TNT’s hit crime drama Animal Kingdom follows the Cody family and their countless criminal heists under the control of the matriarch of the family Smurf (Ellen Barkin). The Codys’ world is shaken when J (Finn Cole), 17, moves in with estranged family members after his mother’s overdose.
Based on the Australian movie of the same title, the series has made steps to stand out. However, there are some similarities between the two. The foundation of Animal Kingdom — J adapting to his criminal family— is taken straight from David Michôd’s film. The beginning of the film and the television series are the same but they take two distinct paths.
The film focuses more on the Cody family as they deal with vicious, unethical police officers towards the end. The characters and names are still present, but the series has a romanticized, beach-town setting that is filled with action scenes and drama.
Fans wonder if the fifth season will include more scenes from the film, as the series is ending. If so, could that mean killing off a fan-favorite character — Andrew “Pope” Cody (Shawn Hatosy)? Does Pope die in the final season of Animal Kingdom?
In Season 3, Episode 1 of Animal Kingdom, Baz Cody (Scott Speedman), Smurf’s adopted son, was killed, which somewhat aligns with the events in the film. Baz (Joel Edgerton), is shot by a corrupt cop officer.
The Trujillos execute a hit under Smurf’s orders as vengeance for Baz trying to steal her money. Even though the murder methods of the two characters were quite different, Baz was nonetheless shot.
In the movie, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) is also shot. Smurf (Jackie Weaver) feels that “J needs to go” because he’s a star witness to the prosecution, and after helping Pope and Darren Cody (Luke Ford) escape jail, he moves back in with Smurf. Pope follows J (James Frecheville), who then moves back into his room.
Their conversation abruptly ends when J shoots Pope in his head. Could this happen in the final season of Animal Kingdom? Pope and J have experienced frequent tensions, especially in Season 1, but have also had moments when they have become close.
Could Pope become reckless and get out of control, leaving J to kill him to protect the family? Animal Kingdom has a habit of keeping audiences on their toes, so if J were to kill Pope, it could be for many reasons.
Another twist could be that Pope isn’t killed in Season 6, as the series decides not to follow the film. Smurf’s character, however, is still alive by the film’s end. She didn’t make the final season of Season 4 on the TV show.
Almost all the characters are not safe until the end. In an exclusive interview with Distractify, Shawn wouldn’t divulge his character’s fate, but he did say, when asked about how the Cody boys’ story would end, “This is gonna be tragic.” Who knows if Pops ends up dying in Season 6, but we hope he makes it out alive in the series finale.