The trailers for TNT’s Animal Kingdom, as effective as they are, are somewhat misleading. By that I mean, they don’t do the show justice. Based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name, Animal Kingdom follows Joshua “J” Cody as he moves in with his criminal empire of a family. It sounds like the setup for an explosive, violent show – it does air on TNT after all – and the bones of that are here. But Animal Kingdom (God, that title is terrific) has loftier goals in mind. It takes a (mostly successful) look at what makes families work, even if they’re as unconventional and fucked-up as the Codys. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of the early days of Sons of Anarchy, before that show devolved into something like self-parody.
It takes confidence to open your show as quietly as Kingdom does. J sits quietly on the couch, his mother nonresponsive next to him, as EMT s barge in and he tells them she OD’d on heroin. I fully expected to open with the Codys in the middle of a crime (TNT, remember) and was pleasantly surprised to see “Pilot” unspool as it does. Everything moves in with a dreamlike lethargy, as J is unceremoniously moved into his grandmother’s house. But don’t let my use of the word “lethargy” throw you off; Animal Kingdom is in no way slow-paced.
Entering the Cody household, the domain of his grandmother Janine (who goes by “Smurf”), J meets his three uncles: Barry (Scott Speedman), the oldest; Craig (Ben Robson), the middle; and Deran (Jake Weary), the youngest. The three of them are introduced horsing around in the pool and generally having a good time, but something is off about them. They casually cart a giant TV into J’s room, claiming they found it in the garage.
Animal Kingdom is a novel inversion of a crime story. All the familiar beats are here: young man drawn into a world he doesn’t quite understand; an imperious mother figure (sometimes a father figure); and charismatic but dangerous companions the young man can’t help but admire. J’s uncles fill the latter role, and they do so marvelously. Robson comes off the best; Craig is, at best, a barely restrained force of nature who bucks at Barry’s older-brother status. Speedman doesn’t get much to do, but he’s more or less the straight man of the trio, so that’s understandable. But it’s telling that J’s initiation, of sorts, comes at Craig’s behest: he slips a gun into J’s hand and tells him to point it at some rival surfers, a shot chilling for how casually it’s presented.
It would be easy for Animal Kingdom to make the Cody brothers hedonistic lunatics, but “Pilot” goes to great lengths to show that they actually have souls. After a robbery goes wrong and a security guard gets hurt, Smurf is seen stroking Deran’s hair and cooing a lullaby to him. It’s a small act of both love and dominance, a surreal tableau, and a great visual insight to the Cody family dynamic.
Ellen Barkin, as Smurf, is terrific, really tearing into a role that netted Jacki Weaver an Oscar nomination. She stays away from “dragon lady” trappings, and in doing so keeps Smurf from turning into a Cersei Lannister or Gemma Teller knockoff.
But the real star of “Pilot” for me was Shawn Hatosy, late of Fear the Walking Dead, as the real eldest Cody brother, Pope, who served three years in prison for a crime that all four brothers committed. He’s confrontational, menacing, and weird, but not without his charm. He is on the outside what his brothers are on the inside. It’s a fascinating performance, and one that I loved watching. (I’ve never seen the original film – I’ll try to this week – but this is almost certainly the role that Ben Mendelsohn played.)
“Pilot” succeeds on the strength of its ensemble, obviously, but also because of the tasteful direction by John Wells, the former E.R. showrunner turned director of maudlin films like August: Osage County. Wells acquits himself nicely, and makes Southern California both vital and replaceable. It makes it seem like Animal Kingdom could happen anywhere, and that makes it a successful statement on family.
A Few Thoughts
- Since the premiere was technically a two-parter, I’ll be watching part two tonight and posting my review tomorrow. This is also because I didn’t know it was a two-parter and thus forgot to DVR part two.
- “I guess we’re Lutheran. Who knew?” “Must have been the cheapest.”
About Author
