Animal Control Season 5 Episode 1 Review: Seahawks and Piglets
Animal Control Season 5 Episode 1, “Seahawks and Piglets,” unites the pack and one of its greatest antagonists against an even bigger threat — Roman Park.
Written by Tad Quill and directed by Clark Mathis, the season premiere follows in the footsteps of Animal Control Season 4 Episode 1, “Bear Cubs and Broncos.” It makes a change that significantly benefits the show.
Making Roman Park the serialized villain of the fifth season is clever.
It punts any decision about how to move forward with Templeton down the line. That’s a relief in the sense that Animal Control gets to keep Gerry Dee around — he’s hilarious even when Templeton is the worst.
Also, it’s a good thing that “Seahawks and Piglets” doesn’t provide an answer about Emily’s suspension hearing. Animal Control leans into the chaos that Templeton would (and does) implement.
The utility belt alone is a perfect bit, and it gets Daisy more involved.
It also produces the absolutely wild oiled-up wrestling fight that results in Templeton biting Frank during “the fog of war.” Shred is more than right to say, “You know I hate to say it, but this is what happens when men are in charge.”
Animal Control knows that it would be too easy to breeze past that time and have the characters reflect on it through bouts of exposition.
Picking up in a post-Templeton Animal Control era isn’t satisfying. The pack needs to have that win on-screen — just as it presumably will with Roman.
It also doesn’t serve Emily to feature a bigger time jump.
Templeton is awful and refuses to change when he has the chance. It’s more about how he impacts and pushes the people around him. For example, he’s still incredibly inappropriate (to say the very least) to Victoria. Hopefully, she gets the final word like on Animal Control Season 2 Episode 6, “Bunnies and Veggies.”
Simultaneously, Templeton having that job means that Emily doesn’t, and it’s refreshing that “Seahawks and Piglets” gives her the space to explore what that means after Animal Control Season 4 Episode 12, “Golden Moose and Dogs.”
Her free time and nervous energy translating into scone baking is such an endearing, in-character choice. As is Emily opening up to Shred about how lost she feels — Vella Lovell is incredible in that scene.
She really lets the brave face drop to show the truth about Emily’s headspace.
This episode is a good one for Emily and Shred — for that scene and all their other interactions. Shred is nothing but supportive of Emily and her absolutely wild scones — he apologizes when he throws one away.
They’re such a solid couple, and it’s really nice to see them in that place after watching their story unfold over the last four seasons.
Meanwhile, Animal Control has pumped the brakes on the tension between Frank and Victoria. He’s far more preoccupied with Templeton and Roman, while Victoria has become attached to an adorable piglet — or vice versa.
This show does not disappoint with their slow-burn dynamic. In turn, it’s easy to be excited about what’s in store for Frank and Victoria, even though they don’t share a one-on-one scene in “Seahawks and Piglets.”
In the meantime, this season premiere delivers more excellence from Joel McHale and Ken Jeong. They’re just so easy to watch together. Their chemistry makes the show’s comedy even sharper.
One of the most exciting things about “Seahawks and Piglets” is that it makes Roman Park a villain for the entire pack to face off against.
Frank is frequently the only one who shares significant scenes with Roman, but this season premiere changes that. Now, with his tech-driven, money-hungry ploy to absorb Animal Control into Pax Romana, Roman is everyone’s problem.
Hence the pack throwing Emily’s scones at the billboard in the tag.
“Seahawks and Piglets” also does the very exciting thing of suggesting that Patel will have another new side quest this season — drumming while his family is conveniently in India for two months. Essentially, there is plenty to look forward to in Animal Control Season 5!
What did you think of this episode of Animal Control? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Animal Control airs Sundays at 8:30/7:30c on FOX.
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Shelby Elpers
Shelby is a TV enthusiast and pop culture writer. She's an avid podcast listener, green tea drinker, and soccer fan. Her brand can be summarized in rom-coms, superheroes, teen dramas, and workplace comedies.