to ask the boys about their next heist, but they refuse to talk about it. She kindly tells them that if they ever need help she'll be here for them. Later, as they are all leaving, J clears the table while Pope watches Smurf. He tells J to be careful with her, and they both regard her for a moment.
During the dinner, we see the man who came to collect from Smurf earlier walking through a house. He enters a bedroom where a nurse is leaving and looks at the man who is hooked up to machines on his (death)bed. I'm almost positive we're supposed to know who this person is, but for the life of me I can't place him.
Animal Instincts
While Animal Kingdom delivered an informative, engaging episode, it did not feel very much like a season premiere. Yes, the boys splitting off and becoming their own group is a huge development, but the whole episode felt very calm. There were no big twists or reveals to set the season into motion, just this simple split between Smurf and her boys. No doubt, this episode has set up some very cool things that are going to payoff throughout the season, and the episode may very well end up looking better in the scope of things, but as of now it really didn't pop very much. I personally expected more edge of my seat moments rather than "oh that's probably not gonna go well later" moments. Still, it was an hour of television I have no regrets about investing in. I do have to applaud Ellen Barkin here for her acting though. Despite everything I know Smurf is capable of (and the fact that she's running a crime family), I still found myself feeling sorry for her. The poor woman is losing her family, the thing she's dedicated her life to, and it certainly shows this episode.
Favorite Sights
Shout out to Smurf's liver for the 10+ Vodka Crans we saw her drinking this episode.
Another shout out to the handy milk gun.
What did you think of the episode? Was it everything you wanted? More? Less? Do you recognize the man I don't recognize? Were you also a fan of the milk gun? Sound off in the comments below!
