Animal Control Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Goats, Snakes, and Dogs

Animal Control Season 3 Episode 3, “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs,” barks at rules to help the pack get to matters of the heart.

Written by Brad Stevens & Boyd Vico and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, this episode is cohesive and propulsive because it shuffles the show’s usual partnerships. Instead of derailing the season after a good yet bumpy start, that choice helps Animal Control find its rhythm with productive results.

“Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” is cohesive, heartfelt, and delightfully outrageous.

All that starts and stops with the episode’s fantastic cold open and tag. An episode’s bookends translate to the quality of the content between them, and Animal Control thrives in all areas with “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs.” 

Paralleling the fire hazard clean-up turned attempt to make a world record out of a deadly stunt to Frank’s attempt to do a nice thing and facing the dangerous consequences — from Doc Whiskers, not Hopper — is good. 

Moreover, they are lighthearted bits to move in and out of an episode that deals with the more brutal side of their work — euthanasia. 

Refreshingly, “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” doesn’t deny how difficult this part of the job is for those who work in this field and genuinely care for the animals. Emily’s “tortured metaphors” and the staff agreeing never to read the paperwork for the animals they take to Precinct 13 exemplify that.

Animal Control is so aware of the job’s challenges that Precinct 13’s staff has a therapy goat named LeBron. His existence makes the cold building — commonly referred to as “the farm” — used for a bleak job a little warmer. 

It’s no wonder that they complain when Patel steals LeBron.

The lead-up to that jailbreak is so silly. Patel pouring out the entire bottle of contact solution is ingenious. Ravi Patel’s stunned delivery of “That’s not actually possible” after discovering the dirtiest contact on the floor rivals Grace Palmer’s delivery of “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” 

The Animal Control cast just keeps getting better with every episode and season.

The same is true for the world this show is building. “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” is one of the first times that Animal Control visits another precinct. Albeit, this precinct’s context inspires hope that the characters won’t need to visit it often.

Nevertheless, the world beyond Precinct 22 is taking shape.

The first season adds the Fish & Game jurisdiction on Animal Control Season 1 Episode 8, “Hellhounds and Sturgeons.” The second season opens it up further by teasing the inner workings at Templeton’s precinct by mentioning his supervisor on Animal Control Season 2 Episode 2, “Cats and Monkeys.” 

Then, Animal Control Season 2 Episode 4, “Big Dogs and Mini Horses,” introduces Bento and takes the lead of Animal Control Season 1 Episode 10, “Pigs and Minks,” and paints a bigger picture of Precinct 22 — beyond the core cast. 

Meanwhile, “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” strengthens those central characters by changing dynamics. Unfortunately, Patel’s C story falls a bit flat because Animal Control continues to struggle to find any on-screen room for Maya and Patel’s marriage. Therefore, it’s challenging to invest in “Sponge-gate.”

Alternatively, this show spends so much time with Patel at work that watching him and Frank influence each other is more engaging.

It makes sense for Patel — and his (and stolen) therapy goat — to suggest why Frank cares about Hopper. Like C-37 on Season 1 or Oreo the Penguin this season, Animal Control loves to draw parallels between Frank and lonely animals. 

“Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” proves why it never gets old — Frank experiences breakthroughs with every single one. Even if he denies it, the animal helps him acknowledge a part of him — usually a vulnerable one — that he suppresses. 

Frank gives a dog he sees himself in to his dad — only for Jimmy to realize it takes too much to care for Hopper. The metaphor is not subtle. Animal Control is also anything but subtle about Emily’s feelings for Shred.

Vella Lovell plays those glimpses into Emily coping with Shred and Isabelle’s relationship so well. Her reaction to Shred saying he’d share photos in the group chat is heartbreaking. Those beats keep that serialized arc going organically.

So, though it’s fun to see Shred and Victoria team up again after “Pigs and Minks,” Animal Control finds something even better in the vignettes of Emily and Victoria’s friendship. Something as simple as Victoria checking in with Emily — and checking Emily’s choice to punish Shred when she does — matters.

Ultimately, “Goats, Snakes, and Dogs” succeeds by giving the characters space to break rules and learn something new about themselves. It helps that they (mostly) lean on each other along the way, and sometimes, that manifests as dropping a beer can on your friend’s crush’s girlfriend’s car.

—

What did you think of this episode of Animal Control? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Animal Control airs Thursdays at 9/8c on FOX.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!