Animal Kingdom Season 1

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

Animal Kingdom is a show about a crime family, who basically commit various degrees of theft, run by Ellen Barkin’s character, Janine “Smurf” Cody.
It is mainly told from the perspective of 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody whose mother is Smurf’s estranged daughter, dies of a heroin overdose and he is taken in by Smurf. He is thrown into the crazy world of crime run by Smurf (who rarely gets her own hands dirty) and his uncles, Smurfs adopted right-hand man Barry “Baz (played by Scott Speedman); the fresh out of jail mentally disturbed Pope (played wonderfully by Shawn Hatosy), Craig and the youngest Deran. Each of the characters has their own varying degrees of problems, some that are apparent right away, and some that take longer to be revealed. While there are a few ancillary storylines going on throughout the season, some of which involve just a few characters and some which tie all the characters together, the show is really at its core, about the dysfunctional family.

Barkin’s character is really the glue that ties all the characters and storylines together. As the season (a relatively short 8 episodes) play out it becomes apparent just how manipulative and controlling she is, sometimes using money (giving the “boys” and allowance from the take of their various jobs), or with affection (or lack thereof), or with creepy very inappropriate sexuality. While the show does not come out and confirm that there was any incestual relationships in the characters past, it strongly hinted and certainly gave that vibe.

I will not give away any spoilers from the season, but the show manages to pack a lot into a handful of episodes. Much of the season climax revolves around a big score, and an attempt to pull off a very daring robbery. A lot of potential stories for the second season are also set up toward the end of the season that will likely affect various character’s relationships with each other and whether the family will ultimately stick together.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great. For extras, there are deleted scenes for many, if not all of the episodes. Then there is about a half hours worth of making of and behind the scenes featurettes. Okay for what is there, but nothing extensive. It is definitely a mature show with mature themes. There is a lot of sex, violence, drug use, and strong language. It earns its TV-MA rating, so if that would turn you off to a show you are better off skipping it. But for those that are not, it is well-written and acted and while the first season is short, it tells a good story and sets up what could be an even better second season.

– Mike S.

An all-around awesome show, that always keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing “What’s going to happen next?” This show is HIGHLY addicting and ALWAYS leaves you wanting more. I HIGHLY recommend this show for any adult, NOT FOR CHILDREN/KIDS; due to violence, nudity, drugs, and language. The actors/actress’ are great at bringing their characters to life. Definitely one show you’re gonna want to stick with and see what happens next, it gets even better in the next season – as the characters grow and change, in ways you NEVER could’ve imagined.

-Rachel Thompson

I love this series. It is both the best of Greek tragedy, and The best of the Shakespeare plays, all wrapped up in modern times, way down at the sea in Oceanside. Take any, or all of the various characters in the series, put togas on them or Elizabethan attire, and you have the essence of the greats.

Everyone in the family is a character in a great play, acting out their individual potentials for greatness, but condemned to eventual failure because of “Hubris”. Their tragic flaws. I may be stretching it a little, but I see the Pacific Ocean as a primary actor in the series, as well. All the action in the episodes plays out with the backdrop of the eternal sound of the ocean, wave after wave, and it’s no surprise that so much of the episodes deal with the actual ocean, where various characters end up in the water, over different reasons.

I understand that the series has been just extended for a 4th series. Hurrah! I can hardly wait. I am sitting in the audience like the audience members in the old Greek theaters, just waiting for the actors to fail,knowing it’s coming, and still interested because, from where they are stuck, they don’t see it coming! How delicious.

-Thierry

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman, Finn Cole, Shawn Hatosy
Producers: Jonathan Lisco, John Wells
Format: NTSC, Subtitled
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: French, Spanish
Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
Region: Region 1
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR – Not Rated
Studio: WarnerBrothers
DVD Release Date: April 25, 2017
Run Time: 440 minutes
ASIN: B01N95RQK3