The following contains spoilers for Animal Kingdom Season 6, Episode 3, "Pressure and Time," and Episode 4, "Inside Man," which aired Sunday on TNT.
Animal Kingdom Season 6 continues following the Codys as they navigate their criminal empire and politics in Oceanside post-Smurf (Ellen Barkin). In many ways, J (Finn Cole) has become the "new Smurf," with the majority of managing the family's businesses and money falling on his shoulders. J also wants to rip off a high-end jewelry store with the help of his uncles. With Craig (Ben Robson) declaring the security too much to deal with, J decides they need another way in: Arthur, the brother of abusive owner Eddie. However, when J proposes the idea, Deran's (Jake Weary) rebuttal seems to foreshadow a tumultuous future for the Cody boys.
J's plan to rob Eddie's jewelry operation occurs when selling altered diamonds (stolen from Gia's warehouse) to him. It doesn't take long for J to realize the scale of Eddie's operation and that he treats his half-brother, Arthur, like garbage, despite Arthur being the technical expert. With Craig confirming Eddie's money and jewels are locked down tight, J realizes his only other option is Arthur. He proposes the idea to Deran, but his uncle remains skeptical, saying, "You really think one brother would turn on another brother like that?" J maintains that Arthur will if he "plays it right."
For some, it may seem like a simple statement on Deran's part. However, the cryptic tone suggests it may also be a bit of foreshadowing. From Season 1, Animal Kingdom has played out like a crime version of Game of Thrones. The Cody boys desired to gain more control and branch off from Smurf. Still, the criminal empire needed a strong leader and players with clear-cut roles. As such, subsequent seasons found Baz, J and the other Codys taking shots at running things with varying results. Greed often became an issue, and Season 6 still sees the family without a true "new Smurf."
For many Animal Kindom fans, J seems like the most likely candidate. However, his uncles won't let him ascend to power without a fight. Surprisingly, Deran remains J's closest ally at this time, but other relationships are on edge: Pope and J have continuing tension, and Craig and Deran's relationship is also struggling.
As such, Deran's talk of brothers turning on brothers is enough to send a shiver down fans' spines. With things as they stand now, it could very well foreshadow Deran turning on Craig or vice versa. Deran has been adamant about leaving the family business since Season 1 and has been emotionally pulling away from Craig during Craig's struggle with sobriety. Although they have both referred to themselves as the "grunts," Deran has also expressed frustration with Craig's lack of initiative and independence. Craig, on the other hand, has found a new friend in fellow biker Vince, who he seems to be using as a stand-in for the relationship he normally has with Deran.
The two youngest Cody siblings have always been the closest in the family, but it's possible that it could all change as Season 6 continues. Episode 4, "Inside Man," saw Craig seemingly stepping away from J's job. This may be another crack in Craig's relationship with J, his brothers and, specifically, Deran. Hopefully, it won't all shatter and leave Craig to suffer a similar fate to his movie counterpart in 2010's Animal Kingdom.
To see what happens to the Codys in Season 6, new episodes of Animal Kingdom air each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.