This review contains spoilers for season 6 of Animal Kingdom. "Hit and Run" brought a familiar face back to Animal Kingdom to continue to shape the traumatic past of Pope (Shawn Hatosy). With a character as complex as Pope, the TNT crime drama has never failed to paint a vivid image of how susceptible Pope has been to the opinions others have in regard to him. "Hit and Run" balances the images Pope's brothers and sister have of him, and the image he has of himself. The newest episode of the TNT crime drama prioritizes its characters and the effort truly makes the end feel near.
Relationships are the focus of "Hit and Run." From Pope's relationship with a returning Baz (Scott Speedman), to his memory in regard to Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary), and J (Finn Cole), Pope's presence is very largely felt within Animal Kingdom. In a unique use of its TNT time slot, Animal Kingdom makes use of Pope's complex character to span across three specific and equally influential times in his life, which continue to make Pope one of the series' most well-rounded characters.
With last week's surprising decision for the Codys to decide to break Pope out of jail and leave Oceanside behind once and for all, "Hit and Run" keeps the focus on the center of it all: Pope. Animal Kingdom explores his character at three different points of his life: as a teen, the events leading up to Animal Kingdom, and Pope's current state. Each of them creates a sympathetic image of Pope that has already existed from the crime drama's start. Baz's talk with Pope at the end of "Hit and Run" ties this together, as Baz reminds him that of all the Codys, Pope is the one that least deserves to be in prison. While it is a fact that many Animal Kingdom characters have tried to express, it seems Baz is the one who has finally gotten through to Pope. The effort "Hit and Run" places on the relationships of its characters, including Pope and Baz, is what grounds the episode.
"Hit and Run" revitalizes Baz's memory in a meaningful way that drives Animal Kingdom's story forward. In exploring Baz's own character in a triple layer that is similar to Pope's, Baz manages to unlock something in Pope that Deran has been unable to. In the past, Baz's disregard for other people's emotions began to draw direct lines between the Baz that Animal Kingdom's audience had grown to know. The true highlight in the craftsmanship of "Hit and Run" is the direct connections it crafts between Animal Kingdom's young cast and the actors that have played these characters from the beginning.
Kevin Csolak and Darren Mann have done stellar work all season long to create their own stand-alone performances as Pope and Baz, while remaining truthful to the work Hatosy and Speedman have already done. These four actors stand out amongst one another despite the similarities that bond them. "Hit and Run" is an obvious testament to this, providing viewers with a direct balance between the two Cody generations.
Aside from Pope and Baz, Animal Kingdom does explore a few other relationships as well. Deran's relationship with his father Billy (Denis Leary) is also on display in this episode, as is Craig's relationship with J. Animal Kingdom has devoted time to Deran and Billy's complicated relationship in the past, but Craig and J's dynamic has existed below Animal Kingdom's surface. As "Hit and Run" taps into, the tension between Craig and J has always existed. J's initial arrival in the Cody residence at the start of Animal Kingdom has hung over the series for six seasons, turning the household and its power dynamic, on its head.
The tension in many of Animal Kingdom's relationships begins with J. His stoicism in reflective moments with his family members can't be ignored. In the moments J shares with Craig in "Hit and Run," the bond Craig attempts to forge appears extremely one-sided. If Animal Kingdom has been correct in the assumption that J is Baz and Julia's child, the final season of the crime drama has been purposeful to demonstrate what he may have inherited from them both. When combined with the influences Smurf has had on J, he remains one of the most dangerous characters still looming in Animal Kingdom.
"Hit and Run" does make Animal Kingdom feel as if the end is near. Craig and Deran both reveal the plans they have after they successfully break Pope out of jail, while J keeps his plans close to his chest. Deran also reveals his plans to take Pope with him to Indonesia. With only two episodes remaining in the crime drama, it's hard to foresee all the Codys getting away to live the lives they all feel they've earned. What "Hit and Run" proposes is that none of them have truly gotten what they deserve, as Pope has paid everyone's penance. How the Codys final heist will pay off and who it will pay off for is the tense question looming over Animal Kingdom in its final two weeks.
Seasons 1-5 of Animal Kingdom are now streaming on Amazon Prime.