Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 12 Review: Ghosts
Lisa Babick
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What just happened? My mind is blown. That's what happened.
As expected, Smurf made her last stand at Jed's farm on Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 12, but how it all went down was completely shocking.
Smurf is one crafty lady!
While I fully believe she expected to die at the hands of Jed and his sons, she quickly came up with a Plan B when Pope saved her.
Her screaming diatribe at the boys was jaw-dropping. I seriously couldn't believe what she was doing.
She knew Pope wasn't going to kill her, and she had no intention of killing Pope. Shooting him was just a warning to let them all know she was serious.
And she knew that J would handle business, and he did.
She put Pope in a position to make it look like J saved him from certain death. Absolutely astounding.
I have a newfound fear of and respect for J.
It was mind-blowing how calm he was when he did it. And even his calmness afterward at home was amazing.
Related: Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 11 Review: Julia
While the others were still in shock, he was able to come up with a solution to the problem.
It's not that he wasn't bothered by what he did, he just did what had to be done.
And now he's king of the kingdom.
He won't get any argument from any of his uncles, either. However, Pope might have an issue once he's finished grieving.
He'll appreciate that J saved his life, but he'll resent that J killed her. He'll think there might have been another way to handle the situation other than shooting her in the head.
And Craig may join Pope's brigade. He's incredibly upset about Smurf's death -- they all are -- but he'll want to avenge it just as much as Pope.
Related: Animal Kingdom: Ben Robson on Frankie's Deceit, Renn's Return, and Why Family is Everything
Whether that means going after J or going after Jed is yet to be determined.
Eventually, Pope will share with his brothers and J about who Jed was even if he doesn't know every detail.
But he'll know that whatever happened to his father greatly affected Smurf and that Jed had something to do with it.
We know Jed didn't have anything to do with Colin's death, but they don't. And they'll never know what really happened leading up to Pope and Julia's birth.
So, the truth doesn't matter at this point. Pope is going to connect the dots the way he sees fit and in a way that will help him deal with Smurf's death.
I'm guessing this is how Animal Kingdom Season 5 will play out.
It's not clear if Jed is dead. I don't think he is, so it's reasonable to think that he and his sons are going to go after Smurf and her sons to get back everything they stole.
It doesn't matter if Smurf is dead. Even if he learns she is, he'll still want back what's his. And he won't care if Pope is his nephew.
Related: Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Janine
I had a feeling Pope was going to meet Jed, but I was surprised it happened.
I felt so sorry for him! He was completely confused about what was happening and even more confused when Smurf had Jed take them to the bunker.
And when she finally flipped out and started shooting, it took a minute for Pope to gather himself.
But the worst part for him had to be when she begged him to shoot her and then shot him.
It's going to take him a while to process everything that happened, and he's either going to retreat in a shell or come out in the most dangerous rage he's ever found himself.
And that is going to be the scariest part for J.
Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 2 Review: Angela
He's going to have to work hard to figure out how to handle and control Pope or avoid being a victim of Pope's rage.
Going back to Smurf's meltdown, I did think for a minute that when she demanded Deran's gun she was going to tell all of them about Adrian.
So, I did breathe a sigh of relief when she didn't.
However, Deran and Adrian could have been scot-free except for the fact that Smurf told J about Adrian on the way to Jed's farm.
It's going to be interesting to see how J uses that information.
Of course, Deran and Adrian might be long gone by then, but I'm thinking the information is going to come into play before Deran leaves.
It's a touchy situation right now. And with Angela in the mix, it's going to get worse.
I was sorely disappointed she didn't drown in the tub, but that would have been too easy.
Now, she's going to a player in this whole drama. She's going to play sides and position herself with the winning team.
All I know is she better not become the new queen of Animal Kingdom.
I don't know about anyone else, but Animal Kingdom Season 4 has been amazing. Every episode has been intense, emotional, and full of complexities.
I'll miss Ellen Barkin. She was a blast and one badass momma!
Over to you!
Are you shocked J killed Smurf?
What will happen when Pope gets his head together?
Will Deran leave and never come back like he said?
Related: Animal Kingdom Season 4 Episode 5 Review: Reap
Will Craig walk away or join in the fight with Pope?
What will Jed do?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts!
If you need to catch up, you can watch Animal Kingdom online right here via TV Fanatic!
