S01.E06: Child Care

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

When Pope tests positive for drugs, Smurf does what it takes to keep the family intact. Baz gets his brothers to rob a house as part of his larger plan. J discovers the plan and faces a moral dilemma.

 

[NorthstarATL]

I figured that the police had some kind of leverage over the teacher, but I'd still love to know the timeline. J wasn't involved directly with the family's dealings prior to his mother's death, right? So was the teacher a "sleeper agent" in case J was taken in by the family? Did the detective murder his mother to speed up the process? OK, THAT was a little far-fetched, but still.

  Still loving Smurf putting out fires as she goes along with the sons. She really does have the carrot/stick thing down perfectly. I was impressed by J pulling off his lie about who broke up with who, but figured Nikki would manage to tell someone the truth of it. I wonder if it had been Smurf whether she'd think that Nikki was making herself look like the victim and that she'd be more inclined to believe J, rather than Baz's reaction, because I think he has a soft spot for the girl. I liked his confrontation with J, and the whole family thing. If J were smarter, instead of asking whether he was a part of the family, he should have asked about Lena and her mother. At what point do people other than the core members become "family", or do they ever? I think that's also what was interesting about Craig's situation. His girlfriend was a "mark" just like any other person the family interacts with, but Craig was sloppy in what he did. Also, I think Smurf maybe respected the girlfriend's family looking out for their own.

   I have to wonder as well whether Nikki's father is so loose about his work or if he might be setting Baz 9and the rest of them) up for a fall.

[sjohnson]

Smurf on Craig (paraphrasing,) " Raising a boy for toxic masculinity gives a mother a weapon."

Smurf on Deran, (paraphrasing,) "The gay son is the one who'll never leave."*

Smurf on Pope, (paraphrasing,) "You're completely crazy without your meds." 

Smurf on Baz, (paraphrasing,) "Show me the money." 

I don't think robbing Dad is the deal breaker for Nikki that J thinks it is. 

Say no, while nodding your head yes: Teach is getting pimped.

*Pope on Smurf on Deran, (interpreting the glare in words,) "And that's disgusting." 

[formerlyfreedom]

On a shallow note, I do very much appreciate the attempts that production and the writers have made to let us see Ben Robson/Craig's bare ass as much as humanly possible. I was so scare they were going to kill him tonight, and my thoughts were, "No, no, no, no! Please, we have to keep him!"

And other stuff happened. I'll be back after I've reached the Craig nekkid scene a few more times...

[Artsda]

I liked that J lied to Smurf on the break up. Didn't want it known that he knew about the plan and what was going on. The conversation with Baz and J about family only was great too.

[AlliMo]

Craig will always be Kalf from Vikings to me, and yes, I appreciate getting some Female Gaze in this show. It's a nice change up. What they did to him was brutal but he can't say he didn't have it coming.

As stupidly as they go about things, I'm really astounded that they've managed to be successful for this long. They're doing every thing they can to ensure that J turns on them with the way they antagonize him at every turn. If their goal is to keep him close, they sure as hell don't have the first clue how to do it.

Edited July 13, 2016 by AlliMo

[portfino]

The scene with J/Baz at the end was effective and the first time I thought the show used Speedman well.

[Laurie4H]

At first I thought that Baz was the "nicer" one but now I'm not so sure.  

I'm not a prude by any means but I feel the sex scene was just used to have a sex scene to get people tuned in.  This isn't HBO.  

This show is getting good.  A train wreck you can't stop watching.  You can't help but wonder who has good intentions or remorse at some point or are all their actions calculated.

[atomationage]

So, Smurf is dosing Pope's food with LSD?  I thought it would have been lithium.  How does a prescription contain LSD?   I loved the scene with the chili and cornbread lunch.  Hatosy is  doing great.  I think Speedman has been very good all along.  They hired him to play a specific type of character the way that he would play it.  This was a very good episode for Craig, who I originally thought was expendable, and of course they're all good episodes for Smurf.   I'm glad Nikki is  getting away from Jay's family, and I hope that continues to not happen.   

9 hours ago, AlliMo said:

As stupidly as they go about things, I'm really astounded that they've managed to be successful for this long.

I think that's one of the problems with making this series out of the movie.   Everything has to continue instead of coming to a conclusion.  A character played by Guy Pearce in the move is made into two people, both women, to add a sexual component.  At first I thought Nikki's dad was going to be that character.  

[Chaos Theory]

I originally saw this as a replacement for SOA which I really enjoyed even with its missteps and faults.  This however has something missing that I couldn't put my finger on until now.  For a bunch of wild human beings everyone except for Smurf is just so damn boring.  Plus I hate J and that is a problem.  When you hate the guy who is supposed to be the window to the show and the likeable one.  

 

I I can see where the show is heading to a certain degree and I am not sure I really care.  That is also a problem. I don't care about J's moral questions.  I would almost prefer that he got involved with the family shanigans before the morality of it popped up.  Right now it feels too damn soon so I hate him for it.  That is a problem.

[iMonrey]

How twisted is it that I'm rooting for all these people to come out on top? I just want them to all get along and be happy and pull jobs together and succeed! I know, I'm sick, but I get really anxious when I think Craig might die or J is going to get in trouble or Pope might go off his meds or Deran will run away again. Why can't they just all get along?!?

First of all, Deran and Craig were idiots for talking so freely when J could hear, they should have known he was going to blow it with Nikki. Then again, if Baz wanted to target her father then either everyone should have been on guard not to let J know anything was going on or else they should have pulled him into this right away. That was quite a slip-up. Baz needed to have that "come to Jesus" moment with J before he sent anyone over to Nikki's house to rob them. The whole thing was just incredibly sloppy. Even Smurf was sloppy about this.

I hope at some point they explain why she's called Smurf. Maybe because she's little? She certainly isn't blue. Did they explain this in the movie?

[sugarbaker design]

or why Pope's called Pope.

[I-Kare]

Another great episode and for me it was all about the "moments." J and Baz's talk at the end had a lot more underlying menace in it than we'd seen from Baz. I really wanted J to ask about his suspicions at the end of the "it's all about family" talk. I also loved the syrup moment between Baz and his daughter....a nice little touch that shows his "other family" side and I think shows why he resented J visiting while he wasn't there. Baz is very compartmental. He wanted to keep The Family Business stuff separate from his wife and daughter, and his home represents that sanctuary. 

I also loved the talk between Craig and Smurf after they left the situation he'd gotten himself in. For once I don't think she was playing him. Her tone wasn't "I'm Mamma Smurf" it was just "I'm your mom." 

I think Pope is incredibly smart the way he handled his Mom, especially at the end when he held it over her head that he may take the pills and he may not. That to her is probably the worst part - not knowing (even though she'll know by how he acts). He took away her control. 

Still loving that we're only getting small pieces of the overarching puzzle at a time. I'd rather we learn the background of everyone and the reasons why as we go along rather than have huge chunks of exposition. 

[atomationage]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Deran and Craig were idiots for talking so freely when J could hear

Well, they are idiots, but it just goes to show how much they trust Jay now. 

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I hope at some point they explain why she's called Smurf. Maybe because she's little? She certainly isn't blue. Did they explain this in the movie?

I don't recall them explaining any of the names at all.  In the movie, Pope was so old looking that I thought he was Smurf's husband, and he acted like her husband too. I guess in Australia, like in England, any name that begins with a consonant followed by an "a" gets shortened and a "z" gets added.  Garry becomes Gaz.  Darren becomes Daz. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

That scene where Smurf goes to rescue Craig was chilling. The whole time I was thinking, "All y'all gonna end up dead," especially after the police detective told the teacher what Smurf's family did to the people who ratted on them. Literal scorched earth vengeance.

The late famous mystery writer Donald Westlake* wrote a series about an ace professional robber named Parker. Parker usually did jobs with other career thieves and each book covered a job. One book about robbing a relatively remote upstate New York Air Force base struck me as ludicrous when I read it even if it did take place decades before the post-9/11 of era enhanced security. As a former military dependent I know just anyone can't roll onto an military installation, much less rob it and then leave unscathed. So, I am looking forward to seeing how the Animal Kingdom writers manage to make robbing Camp Pendleton look plausible.

*under the pseudonym Richard Stark

Edited July 14, 2016 by Joimiaroxeu

[SingleMaltBlonde]

8 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

For a bunch of wild human beings everyone except for Smurf is just so damn boring.  

Everyone gets boring....these are little boys who may never grow up...burn out or fade away.

[Dowel Jones]

20 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

So, I am looking forward to seeing how the Animal Kingdom writers manage to make robbing Camp Pendleton look plausible.

Given the earlier talk between Baz and Nikki's father where he said he could make money disappear, I think he is going to be the point man on this job, and the family boys will not even be on the base.  Extortion in return for getting his briefcase back, plus a cut of the proceeds.

[atomationage]

23 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

after the police detective told the teacher what Smurf's family did to the people who ratted on them.

I was wondering who the family was at that point many years ago.  I forget how long ago it was, but I don't think any one of the boys except maybe for Pope would have been involved with that. 

[MaggieG]

For some reason, the lunch scene cracked me up. Craig is upset because of the whole Ren thing, Pope is testing his mother and poor Deran just wants to eat his chili. 

[topanga]

11 hours ago, atomationage said:

So, Smurf is dosing Pope's food with LSD?  I thought it would have been lithium.  How does a prescription contain LSD?   I loved the scene with the chili and cornbread lunch.  Hatosy is  doing great.  I think Speedman has been very good all along.  They hired him to play a specific type of character the way that he would play it.  This was a very good episode for Craig, who I originally thought was expendable, and of course they're all good episodes for Smurf.   I'm glad Nikki is  getting away from Jay's family, and I hope that continues to not happen.  

Yes, that part confused me. I thought that maybe Smurf was secretly dosing him with LSD so he'd go back to jail, and she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. There is no medicine that causes a false positive test for LSD. Testing is very accurate these days. 

13 hours ago, portfino said:

The scene with J/Baz at the end was effective and the first time I thought the show used Speedman well.

This. It made me scared for J. When J said, "You could have robbed anybody," Baz responded by saying that family is the priority and that everyone comes after that. I wondered too if J was included in the "family." Baz and Smurf obviously don't care that they're victimizing someone who is important to J. It doesn't matter to them as long as their plan to rob Camp Pendleton was still in motion. I wonder if J matters to them. 

[formerlyfreedom]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Yes, that part confused me. I thought that maybe Smurf was secretly dosing him with LSD so he'd go back to jail, and she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. There is no medicine that causes a false positive test for LSD. Testing is very accurate these days. 

Didn't she steal out of the medicine cabinet of another patient of Pope's former doctor? That was what I thought, and if someone put LSD in a prescription bottle, well, they're not expecting some crazed crime mother to be rifling the medicine cabinet to hook up her paroled son.

[sjohnson]

I'm afraid I assumed, maybe unfairly, the LSD false positive due to his meds was just technobabble for the plot. But maybe not: http://wikidrugtesting.com/doku.php?id=substances_that_cause_false_positives Skimming the list, I very quickly found bupropion and buspirone as potential causes. Both could plausibly be given to Pope. Likely enough there are more on the list.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, sjohnson said:

I'm afraid I assumed, maybe unfairly, the LSD false positive due to his meds was just technobabble for the plot. But maybe not: http://wikidrugtesting.com/doku.php?id=substances_that_cause_false_positives Skimming the list, I very quickly found bupropion and buspirone as potential causes. Both could plausibly be given to Pope. Likely enough there are more on the list.

But the thing is, the result of a drug test is actually the final result from two different tests. The medicines you mentioned can occasionally cause a false positive on a screening test. But whenever a screening test is positive in any way, a second, more sophisticated test is run. (And no one except the lab ever knows about the first test). So the bupropion and buspirone you mentioned wouldn't show up as false positives on the final result, and the final result is what the donor--and in this case, the parole officer--would see.

It might just be technobabble, as you mentioned. So I'll just suspend my disbelief and go along with the fact that whatever anti-psychotic/anti-depressive medicine Smurf gave Pope would show up as LSD in his urine. Although the fact that this inaccuracy made it out of the writer's room drives me crazy!!!!

Quote

For some reason, the lunch scene cracked me up. Craig is upset because of the whole Ren thing, Pope is testing his mother and poor Deran just wants to eat his chili. 

Ha-ha. One of my favorite scenes of the episode.

Edited July 14, 2016 by topanga

[sugarbaker design]

12 hours ago, saoirse said:

Didn't she steal out of the medicine cabinet of another patient of Pope's former doctor? That was what I thought, and if someone put LSD in a prescription bottle, well, they're not expecting some crazed crime mother to be rifling the medicine cabinet to hook up her paroled son.

Good one!

Is Smurf going to visit that poor guy again?

Edited July 14, 2016 by sugarbaker design

[ElleMo]

3 minutes ago, topanga said:

It might just be technobabble, as you mentioned. So I'll just suspend my disbelief and go along with the fact that whatever anti-psychotic/anti-depressive medicine Smurf gave Pope would show up as LSD in his urine. Although the fact that this inaccuracy made it out of the writer's room drives me crazy!!!!

Well, there are doctors who believe LSD can be a great treatment for depression so maybe this doc is doing something off the books with his patients? 

Though, your argument is much more likely. 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/05/psychedelic-drugs-like-lsd-could-be-used-to-treat-depression-study-suggests

[iMonrey]

Quote

Baz is very compartmental. He wanted to keep The Family Business stuff separate from his wife and daughter, and his home represents that sanctuary. 

Not to mention the Mexican chick on the side. I honestly don't know what's up with that. Is he just trying to honor his responsibilities to his daughter or does he really want to be a family with Catherine and Lena? If it's the latter why is he still seeing this girl in Mexico?

[sugarbaker design]

Because he wants it all.  He wants the family business, he wants a family with C & L and he wants his family in Mexico.

Edited July 14, 2016 by sugarbaker design

[edra]

Ben Robson - Craig, needs his own thread, lol

[Arienne]

I get all fangirly when I see Ben in anything! I  loved him as Kalf in Vikings and even though his character is rather sketchy I can't help but love the scenes "Craig" is in. Naked Ben are always lovely scenes <grinz>.

[SunnyBeBe]

So, I guess it's unclear why he failed the drug test for LSD. I thought it was clear that Smurf was dosing him with depression meds.  I'm confused.  Could someone else in the house be doing the LSD? I can see why they might want him to go back to prison. Man, he pushes my buttons.  

Do all the boys have the last name Cody?  I thought that they all had different dads.  Is that Smurf's maiden name or do any of the sons have their father's last name?

How do we know that those burned people at that house were murdered by the Cody family?  Could this be a setup or turf war gone awry?

It seemed to me that Baz was conveying to the family that the girlfriend's dad was going to be IN on the government rip off, but in fact, he's clueless.  I'm not sure I understood how that all added up.

[tennisgurl]

I feel like Nikki would actually not be super horrified to find out what J`s family is up to. I assume they will get back together soon, as the families are now kind of connected anyway. 

I sort of figure Pope was the one who burned those informants alive. The other brothers are pretty bad guys, and maybe they would do that, but Pope seems to be the one with the most murderous tendencies. 

I wonder how much more J will stick with the family, or even how the family really feels about J. Will they ever accept him, or is he always going to be an outsider to them? I guess Smurf cares, or she would not be keeping her around, but her "caring" is creepy and controlling, and I would be interested in seeing how she would react if she had to throw one of her Boys under the bus to save herself. 

[FozzyBear]

On July 13, 2016 at 9:27 AM, iMonrey said:

 

I hope at some point they explain why she's called Smurf. Maybe because she's little? She certainly isn't blue. Did they explain this in the movie?

I'm guessing it started when she was younger because she was the only girl running around doing jobs with wild boys. It probably started as Smurfette and then evolved into just Smurf. 

I got nothing on Pope.

[topanga]

On 7/15/2016 at 9:28 PM, edra said:

Ben Robson - Craig, needs his own thread, lol

He is really cute. But... and I hate stereotypes, but I'm going to throw one out there... something about him looks swarmily racist. Not that Craig has ever done or said anything racist. Then again, has the family interacted with any people of color besides Baz's Mexican wife (Is she Mexican?) and Pope's black parole officer? Yes, Craig is swarmy, but that description fits the entire family. 

 

19 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I sort of figure Pope was the one who burned those informants alive. The other brothers are pretty bad guys, and maybe they would do that, but Pope seems to be the one with the most murderous tendencies. 

I wonder how much more J will stick with the family, or even how the family really feels about J. Will they ever accept him, or is he always going to be an outsider to them? I guess Smurf cares, or she would not be keeping her around, but her "caring" is creepy and controlling, and I would be interested in seeing how she would react if she had to throw one of her Boys under the bus to save herself. 

I don't know. All 4 brothers seem to have a very loose moral compass. But Pope would probably be the least emotionally affected by the whole thing.

I think the family will consider J outsider until he starts to think and act like they do--it doesn't matter who you hurt if they're not in the Cody family. The ends justify the means. Don't worry about right and wrong, and be willing to take risks. Don't ever cross Smurf--though I think he's already on board with that none.

I can't figure Smurf out either. She does seem to love her boys, though her love seems conditional. Do what I say, and I'll love you. Defy me, and I'll make it clear that I love your brothers more than I love you. The incest-y vibe has calmed down some, but Smurf is still way too comfortable being physically affectionate with her naked, grown-ass sons (and grandson). 

[sugarbaker design]

Quote

 Defy me, and I'll make it clear that I love your brothers more than I love you.

That's what definitely happened with Julia.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I sort of figure Pope was the one who burned those informants alive.

It was Pope - Det. Yates said that's who did it (Andrew). I believe she also said it was 18 years ago which made me wonder how old Pope is supposed to be. The actor playing him is is 41 which is older than I figured, so I guess he'd have been in his early 20s. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Smurf seems to really love her boys most of the time, but the next minute, I feel like she'd like to get rid of some that are a pain in the ass. She's a little thing, but struggles to keep them in line. They seem close to defying her.  If that happens, it's over.  She has to stay on top. I think that as they get more and more difficult, she gets uneasy about that challenge. 

 The more I see of their reckless behavior and refusal to listen to reason, the more it reminds me of Sons of Anarchy.  And not in a good way. lol 

[lazylou]

Can't find the earlier post, probably after the first episode, which mentioned that Finn Cole was on "Peaky Blinders."  This led me to download that series on Netflix, and boy, it is great!  And J and Michael Gray (PB) the characters played by Finn Cole, are reminiscent of one another....except Michael Gray was raised with middle class mores and wants to let his wild side free...while J is just the opposite; I think he would like to escape into some middle class nirvana where he could just surf, excel at school, and go on to university.

[lazylou]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It was Pope - Det. Yates said that's who did it (Andrew). I believe she also said it was 18 years ago which made me wonder how old Pope is supposed to be. The actor playing him is is 41 which is older than I figured, so I guess he'd have been in his early 20s. 

If Pope was Julia's twin, J's mother, then, if J is 17 (a senior in high school, judging by his class) his mother would have had to have been 32 or 33 when she died, assuming she had J at 16 or 17.  If you think she would have been older than that when J was born, then move Pope's age back accordingly.  Note that the 18 year time period suggests a very troubled time in the Cody family history...  If both Baz and Andrew were in both in love with Julia...then 18 years earlier would be about the time someone got her pregnant as well as someone burning informants....

[iMonrey]

Quote

If Pope was Julia's twin, J's mother, then, if J is 17 (a senior in high school, judging by his class) his mother would have had to have been 32 or 33 when she died, assuming she had J at 16 or 17. 

Huh? I'm assuming Pope is supposed to be roughly as old as the actor portraying him, which makes him 41, the same age as Julia who just died, meaning she would have had J at the age of 24. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by iMonrey

[I-Kare]

16 hours ago, lazylou said:

Can't find the earlier post, probably after the first episode, which mentioned that Finn Cole was on "Peaky Blinders."  This led me to download that series on Netflix, and boy, it is great!  And J and Michael Gray (PB) the characters played by Finn Cole, are reminiscent of one another....except Michael Gray was raised with middle class mores and wants to let his wild side free...while J is just the opposite; I think he would like to escape into some middle class nirvana where he could just surf, excel at school, and go on to university.

That was from me in the ep 1 discussion! =D Glad you like the show....very underappreciated and under-viewed. One of the best shows I've seen in years. 

It's striking how similar the characters are, especially in the initial introductions. 

You're right, I think what he wanted/expected from life with Smurt and what he got are two different things. 

[Raja]

On 7/19/2016 at 10:58 AM, iMonrey said:

Huh? I'm assuming Pope is supposed to be roughly as old as the actor portraying him, which makes him 41, the same age as Julia who just died, meaning she would have had J at the age of 24. 

I agree you can't push back Pope's age  to  far if Smurf also gave birth to his little brothers

[lucindabelle]

In was surmised amd delighted with Smurf for not supporting what Craig did and telling him there was a line. The show misdirected early on because we, with J, saw the first crime as that stone cold car theft... But that was bipolar Pope and most of the boys aren't quite so savage. There are some standards.

[lazylou]

On July 19, 2016 at 11:58 AM, iMonrey said:

Huh? I'm assuming Pope is supposed to be roughly as old as the actor portraying him, which makes him 41, the same age as Julia who just died, meaning she would have had J at the age of 24. 

Yes, very likely...as I said, just move Julia's age when she got pregnant back and add 17 or 18.  Twenty four ... a little old for an accidental pregnancy?  

[Raja]

12 hours ago, lazylou said:

 Twenty four ... a little old for an accidental pregnancy?  

Nope ;)

[SingleMaltBlonde]

On 7/22/2016 at 8:19 PM, lazylou said:

Yes, very likely...as I said, just move Julia's age when she got pregnant back and add 17 or 18.  Twenty four ... a little old for an accidental pregnancy?  

I don't think anyone on this show is emotionally mature.

[lazylou]

3 hours ago, SingleMaltBlonde said:

I don't think anyone on this show is emotionally mature.

I so agree with you about maturity on the show!  As far as the chronological age of the characters...well, maybe the actual chronological age of the actors gives us a notion.  The only age we know for sure on the show is J's...as an apparently great student, he is probably only 17 or 18 as a senior or maybe 16 as a junior in high school.    The actor, Finn Cole, is evidently 21.    He is in many ways the most mature mamber of the family.  And maybe the only straight forward character in the whole show, though events are quickly teaching him to be sneaky and, let us hope for his sake, manipulative.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 7/15/2016 at 9:28 PM, edra said:

Ben Robson - Craig, needs his own thread, lol

He has very soulful eyes.