Saturday, April 18, 2020

Netflix: Binge Watching Ozark

 

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Being trapped at home I have been binge watching "Ozark", all 3 seasons of the Netflix show (imdb ). "Ozark" comes up to "The Americans" and it is at least as good as "Breaking Bad". It seems that Netflix is catching up to HBO.

The plot circles around Martin Byrd, a rational & analytical thinking financial adviser & accountant - "The Numbers Guy". Martin came too close to a Mexican drug cartel and has suddenly to deal with an irrational, treacherous & vicious environment. Jason Bateman ist the perfect cast, he radiates a zen-like inner peace and behaves like the human eye of a hurricane.  I was fascinated by Laura Linney as well. She impersonated Martin`s wife Wendy, sometimes emotional and sometimes even more calculating than her husband. 


Julia Garner impressed me as a hyper-smart white trash & petty criminal who became a rising star in the Ozark universe; Janet McTeer will stay in my memory as the devil´s advocate, the cartel lawyer Helen, a cool & highly dangerous person;  I was entertained by watching Jason Butler Harner. He impersonates a FBI agent who is obsessed with the Byrds and the case; and I also enjoyed the performances of Lisa Emery & Peter Mullan as Darlene & Jacob Snell. “The Snells” are vicious & stubborn hillbillies who grow poppies for the heroin trade - no matter what.

These characters and many more are involved in a fascinating plot. Martin is forced to laundry a huge sum of money from the cartel in order to survive and to keep his family (wife & 2 kids) safe. The Byrds move from Chicago to the Ozarks, a remote resort area in US state Missouri, where Martin is working hard to invest the cartel money in local businesses which causes a sheer endless chain of complications  (this is a spoiler free blog. You could find a synopsis here wikipedia).

"Ozark" is a complex but highly entertaining show; a violent fable, full of surprises, grisly violence and drama but also spiced with some weird humor & romantics. I enjoyed cinematography and sound track as well. "Ozark" is the perfect escape in challenging times.

The show culminates with a wow-finale which makes me wonder if there will be a season 4? This depends on the popularity of the show, the ratings. So far I can see is "Ozark" very popular. Maybe the creators are already using the quiet lock down period to brainstorm and for video conferences about possible plot ideas. Time will tell.

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