Characters who are so good
at being so bad … that’s Animal
Kingdom in a nutshell.
On May 29, Season 3 of TNT’s Animal Kingdom
premieres. Will I be watching?
I never missed an episode
of the first two seasons, based on the 2010 Australian film of the same title.
For the uninitiated,
here’s TNT’s blurb for Animal Kingdom:
Animal Kingdom is an adrenaline-charged drama starring Ellen Barkin as the matriarch
of a Southern California family whose excessive lifestyle is fueled by their
criminal activities, with Scott Speedman as her second in command. Shawn
Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary and Finn Cole also star.
Ellen Barkin is all bottle-blonde magnificence
as the controlling and manipulative mom, hell bent on getting her way. She
always does. Her sons and grandson are your classic sexy-as-all-get-out bad
boys. And they don’t mind shedding their clothes on-camera. Often.
Folks, this ain’t
Hallmark fare. No one is nice. It’s even hard
to root for the detectives who are trying to bring the family down—they may be
on the right side of the law, but just barely. But characters don’t have to be
likeable, just compelling.
Writers can benefit from
watching Animal Kingdom with its nuanced and layered
portrayal of a dysfunctional family. The tone can be ratcheted down, or up, to suit a readership. Glimpses of humanity will surface
briefly, only to be quelled. The dark tale contrasts with a sunny Southern
California setting, creating a virtual underworld that emphasizes the
unsavoriness of the plot and those characters who are so good at being so bad as they walk on the wild side.
A word on the violence:
Season 1 of Animal Kingdom started out with a creepy, menacing
tone and only a suggestion of violence. By season end, I watched someone get
beaten to a bloody pulp, punch by punch, kick by kick. I hesitated to watch
Season 2.
But I’ve long been
intrigued by scary moms who manipulate their children, especially their sons,
and get them to do their evil bidding. It’s a theme that shows up in my
writing. Animal Kingdom illustrates this family dynamic to
perfection.
And so I watched Season 2. Frankly, I don’t recall much violence. It certainly didn’t approach the
level of Season 1.
Circling back to my
original question: On May 29, will
I be watching the Season 3 premiere of Animal Kingdom?
I
wouldn’t miss it.
More on Animal Kingdom from Rolling Stone.
For writers who prefer milder TV fare as writing inspiration, here’s my post from January of this year.
They are not a pleasant lot
ReplyDeleteNo, they're not! Steer clear.
ReplyDeleteMaggie, you've introduced me to more shows than anyone else I know. This one sounds good! I'm not sure about the violence, but watching it as a writer might be an interesting way to relax and learn at the same time. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteAmy, like I said, the physical violence wasn't bad in season 2. The emotional---that'a another story! Try it---it's strangely compelling and quite popular.
ReplyDeleteHaving watched the movie, I definitely have no interest in watching the series. Sadly, any t.v. series that is based on a movie, especially a disturbing movie like this, and isn't on pay cable (ie. Showtime, HBO or Encore) is bound to be a major disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI will say that one particularly disturbing scene in the movie, unfortunately inspired me to write an equaling disturbing one-third of a novel. This unfinished novel bothered me so much that to this day it still gives me the creeps.
G.B. It sounds like you turned out some powerful writing! I never saw the movie, but imagine that it packed more punch, so to speak. As writers, we spend so much time with our plot and characters, so have to be at least somewhat comfortable with them. The time I spend with AK is limited and, like I said, I'm most interested in the family dynamics.
ReplyDeleteI haven't paid much attention to TV and have never watched this series. I have to say you did a bang-up job of describing it. When I saw the picture of the family, I felt like I knew them, sort of disliked them probably in the way the series' writers meant for viewers to dislike them. Your post drew my attention. I can see this series providing some slants and fodder for your books. The fact that the movie stirred one of those commenting here to write a 3rd of a novel and then not to finish it because of how disturbing this author found it to be, was interesting.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thanks for your kind comments as well as for your previous advice. I did use the byline!
ReplyDeleteI agree, that picture of the Cody family is very telling. And I found that comment interesting as well. Perhaps the author will revisit what he wrote and tone it down to be less disturbing.
Maggie, I noticed the byline right away. It looks good and your name will always be connected to this story if any of the labels you've used pull someone to this site or someone is looking through prior Novel Spaces posts they'll relate this to you.
ReplyDeleteYes, that picture is a mirror of how you described these people.
Erm... You had me at '...classic sexy-as-all-get-out bad boys. And they don’t mind shedding their clothes on-camera. Often.'
ReplyDeleteAhem. Something for the girls at last.
Sounds like a great series. You're not alone in finding superbitches/femme fatales/evil matriarchs fascinating...probably because they're so very far removed from most of us who were brought up to be 'nice', or at least to try to be. However... My threshold for violent and disturbing fare is very, very low.
Liane, I understand about the low threshold for violence. Somehow I've made an exception for this show, but I usually avoid such fare.
ReplyDelete