Animal Kingdom 3×10 Review: Off the Tit

With two more episodes left before the season three finale of Animal Kingdom, ‘Off the Tit’ ended up being a very emotional episode for the Cody brothers. Also, I couldn’t help but be impressed by J being proactive as a young businessman (money launderer and thief) while being cautious of what Smurf might be up to.

I was provided a screener of ‘Off the Tit’ for review. The opinions are my own.  

I will begin my review by talking about Pope. DCFS taking Lena away shattered Pope’s world. I could understand him being impatient to get her back. However, you could tell his attitude wasn’t going to help. Pope has a creepy vibe and it was very apparent when he tried to plead in front of the DCFS employees to give Lena back. We saw a Pope being determined, sad, helpless, and angry. Actor Shawn Hatosy did an amazing job this week!

Also, just so you know, Hatosy directed next week’s episode. So, I am looking forward to seeing his directorial skills.

Coming to the youngest of the Codys, J began a secret mission to buy properties under his name. His decision made sense. He liked having control of Smurf’s properties and running the money laundering business while she was in jail.

J is a survivor. He knows things can go bad any second and there should always be a backup plan. Will Smurf appreciate J branching out on his own? I don’t think so.

J also had Mia spy on Smurf and find out what she paid Pete to do. Mia is the kind of girl J needs by his side. Nicky lasted with J as long as she could, but clearly, the Cody life wasn’t for her. The writers could have made Nicky learn and become a productive member of the team (similar to Wendy Byrde from the highly enjoyable Ozark) but they didn’t. So, yes, she had to go.

Even though I’m unsure how long Mia will stick around after the Codys find out what she did, I want J to have a love interest like Mia; someone who knows how to handle the dangerous world they live in.

‘Off the Tit’ focused a lot on Deran’s relationship with Billy as well as Adrian. We knew Billy was going to do something awful to Deran and he finally did this week. The moment the scene where Deran unlocked his safe to give money to Billy was shown I knew his father was going to steal all of the cash.

Sigh! Poor Deran. Billy’s betrayal is what finally led Deran back to Smurf and you could tell she had been waiting for her son. Deran just can’t escape Smurf. None of the Cody brothers can.

As for Deran and Adrian, I felt weird when Deran laid his head in Adrian’s lap. Yes, it was a cute scene which helped establish their love for each other. Deran feels safe when he is with Adrian. But come on! I couldn’t help but remember how Deran used to do the same thing with Smurf.

Some thoughts and questions:

• Do you think Frankie is sticking around to get Craig to tell her how to take the money out of the safe?
• Did Smurf show Pope Lena’s foster home so he might go and kidnap her?
• The way Smurf used peanut butter and rats to get Marco to talk gave me chills.
• Lucy is a dangerous woman and I can’t wait to see how she handles herself when Smurf comes for her.
• Do you think Renn lied to Craig about him not being the father of her child?
• How many of you think Billy will return?
• I am okay with Adrian being the love of Deran’s life as long as he keeps his distance from the rest of the Cody family. I don’t want him anywhere near their dangerous world. Keep him safe, Animal Kingdom writers. Keep him safe!

What did you think of ‘Off the Tit’? Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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