Animal Kingdom Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Libertad
Lisa Babick
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Smurf deserves an award for being the Queen of Manipulation.
We knew she was the best manipulator in town, but she went above and beyond on Animal Kingdom Season 3 Episode 9.
A burial plot for all her boys so they could be together forever? Those poor boys are never going to get out from under her thumb.
There will never be "Libertad" for the Cody boys. Ever.
The only way they'll ever be free of their overbearing mother/grandmother will be if they kill her. Whether or not any of them have the guts to do it is debatable. One might think that Pope would be the top man for the job, but he's as easily swayed by her as the rest of them.
But killing her off hasn't even crossed their minds, and perhaps never will.
Related: Animal Kingdom Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Incoming
As despicable as she is, Smurf is one amazing woman just for the fact that she can pull everyone into her web with little effort. What she did in little more than a few days of being free was jaw-dropping.
I've lost all respect for J. He's nothing more than a dumb kid. He has no master plan. He has nothing up his sleeve. The only thing he's doing is trying to survive by any means necessary.
I have the advantage of wisdom over youth, and let me tell you something, youth is pretty damn boring.
Billy
He knew he bit the hand that fed him and was quick to try to make amends. And she knew exactly what he was doing and used it to her advantage.
Giving her money was a smooth move, but if he thinks it's going to put him back on top of the food chain, he's sorely mistaken.
Trying to regain her trust by spilling the beans about the weed heist was another idiot move. She was testing him because she already knew about it from the moron aka Billy, and J fell right into her trap.
Billy ought to be castrated for being the stupidest person on the face of the planet. He has to know that Smurf is manipulating him, but he's another one that might be thinking he's going to outsmart her.
Once Billy gets his money -- if he ever does -- he might not even leave. He might actually be dumb enough to think that Smurf wants to keep him around for fun.
She's playing him, but it's not clear what her motives are. The only thing I can think is that she's using him to bring Deran back into her web.
If Deran wouldn't have run that car job with those other guys, he might've had a chance to get away from Smurf's control, but he has no chance of getting out now.
Something's going to happen down in Mexico with that kid that got shot, or Link is going to tell someone about what went down, and Deran is going to have to turn to Smurf to help him get out of the jam.
Deran should have packed up and left town, but it's too late for him. He's going to get crushed when he finds out Billy has been sleeping with the enemy --literally. It's not that Deran thought that Billy was on the up-and-up, but he had faith that his father was in the same frame of mind about Smurf as he was.
And he can forget about Craig because that kid is as dumb as a box of rocks. Smurf doesn't need to manipulate Deran to get Craig to do what she says, because he's so far up her ass, it's sickening.
Craig will follow Deran like a lost puppy dog, but if he had to choose between Deran or Smurf, he'd choose Smurf -- hands down.
Related: Animal Kingdom Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Low Man
Smurf only told Billy that Deran needed to be on board for Craig to be on board to make Billy feel like he was going to be accepted back into the gang. Smurf knows damn well that Craig is already hers and under her control.
She's less sure about Deran which is why she's pulling out all the stops. Little does she know that Deran will soon be all cozied up in momma's arms. And all because he thought he could run jobs on his own.
Pope: You hid the money from us. It's your fault it was stolen.
Smurf: It's my fault that Baz stole the money?
Pope: He wouldn't have to steal it if you would have split it with us in the first place.
Smurf: I was keeping it safe.
Pope: Excellent job with that, by the way.
If he had chosen better partners, he could have been successful, but he was so desperate to show that he didn't need Smurf or his brothers that he didn't think things through enough. Big mistake.
Smurf will eventually get everything she wants. The only one smart enough to outwit her might be Pope, but he's so upset about Lena that he might not be thinking straight either. If he goes to Smurf for help, it's over.
Smurf will have won. That is until they find out she was behind Baz's shooting. If that happens, then it will be a real war, and maybe no one will get out alive.
Someone posted in the comments not long ago that the great thing about this show is that it's so unpredictable. I couldn't agree more. When you think things are going to turn out one way, they zig-zag the other way.
It makes for some exciting summer television, doesn't it?
Over to you.
Will any of the Cody boys break free from Smurf? Will they find out the truth about Baz?
Could Mia be J's shining light?
Where was Frankie? Will Pope help Lucy?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts.
If you need to catch up, you can watch Animal Kingdom online right here via TV Fanatic!
