TNT's Animal Kingdom and FX's Sons of Anarchy have more than few things in common. Given the shows' prevalent crime and family themes, it's easy to spot similarities. One of their biggest involves their respective matriarchs -- Smurf (Ellen Barkin) and Gemma (Katey Sagal). Both women have done some hardcore things to keep their families upright. As such, they often tread the line of protagonist and villain. However, when it comes to the most sinister, Animal Kingdom's Smurf wins by a landslide.
Gemma isn't innocent by any means. The SAMCRO male-centric order keeps her from having any real power there, but it doesn't stop her from pulling strings behind the scenes. Much like Smurf, she's an expert manipulator. Season 1 immediately displays Gemma's propensity for shameless and borderline evil meddling. In the pilot episode, Gemma visits Jax's drug-addicted ex-wife in the hospital after a relapse results in her delivering ten weeks early. Displeased with Wendy's habits, Gemma encourages Wendy to overdose -- and even delivers her the drugs -- to gain custody of her newborn grandson.
Gemma has a nose for killing. She was involved with her first husband's death. Although she goes to great lengths to conceal the lie, specifically from her son, she shows little to no remorse. Later, she also pushes for Clay's murder after their marriage gets rocky. However, Gemma's most nefarious misdoing is brutally stabbing Jax's wife to death during a scuffle. Gemma feared Tara planned to take her grandchildren away, which is Gemma's other big fault. Despite knowing how dangerous the club is and the damage it's caused her family, Gemma selfishly wants her grandchildren to stay and even gives Abel a SAMCRO ring, encouraging him to follow the same tortuous path as his father.
Gemma does everything (good and bad) to protect her family, although her message gets a little convoluted sometimes. Smurf has a similar motto: family first and never trust outsiders. However, even that isn't enough to keep her children safe. Smurf was quick to cut her daughter, Julia, loose when she didn't want to be a part of the Codys' lifestyle. She also willing let her granddaughter fall into the foster care system, albeit as one of Pope's wishes. However, her most brutal moment involves having Baz killed. Although Baz wasn't her biological child, he'd been under Smurf's care since he was 12 years old. However, when Baz stole Smurf's money and jewelry, she sought revenge, leaving her granddaughter an orphan, considering she'd already had her mother killed too.
Along with her cold-hearted, sociopathic tendencies, Smurf also surpasses Gemma in terms of manipulation. Smurf tries appealing to her sons and grandson on multiple levels as a caretaker, a boss and even a borderline object of their sexual desire. The result is some cringe-inducing, too-long mouth kissing. However, given Smurf's cunning, it's just another misguided technique for controlling her family. The Cody boys are aware of it -- or at least Daren, who accesses Smurf of wanting her sons to sexually desire her, so they'll follow her on whatever heist she pitches next.
While Gemma doesn't bode well with other women in Jax's life, she never uses sex to control him. In contrast, Smurf takes things to the extreme, wanting to be the only feminine energy in her sons' lives. It's likely why she didn't like Baz's wife Cath and probably played a role in why she kicked Julia out of the house in the first place. Ultimately, Smurf sees men, even her own boys, as easy to control. In contrast, other women threaten her kingdom.
While Gemma is certainly no angel, she pales in comparison to Smurf. Smurf is very much Animal Kingdom's best worst character. Although the same can be said of Sons of Anarchy's Gemma, Smurf's cold demeanor, dark manipulation and ability to cut people out of her life, even her own children, without a second thought make her the more sinister of the two. She's able to order a hit on someone, then walk across the room and nonchalantly kiss the target on the lips with a smile, as she did to Adrian in Season 4.
Both matriarchs are calculating, but Smurf excels at the long game. In contrast, Gemma's prone to impulsivity, adding another strike against her. The motorcycle life's hardened Gemma, but Smurf built her own criminal empire from the ground up. While many Animal Kingdom and Sons of Anarchy fans would love to see the two matriarchs square off, it'd likely end with disastrous results because neither plays nice with others.
Smurf might not be in Season 5, but the Codys continue their life of crime in Animal Kingdom. New episodes air each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
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