DVD Review: Animal Kingdom Season 5

 

+++Warning: This contains spoilers from Season 4, but no major giveaways from Season 5+++

The fifth season of Animal Kingdom starts out a bit slow and then ramps up in the final few episodes. This season, the storylines jump back and forth between the present day and flashbacks to young Smurf (played by Leila George). While there were flashbacks in season four, they are even more prominent now that present-day Smurf was killed off at the end of the fourth season. The beginning of the fifth season sees all of the Cody boys struggling to get their footing in a world without Smurf calling the shots. Pope and Craig spin out of control in their own ways, and Deran and J engage in a power struggle for leadership. For about the first two-thirds of the season, it seems like the show is trying to figure out how to tell the story without Ellen Barkin and then it really ramps up to a very good ending and sets up a major storyline (that loops back to the early seasons) that is definitely going to play a big role in the final season. 

For those who get the DVD, it is basically a MOD plus set. It does have captions and a few extras, including a featurette on Smurf's end, and a couple of short behind-the-scenes features on the fifth season. Nothing extensive, but what is there is good. But, if you are one of those who only get the physical discs when there are a lot of extras, you may just want to stream it. 

Overall, I liked the season, mostly because of the final few episodes. I do think the present-day storylines suffered without Barkin, but I thought Leila George does a great job as young Smurf. She does not try to copy what Barkin did outright, but sprinkled in things from her performance that showed how she evolved into the person we see in the first season of the show. And Shawn Hatosy deserves all the kudos for his portrayal of Pope and the range of performances he has to give to play that character. I would say if you liked the prior seasons, while this one is definitely going to feel different, it is worth sticking with.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 61

Day 61 was Kenpo-x. I did not have a ton of energy going into this one (I think because of the overall long week I have had), so I took longer rests during the active break (basically skipped the jumping jacks and the x-jumps), but otherwise pushed through the workout hard. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 60

Day 60 was the Shoulders and Arms workout (and ab-ripper for the warm-up). Overall, the workout went well. On the moves that were not included in the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps or Back and Biceps workouts in phase 2, I could definitely tell that I had not done them in a few weeks. Thankfully, I am not too sore today (I think because of the post-workout supplement and getting a good night's sleep). I am glad that I switched things around and did x-stretch on Wednesday because there is no way I could have done this workout without risking hurting myself because of how sore my back was the day after I moved my mom to her new place. So, it is a good reminder that you do not always have to stick to a rigid schedule. Do what feels right that day. 

Supplement Review: Osteo Bi-Flex

 

I have issues with my knees, and this definitely makes them feel better when I am using it on a regular basis. It is a much better value on the subscribe and save subscription than getting them at one of the warehouse clubs, and they are much easier to swallow than some of the generic options with a similar formula as some of those are "horse-sized" and are not easy to get down if you are a person that has an issue swallowing pills.

Workout Update: P90X Day 59

Day 59 was supposed to be shoulders and arms, but I was so sore, including my back, that I opted to do x-stretch instead so I could recover from Monday and Tuesday, getting my mom moved into her new place. It worked wonders as I felt better after the stretching workout, and feel a lot better today. So, tonight will be the shoulders and arms workout.