TV Romance
If ‘Animal Kingdom’ Ever Returned, Should Deran & Adrian Get Back Together? (POLL)
Still thinking about Animal Kingdom? Same. The beloved TNT drama had a resurgence in the zeitgeist when all six seasons dropped on Netflix earlier in the summer, which resurrected our thoughts about Deran (Jake Weary) and Adrian (Spencer Treat Clark).
In the first season, Adrian is introduced when Deran brutally beats him up in the bathroom after J (Finn Cole) accidentally walks in on them during an intimate moment. At some point in their childhood, the feelings between them turned into something beyond just friendship. By the end of the first season, we get some insight into Adrian and Deran’s simpler time in Belize, a period of their lives they wish they could return to.
Deran and Adrian’s relationship is never without complications. Smurf’s (Ellen Barkin) youngest son is flawed and bound to his family by a deep-rooted loyalty, despite a yearning to escape the life of crime he was born into. Adrian represents a raft amidst the choppy waters of his family’s drama. Loving each other is easy, but being together isn’t.
After Adrian is caught trafficking drugs, the DEA offers him a deal: rat on the Codys and get your charges reduced. Adrian works with the Feds for a time, but he ultimately tells Deran the truth. When Smurf finds out, Deran knows Adrian has a target on his back. The man he loves will never be safe. Adrian will end up dead, and it’s only a matter of time.
Eddy Chen / TNT / Everett Collection
Initially, Deran plans to get out of town with Adrian and help him start over, evade Smurf, and not go to prison for 15 years. In the end, Deran remains caught in his family anchor. He sends Adrian off alone. The last thing Adrian says to Deran before he leaves would crush even the strongest person. “I love you, too, you know? I have since we were kids, and I probably always will. But you’re the worst thing that ever happened to me,” he says.
Adrian isn’t seen onscreen again in the final two seasons of Animal Kingdom, but Craig (Ben Robson) does urge Deran to reach out to Adrian, who is now in Indonesia. We never see if Deran actually contacts Adrian again.
Deran survives the series finale, and the show’s executive producer, Daniele Nathanson, believes Deran and Adrian ultimately got back together. “This is 100 percent what I believe happens,” she told TVLine. “I believe he hooks up first with Renn, discusses what they’re going to do with [her and Craig’s infant son] Nick, and he also reaches out to Adrian. They can form some type of family unit.”
While that’s encouraging for the Deran and Adrian shippers out there, we haven’t seen it with our own eyeballs. If Animal Kingdom were to be revived for a Season 7 or a Deran-centric spinoff, the story could go in an entirely new direction.
One could argue that Deran is (seemingly) finally free from the Cody family’s tangled web of dysfunction and crime, giving him the ability to start anew with Adrian in Indonesia. However, knowing Deran, it’s highly unlikely he’d let J just walk away scot-free after betraying him, Craig, and Pope (Shawn Hatosy). Deran chose his family over Adrian once before, so who’s to say he wouldn’t do it again, even in the name of revenge?
You might be one of the Animal Kingdom fans who think both Deran and Adrian need a clean slate. There’s so much baggage between them. Would Adrian be a constant reminder of Deran’s past? Can they truly trust each other? Do Adrian and Deran deserve a less complicated love? There’s a plethora of story opportunities for Deran Cody, whether it’s exploring how he reunites with Adrian or starts a new life elsewhere.
So, here’s the million-dollar question: If Animal Kingdom continued in some capacity, should Deran and Adrian end up together? Vote below and sound off in the comments.
Animal Kingdom, All Seasons, Streaming Now, Netflix
