Animal Kingdom: A Spinoff Would Make No Sense At All
Some shows need one while others are good without. Animal Kingdom is the latest show that has ended where the question is, “should they or shouldn’t they?”. To be honest, no. The writers and actors should just leave things the way they ended and let them be. Yes, there are still unanswered questions but that’s what a great show is supposed to do, leave you wanting more. But why tear down the legacy of a great drama just to stretch a story out that no longer needs stretching?
What it comes down to for fans of Animal Kingon is what happened to J and Deran?
The last we saw of Deran, he was holding his dead brother Craig in his arms promising to take care of Nick and Renn while also pledging to seek revenge on their nephew J. Well, what else was he supposed to say to his brother as he took his last breath? As for J, he was sitting alone on an island somewhere lost in his thoughts. I can see where a spinoff would work but I also see why it wouldn’t make much sense.
The spinoff would focus on Deran searching for J. First off, where would he even begin to look? Secondly, Deran has no money and no real friends to lean on to even help him look for J. Are we as true fans really supposed to buy into the storyline of J and Deran in a battle for multiple seasons? If Animal Kingdon taught us one thing, it’s that neither of the Cody brothers was a match for J.
Now, Deran teaming up with Renn is a possibility as she has connections but that still wouldn’t be fair as J took them out alone. He has no one, so, in a way, it’s not a fair fight.
A cat and mouse game might be enticing but how long before it gets boring? As a fan from day one, I do admit I would love to see the show go on but not at the expense of destroying its legacy. Some fans wanted J to die. They believed that he went too far with his actions in trying to get the brothers killed. At first, I was like leave Craig and Deran out of it. But then again, J was right in trying to destroy everyone.
The same hate he had for Smurf and Pope, is the same he should’ve had for Deran and Craig. Although they were younger when Smurf threw Julia out, where were they as they got older? Why didn’t they come for their sister and nephew? So yes, everyone deserved what they got in the end. Even J.
J deserved to be alone. Smurf deserved to die. Craig deserved his fate and Pope deserved his. Deran even deserved it. But what was the point of keeping Deran and J as the lone survivors? That’s what has me terrified as the creators may try to bring these characters back somewhere down the line.
Should There Be A Spinoff To Animal Kingdom?
Even if they do, how will this work? Pope understood what happened and that’s why he let J go. Deran will not be as forgiving as he was closer to Craig than anyone else and his vengeance is the same that J had for Julia. But in the end, who wins?
Deran finds J and tries to kill him. J learns that Deran is looking for him and tries to kill him. Now, we as loyal fans have nothing left. I hate to see one of my favorite shows off the air but I also don’t want the creators to mess up what made the show so good in the first place.
The writers never hid the fact that J was out for revenge. As Pope tried to reason with J that they took him in and made him part of the family. When did that happen? I must’ve missed that episode or season. From the start, they never wanted him there. From the start, he was always treated as an outsider. And yes, Smurf played a huge role in that but most of it was also of their own doing. How was he supposed to feel? These were his uncles, he was the baby of the family, and it was their jobs to look after him and he wound up taking care of them more than they returned the favor.
J was to them what Julia was when she was around. Animal Kingdom was always about revenge. It was the foundation that the show was built on. This was always a story built around Julia and J. It was their fight against a family that turned their back on them.
Deran is mad, he wants J dead. Renn is now mad because J got Craig killed. But even their revenge comes in second to why J did what he did. It makes for a great story but it still doesn’t hold the same weight as what the original stood for. Sometimes, you just have to let greatness stand alone.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
