Fans of TNT's Animal Kingdom are all too familiar with movie icon Ellen Barkin's Smurfisms. The result is a terrifying villain who will stop at nothing to protect the empire she built for herself and her family. But Smurf's protection sometimes crosses extremely unethical boundaries with her sons.
Smurf's frequent "babys," too-long mouth kisses and unsettling shower interruptions spotlight a chilling facet of her character, leaving many to question the boundaries of Smurf's relationship with her children. Some even question if Smurf has ever slept with her sons -- a thought that no one wants to have in their mind. Like everything Smurf does, her actions are a means to a greater end, and Season 6's flashbacks in Episode 10, "Clink" demonstrate how far she is willing to go to maintain control of her family.
Animal Kingdom's Flashbacks Give Context to Smurf's Relationship With Her Boys
Thus far, Animal Kingdom's Season 6 flashbacks only confirm what fans already know: Smurf is a control freak. She wants to control every aspect of her kids' lives, including who they have sex with and when. And in true Smurf fashion, mind games are frequently involved. When it comes to the present day, the Cody boys are privy to Smurf's hold over them but do little to push back. Deran (Jake Weary) remains the most resistant -- even accusing Smurf of wanting to have sex with her sons back in Season 2, Episode 4, "Broken Boards" by saying, "Isn't that what you want? To feel like that's what I want?"
Despite this, it doesn't seem like Smurf actually wants to cross into a sexual relationship with her sons. Rather, she's come to learn through her own traumatic upbringing that sex can be used to control men. She says so herself in the same Season 2 episode when explaining to Nicky (Molly Gordon) how to maintain power: "It's the one thing you have that every man wants. You just have to let them think they have the power, but they never do, never, unless you give it to them." Obviously, using this weapon against her own sons is more than twisted. However, she seems to get results, which is all that matters to Smurf.
This is best exemplified by her interaction with Baz (Darren Mann as young Baz; Scott Speedman as older Baz), her adopted son, in "Clink's" flashbacks. Leila George's Smurf has been having difficulties controlling her adopted son -- specifically, handling his preoccupation with girls. She moves him into his own place to distance him from Julia (Jasper Polish); however, when Smurf comes to celebrate their job, she finds him with yet another girl. Smurf knows that flirting with, presumably, one of Baz's friends at the party is bothering him. So she offers everyone cocaine before disappearing into the bedroom with the young man, closing the doors while making eye contact with Baz. The scene clearly gets Baz hot and bothered, with his emotions hinting at jealousy and anger.
Smurf’s Dark Hold Over Her Sons Was Planned From Animal Kingdom's Start
On Animal Kingdom, Smurf's power move over Baz likely drew him closer to his death, which Smurf ultimately orchestrated. The betrayal highlights Smurf's main motivation: to create a loyal gang of employees out of her children. She wants zero distractions and pushback. In Smurf's perfect world, her sons (and daughter) would have no relationships outside of her. This is why she strangely offers sex workers to Baz and Pope (Kevin Csolak), hoping their needs will be met without commitment.
While dark, it's an important aspect of Smurf's character. As executive producer Jonathan Lisco said in a table read with Vanity Fair (video above), "Animal Kingdom, in a nutshell, is really about a powerful, perverse matriarch who has an incestuous hold over her four dangerous boys." Executive producer John Wells also referred to the Cody boys as Smurf's "son-husbands" that she uses to her advantage in different ways. While Animal Kingdom fans got to see Smurf's disturbing tactic in action, Season 6's flashbacks continued to explore the origins of it while spotlighting just how long the Codys have been subjected to Smurf's twisted manipulations.
To gain more insight into the Codys' unusual upbringing, stream Animal Kingdom on Prime Video.