All About Catherine’s Death In Animal Kingdom

If you’ve been following TNT’s Animal Kingdom on Netflix recently, you know that it just had one of its most horrific moments in the penultimate episode of Season 1. Not like I was not expecting something of this sort to come up, but this was still kind of a shock.

Before we go further, just for your information, Animal Kingdom seasons 2-4 have already released back during 2016-2018. Netflix has recently put it up on their platform and have been released episodes weekly.

So if you are watching the show for the first time on Netflix right now, then there are spoilers ahead for you.

In the latest episode released on Netflix, the Codys broke into Camp Pendleton and smoothly escaped after stealing a whole lot of money, but something else went horribly wrong. If you’ve been following the show, you know what I am coming at. Yes, it is Catherine’s death.

Smurf (played by Ellen Barkin) was suspecting that Catherine (Daniella Alonso) was talking to the cops and giving out information and that’s why he sent Pope to investigate. Little did we know this would lead to the most brutal moment on the show.

Pope killed Catherine in the episode by following Smurf’s orders. More so, he murdered her while having sex with her and categorically disposed off her body.

Why Did Pope Kill Catherine?

Pope murdered Catherine Blackwell because Smurf ordered him to do so after discovering that Cath had stolen his money and been around the cops.

Pope agrees to Smurf’s orders despite having romantic feelings for her. Pope goes to her house and finds out she is all packed. Cath explains that she kept her suitcases ready for her and Lena just in case Smurf creates trouble.

To protect herself, Catherine has sex with Pope and he grabs this opportunity. Pope kills her by choking her with a pillow.

Following the murder, he even buries her body in the desert with her bags.

What’s Wrong With Pope?

Andrew David Cody a.k.a Pope is the eldest son of the infamous Cody family around which the show revolves around.

There’s something wrong with Pope because of his violent tactics. He is mentally unstable and most likely suffering from some sort of personality disorder. He frequently uses violence to deal with his problems.

In the first episode, he returns to the Cody house after spending three years in prison. It is also clear that he is obsessed with his brother Barry or Baz’s wife Catherine because he was always in love with her and spent his time in prison fantasizing about her.

But that did not stop him from brutally murdering her and burying her body in Smurf’s orders. Smurf is the one who gave him the attention he needed and so he followed her orders blindly as he proves with his actions.

Is Pope Lena’s Dad?

Animal Kingdom: Pope & Lena’s Final Goodbye - Season 4, Episode 9 [CLIP] | TNT

Lena is the biological daughter of Barry Baz Cody and his wife Catherine Blackwell. So she is the biological niece of Pope. But Pope does take care of her like a father after Baz grew distant and later passed away.

He definitely shows fatherly affections towards Lena, especially after Catherine’s death. Quite weird, considering he is the one who killed Cath.

Pope apparently wants to ensure that Lena does not end up with a fate like the others in his family and wants to give her a proper education. He places Lena in a private school as her own father Baz grew increadingly distant to her.

All of this happens in Season 2 and 3, just in case you’re following it afresh on Netflix.

After Baz’s passing, Pope keeps looking after Lena in Season 3. So though not her biolological father, he does kind of become her unofficial guardian.

About Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is an American drama television series developed by Jonathan Lisco. It is based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name directed by David Michôd, who is executive producer for the series, alongside Liz Watts, who also produced the 2010 film.

The series follows a 17-year-old boy, who, after the death of his mother, moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, a criminal family clan governed by the matriarch Smurf.

The crime drama stars Ellen Barkin, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Danielle Alonso, Molly Gordon, and Denis Leary. Season 6 will be the final season of the show.