WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Animal Kingdom Season 5, Episode 7, "Splinter," which aired Sunday on TNT.
With Smurf (Ellen Barkin) gone, Animal Kingdom's fifth season turns into messy soap opera. While Pope (Shawn Hatosy) is clearly struggling with his mother's death, he's not the only Cody brother. In "Splinter," Craig (Ben Robson) and Deran (Jake Weary) get into a nasty fight that threatens to push Craig into reckless territory. And when people get sloppy in the Codys' field of work, bad things can happen.
While Smurf became infamous for manipulating her boys and turning them against each other, Season 5 proves the Cody crew can tear into each other all on their own. The secrets and lies are just as prevalent, and Deran's decision to bring Renn (Christina Ochoa) in on a job without running it by Craig has put a tear in their relationship. Renn seems to have developed a taste for heists. However, Craig's issues with Deran run deeper than that.
While Deran spent the majority of Animal Kingdom's previous seasons trying to distance himself from his family, now he is desperately trying to hold it together, or as Craig says, "You're always bitching about how you want out. Now you want to make all the calls?" Craig and Deran have always had a close sibling relationship, but Deran's recent decisions have frustrated Craig, who frequently struggles with feeling heard in the Cody family. Now, with a newborn baby, Craig must balance his life of crime with the demands of fatherhood. For him, that seems to be putting a rigid line between the two. As such, he warns Derna to keep his family out of it.
The argument with Deran sets Craig on a downward spiral. He invites his teenage babysitter Blaise (Jalen Thomas Brooks) to party at the Cody house, where Craig gets intoxicated and high on cocaine. However, it's not long before Craig declares the party a "bust" and moves the gathering to the pier. There, he climbs to the top of the Bait Shop and encourages the boys to join him with the intention of diving into the ocean below like he used to do with his brothers. The kids protest and worry for Craig's safety before taking off as police arrive at the scene. As a police boat approaches, Craig jumps into the water.
Craig's reckless building climb and dive represent a lot at that moment. For one, it's clear Craig wants to relive the nostalgia and adventures he used to have with his brothers. It also symbolizes Craig's fear of change. Now in Season 5, Craig's no longer the partying playboy audiences met in Season 1. The new baby has forced him to reconsider things and pushed him into the next phase of his life. However, "Splinter" highlights just how overwhelming that is for Craig, who slips back into old habits with cocaine and seeks comfort from reenacting better times with his brothers.
It also represents Craig struggling to deal with his mother's death. Earlier in the episode, one of Craig's tenants says he had a deal with Smurf, sparking Craig's rage. "Don't say her name again, do you understand? " Craig demands as he beats him up. In a way, Craig's angry for Smurf leaving them and takes his anger out on the tenant accordingly. Not only does Craig have the pressure of keeping his new family safe, but he has to do it without Smurf's support.
Since Smurf's death, the Codys have struggled to acquire jobs, money and respect. When Baz (Scott Speedman) had questioned Smurf's decision to dole out money to her sons in installments, she responded that it was a necessity because they lacked responsibility and Craig would put it "all up his nose." While Smurf ultimately created the monster, she was partially right. Now, as the Codys navigate life without her, Craig feels that change more than ever as he poorly balances being a father and career criminal.
Craig walks the line of fatherhood and crime in Animal Kingdom Season 5. New drop each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.