'Animal Kingdom' Season 6 Episode 1 Review: A triumphant start for the gang's final journey

The premiere of 'Animal Kingdom' Season 6 lays a strong foundation for things to come for the Codys
Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary), and Joshua (Finn Cole) in 'Animal Kingdom' (TNT)
Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary), and Joshua (Finn Cole) in 'Animal Kingdom' (TNT)

For the last six years, TNT’s blockbuster crime drama ‘Animal Kingdom’ has been enthralling fans with some of the most compelling stories on television. The first five editions of the show have received universal acclaim from the critics as well as audiences, but it was Season 5 that captured everyone’s imagination the most, and the way it ended, only made people curious about the sixth and final season.

Now that the sixth season is finally here, we just can’t wait to see how the story ends for everyone. The premiere episode of Season 6 perfectly sets up what’s about the come for the Cody Boys. Every member of the Cody family is trying to make their lives better by doing something other than their usual work. J (Finn Cole) is now doing something in finance while Deran (Jake Weary) is busy running a bar-cum-restaurant in the neighborhood. On the other hand, Craig (Ben Robson) is now struggling with sobriety and plans on opening a fitness center.

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However, things change when Gia visits Pope and comes up with a job opportunity. This is what I loved the most about the premiere. It gives ample time in making viewers realize that even though they are trying to leave their previous line of work, they just can’t ignore the face of who they are. They seem to get the urge of doing what they have been doing since they were small. The best example was when Deran’s old friend comes up to him and tells him about new neighbors who have been making his life miserable by partying all night and making TikTok videos.

At first, Deran doesn’t want to do anything but later realizes that he needs to do something. That particular scene is quite amazingly shot and gives the viewers an idea of how they miss their old work.

Shawn Hatosy as Andrew, Jake Weary as Deran, Ben Robson as Craig, and Finn Cole as J in 'Animal Kingdom' Season 6 (TNT)

After a lot of thinking, they do say yes to Gia’s work, even though they hate her. But they blow everyone’s mind by doing the exact opposite of what she wanted them to do. Viewers will be so pleased to see Gia getting so annoyed at what the Codys did to her and it was really satisfying indeed.

Additionally, the flashback moments showing Young Smurf jeopardizing Julia’s future give an extra layer to their story. We know how Smurf hated Julia back in the day, but this exact moment in Season 6 hurt Julia the most because she wanted to be more than just a member of a criminal family. She wanted to achieve something and study further, but Smurf didn’t let her do that.

All in all, ‘Animal Kingdom’ Season 6 starts on a terrific note and sets up a good foundation for an extraordinary end. Will we see a lot of deaths? Quite possible.

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