TNT’s Animal Kingdom kicked off in 2016 and saw audiences quickly fall in love with the Codys. Oceanside’s notorious crime family was comprised of Baz (Scott Speedman), Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary), J (Finn Cole) and governed by the sinister matriarch Smurf (Ellen Barkin). Despite their nefarious ways, the Codys wiggled into fans’ hearts and found a place in pop culture’s ever-expanding antihero subgenre, which includes other series like Sons of Anarchy and Breaking Bad. As such, it’s no surprise that Baz’s Season 3 death hit some fans hard.
Baz was shot multiple times in the chest in Season 2’s final episode, “Betrayal,” before succumbing to his injuries in Season 3’s opening episode, “The Killing.” It’s not long after that Mia Benitez (Sohvi Rodriguez), a member of Pete Trujillo’s gang, is revealed as Baz’s killer. However, despite dealing the killing blow, Mia was just a hired gun, with Smurf masterminding the hit on her adoptive son. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, Season 2 confirmed that Smurf had an even more heartbreaking plan when it came to getting the deed done.
Why Smurf Wanted Baz Dead in Animal Kingdom
Despite Smurf’s trademark ruthlessness, many thought her incapable of killing Baz for a couple of reasons. One, Smurf had a strict rule of putting family above all else. Two, Baz was formerly Smurf’s most trusted prodigy. However, after Baz robbed Smurf’s storage unit containing millions of dollars in cash and jewelry, she sought revenge. In Smurf’s mind, Baz being adopted threw any family bond out the window, plus she’d already found a Baz replacement in her grandson J.
She also knew Baz had tossed aside his loyalty to her and planned to take her money and run. After all, Baz had framed her for murder, sending her to jail to face a possible life sentence. As such, she orchestrated a hit from prison, using her connections to Pete Trujillo and his gang, who she was already having J pay to keep her safe in jail. However, this wasn’t her first plan.
Smurf Originally Intended for Pope to Kill Baz in Animal Kingdom
Along with considering Smurf greedy for skimming off their jobs, Baz also suspected his adopted mother of killing his girlfriend, Catherine (Daniella Alonso). And in Season 2’s finale, Smurf finally confessed to orchestrating the murder in her own round-about way, saying, “What do you hear from Cath? Ask Pope. Pope Knows.” As Baz stared back at her, she finished with, “You think you have Pope’s loyalty, but you don’t. I do. Pope loves you. And he loved Catherine, but Pope will always love me more.” Not long after the chilling encounter, Smurf called Pope from jail to say, “Baz knows. He’ll be coming for you,” before hanging up.
And she was right. Baz arrived at Pope’s house with a gun in hand. While Pope was initially on edge and armed with his own gun, his guilt got the better of him, and he begged Baz to kill him. However, to the shock of Pope and likely many Animal Kingdom fans, Baz forgave him, saying, “I know it wasn’t you. It was Smurf.” While Pope physically killed Catherine, Baz was right. It wasn’t really Pope. He was just a victim of Smurf’s ruthless manipulations as he had been since childhood.
In some ways, Smurf’s comments about Pope were right. He loved her and remained fiercely protective, but their relationship was also extremely complicated. Pope’s label as the “unhinged” Cody brother was not lost on many, including Smurf, who exploited his anger and violent tendencies for her dirtiest deeds like murder. In that respect, Smurf made an excellent villain because she knew exactly how to manipulate and twist others (especially her sons) into doing her bidding.
It’s what she tried to do here by enlightening Baz about Cath’s death, knowing he’d go after Pope. However, giving Pope a heads up wasn’t for his benefit but for hers. She thought Pope would kill Baz to defend himself, her and their secret. Plus, she’d get the hit done for free. What Smurf didn’t count on, though, was the love and loyalty between Baz and Pope. While Baz still met a grim fate, at least it wasn’t at the hands of his brother because Pope — still wrestling with the guilt stemming from Cath’s murder — likely wouldn’t have recovered.
To see how Pope’s story plays out in Season 6, check out new episodes of Animal Kingdom each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.