Animal Kingdom: Who will Pope choose, his family, the heist or Amy?
Animal Kingdom has done a wonderful job giving each character their own back story while not hurting the integrity of the show. Despite their dysfunction and constant fighting, they are still a family. But what brings them together is also what sets them apart. Their differences are like Night and Day and for one character in particular– he’s doing his best to juggle his past, present and future. Pope is by far the most screwed up of all of the brothers, but in a sense, he may be the sanest.
Pope spent a chunk of his life in prison after taking the heat for a botched crime. In the first season, he was the angry one. No smiles or emotion. It was all business, with a twist of revenge settled in his demeanor. In Season two, after he murdered Catherine to close the first season – Pope changed. He still possesses that darkness, but each episode he takes a little step into the light.
The new job has the family focusing on robbing a Mega-Church. However, Pope gets hit with an unexpected feeling. Pope, much like us, isn’t sure if he’s feeling lust or love. But the fact that he’s willing to take a chance just shows how far his character has come. If his new romance with Amy is not proof enough, look at his Uncle/Niece bond that he now has with Leena. She respects him and at times you can tell that Pope is having a hard time dealing with how to take that in.
Pope and Amy hit it off immediately and even went on their first official date. What’s surprising is that while he’s supposed to be casing the Church, he has engaged in Church activities. To learn that Pope can quote scriptures out of the Bible is shocking.
But what’s more shocking is the decision that he will soon have to make.
Baz and the Cody brothers will put Pope in a tight spot when it’s time to finally rob the Church. We can see the conflict building up as Pope and Amy grow closer. What happens if something goes wrong during the heist and Amy is caught in the middle of the robbery? Who will Pope choose, Amy or his brothers?
Pope is experiencing feelings he never felt before and it may cloud his judgment. While it may seem a bit odd, this is exactly what he needs. He’s not ready to function with the rest of society as the others but he’s learning to blend in– the only way Pope can.
What happens if Amy decides to play hero the day of the robbery and one of the brothers pulls a gun? Will Pope be able to put his personal feelings to the side or will he stick to business mode and not defend the woman he’s clearly falling for (no man wears a lavender shirt for just any woman)? What if his brothers find out that Pope has fallen for the mark instead of keeping a clear head when it’s a lot riding on this job?
Of all the guys, Pope was the one they could count on to always handle the tough task. Baz is the brains but also rather careless. Deran is too focused on proving he is his own man to Smurf and Craig is p**** whipped by a High School kid. It’s always been Pope to see them through, to give them a tongue lashing when needed. Now he’s catching feelings for the one person he’s not supposed too.
This will end badly for someone and I have a gut feeling that Pope will make sure it’s not Amy who feels any pain.
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.
