Animal Kingdom: Pope Got His Revenge Against Smurf In The End
Maybe you liked it. Maybe you loved it. Maybe you agreed and maybe you didn’t. But the series finale of Animal Kingdom was every emotion rolled up into one after 6 exciting seasons. While most shows wander into the darkness, get stale, then find their way back, Animal Kingdom had you on the edge of your seat from the first episode to the last.
However, it wasn’t until the 5th season that things began to change for fans of the Cody Family. After Smurf was killed, ending the Ellen Barkin era, we were giving insight into her younger years. This changed the entire future of the show. While we knew that Joshua (J) had a grudge against his uncles and grandmother, the real story here was Pope.
It was obvious that Pope was not, well, normal. We knew something was off about him from the first time he appeared onscreen. But it wasn’t until all the flashbacks that everything began to take shape. We saw why Andrew was Pope.
But it was something there that we as the audience just couldn’t wrap our heads around. His loyalty to Smurf was there but he was distant as well. It wasn’t until the last episode that we knew where his heart was really at. Instead of helping his twin sister Julia in her time of need, he let Smurf decide her fate. What this did was set J’s plan in motion from the moment his mother overdosed.
With Pope, Deran, and Craig fighting for their lives after freeing Pope from the clutches of the law, J was making his escape. But with this show, nothing ever goes as planned. After J killed Penny, he finally let loose all those years of frustration. But just as he was doing so, there was an injured Pope coming in to finish the job. It was the showdown most of us were waiting for. J vs Pope. This was the only way the show should have ended.
Yes, Craig and Deran probably deserved a shot at J but not the way Pope wanted him and not the way J wanted Pope. This was beyond personal. This was love and hate. J wanted them to pay with their lives the same way Smurf and Pope made Julia pay with hers. And in a sense, J as well.
Julia was strung out on drugs with J in her belly and they all knew it. If not help Julia, then help the baby. But no one did. They didn’t care what happened to either of them. Deran and Craig were just children so they couldn’t do anything. This was on Smurf and Pope all the way.
Pope had J right where he wanted him. He could have killed his nephew but he hesitated. And in that moment, the fans got what we deserved. We finally got the raw emotion from J regarding why he did all of this. Pope pushed a tied-up J into the pool and watched as his nephew struggled for his life. But then, Pope jumped in and saved J. “She loved all of you” is what he told Pope.
Pope knew this and it was at that moment that the flashbacks come storming back and he remembered Julia saying she wanted to go to rehab for the sake of the baby. She wanted to fight her addiction. Instead, Smurf and Pope dropped her off under a bridge, and, well, the rest is history.
Pope did what he was supposed to do. He spared J’s life. He saved his nephew the way he should have saved his sister. That’s why having Deran or Craig in that scene with J would not have been as powerful as having Pope and J face off. It wasn’t on that emotional level.
Pope should have fought for Julia but he wasn’t strong enough to fight Smurf. In the end, by saving J, it was his redemption and one big “F*** You” to Smurf. So long Animal Kingdom.
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.
