It’s the end of an era for fans of TNT’s super hot crime family.
Animal Kingdom roars for its last time when the sixth and final season airs on June 19.
We’ve previously shared the thrilling final trailer, and now TNT has released its official key art for the series’ last hurrah.
Key art notoriously gives us clues as to what we can anticipate in the upcoming season, and this badass photo feels quite revealing.
Whether it’s speculation based on the source material or because the laws of the jungle would demand that the Cody boys’ dangerous lifestyle would catch up to them, it’s easy to assume that not everyone will make it out of the series alive.
Animal Kingdom already shocked the fandom when they killed off matriarch Smurf in Animal Kingdom Season 4.
They’ve proven that not a single soul is safe, and the final season will likely pull out all the stops, shocks, and twists.
Animal Kingdom Season 5 Episode 13 ended with a literal skeleton from Pope’s past resurfacing when the authorities discovered Cath’s body. And it’s only a matter of time before they’re after Pope.
As we see in the key art, when you play with fire for too long, you’re bound to get burned, and the eldest Cody is literally on the brink of a cataclysmic fall.
For Pope, family has always come first.
He grappled the most with Smurf’s death, but he eventually took his well-earned place as leader of the pack and the Cody’s true alpha.
But will the remainder of his family come to his aid when everything closes in on him, or will we see the fall of another Cody?
The still teases that it’s “Family ’til the end,” so after a tumultuous turn of the Cody boys disagreeing, plotting against one another, and even drawing blood, there’s a small comfort in knowing that they’re in it together now.
We see Deran, J, and Craig behind Pope but still distant enough from the flames that it doesn’t appear as if they’re in danger of becoming engulfed by them.
But as we know, looks can be deceiving.
Unsurprisingly, Deran and Craig appear as the united front, standing side by side with each other. Traditionally, they’re the closest of the bunch, so it suits them.
Meanwhile, historically the outcast of the bunch, Cody nephew, J, falls between Pope and the other brothers, his back slightly turned to Pope but still some distance from Deran and Craig.
Does this mean the whipsmart, strategic, conniving, mini-Smurf incarnate will be the real last one standing?
It makes you wonder if something eventually happens to his mother’s twin; it might be the last straw prompting J to cut tail and run, leaving the remnants of a fallen Cody empire behind him.
The final season synopsis teases some dark and ominous storytelling is ahead as we say goodbye to the Cody family. According to the description, “the Cody boys discover that they can’t outrun their past.”
Just when it seems they may finally have a handle on things and be at the top of their game, “a cold case investigation sets off a series of events that puts the entire family in jeopardy.”
And finally, the description also suggests that “Revenge, betrayal, and a reckoning with long-forgotten violence leads to an explosive conclusion six seasons in the making.”
Animal Kingdom stars Shawn Hatosy, Finn Cole, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, and Leila George.
Over to you, Animal Kingdom Fanatics. What’s your interpretation of the key art? What are you most looking forward to about the final season?
Are you ready for one last ride through Oceanside with the Codys? Hit the comments!
If you need to catch up before the premiere on June 19, you can watch Animal Kingdom online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
