Animal Kingdom 5×11 Review: “Trust the Process”

With only two more episodes to go, ‘Trust the Process’ gave us an intense flashback scene while the Cody men came together to handle two different situations in the present.

Animal Kingdom season 5 episode 11 opened with Deran losing it over Chadwick killing Livengood in his bar. As far as Deran’s concerned, he should get ready to go to prison right now. The authorities were going to come looking for Livengood and Deran was the primary suspect.

I liked how Joshua took charge of the situation and ordered his uncles around. They were going to clean Deran’s bar from top to bottom to remove any blood stains and other incriminating evidence. They were also going to dump Livengood’s body and car far away from Oceanside. Even though the scene involved getting rid of a dead body, I liked seeing the Cody men coming together to ensure none of them would be sent to jail. Craig yelled at Deran that they were a family and they were going to stick with each other through such a mess.

Joshua and Andrew’s little road trip to dispose of Livengood’s body and car allowed the writers to explore their relationship. Andrew could sense something dark inside of Joshua, especially when Joshua was ready to cut off Livengood’s hand as part of the plan to make his death appear linked to a drug or turf war. Andrew didn’t want Joshua to become like him. But I think it might be a bit too late for that. Andrew killed people because he was manipulated by Smurf to handle situations a certain way. Joshua kills due to his own free will. And the fact that he’s smart made him a dangerous opponent.

With Andrew and Joshua busy, Craig and Deran teamed up with Frankie because she found a rich hawala, named Wyatt, the Codys could rob. Those particular scenes made me worry about Frankie. Apparently, she wanted to run away to Costa Rica for a fresh start. Even her password was the word ‘Freedom’. She was also putting herself at risk by using her own money (a total of $30,000) to get Wyatt to make an illegal transaction. Wyatt had seen her face and she would be one of the first people he would come after once he’s robbed. Not only Wyatt, but she’s also in trouble with another criminal bigwig. I have my fingers crossed Frankie’s able to make her way to Costa Rica. I like her as a character and want her to survive.

The hawala job did allow Deran to show his tech skills. He modified a small tracking device and hid it in one of the money stacks Frankie was going to give Wyatt. Deran might not be as smart as Joshua, but I’m here for more scenes showing Deran in his element. Also, apparently, similar to Frankie, he had been thinking of moving away. If the cops did show up at the Cody house due to Livengood’s disappearance or if another threat came along, it was a good idea to have enough cash at hand to make a quick getaway.

As for the flashback, it involved Janine making up her mind to teach Max a lesson after he threatened her kids in the previous episode. However, her plan didn’t work out the way she wanted to and the entire thing led to Max threatening her life in front of her kids. The confrontation with Max did a number on Andrew’s psyche as he came to help Janine against Max. He also didn’t look away when Janine shot Max dead. Said moment linked to what Andrew told Joshua in the present about how he and Joshua’s mother never had a proper childhood due to Janine’s lifestyle. Andrew was unfortunately destined to be trained by Janine to do her dirty work and not ask questions. A young Julia, on the other hand, was a different story. The criminal world was not for her and it cost Julia her life.

Some other thoughts and questions:

• With Livengood dead and Deran talking about going away, do you think he will try and contact Adrian?
• I liked the guard who checked Frankie for any concealed weapons. He was surprisingly respectful.
• Little Andrew’s clearly not a fan of Julia playing around with Baz.
• I’m still waiting for Pamela to do something in the present.

With the Codys getting to learn about where Wyatt hid all of his money, I’m looking forward to seeing how they will pull off such a job. The loading dock was heavily guarded. They would need a foolproof plan to make everything work. The final two episodes are going to be so much fun!

What did you think of ‘Trust the Process’?

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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