- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,136
- 26,529
Just finished binging Season 3 of Ozark on Netflix.
For those unfamiliar, the very first episode of the series opens with him as some financial advisor with clients in his office while he's distractedly watching pr0n on his computer screen. Turns out, it's his wife, cheating on him (private eye set up the proof for him). Within S1 his partner gets them in trouble with the wrong folks, and Bateman is constantly thinking quick on his feet how to get out of situations. This leads to him and his wife being forced to maintain the 'happy family' image with their two kids as they move within hours to the Ozarks to begin money laundering operations. The running plotline for all 3 seasons is him trying to keep the family alive, and being a bit smarter than everyone else around him. Over time you see his wife express similar sharp mind manipulations, and of course there are some main characters that carry their own side plot lines that interweave, and all have a layering of 'who knows how much?'. If you like a story that constantly feels like the protagonist is going to tip over into mayhem, but manages to keep tap dancing on the land mines...this is for you. Most characters you'll care about, some not so much and that's ok. Some stories may not matter all that much, but they are all threads of the overall tapestry, even up to the end of S3. Worth a binge of 3--5 episodes when you feel like trying it out...see if you don't get hooked, trying to watch more. Great writing, great cast, nothing real hokey about it, IMO. 8.5/10
For those unfamiliar, the very first episode of the series opens with him as some financial advisor with clients in his office while he's distractedly watching pr0n on his computer screen. Turns out, it's his wife, cheating on him (private eye set up the proof for him). Within S1 his partner gets them in trouble with the wrong folks, and Bateman is constantly thinking quick on his feet how to get out of situations. This leads to him and his wife being forced to maintain the 'happy family' image with their two kids as they move within hours to the Ozarks to begin money laundering operations. The running plotline for all 3 seasons is him trying to keep the family alive, and being a bit smarter than everyone else around him. Over time you see his wife express similar sharp mind manipulations, and of course there are some main characters that carry their own side plot lines that interweave, and all have a layering of 'who knows how much?'. If you like a story that constantly feels like the protagonist is going to tip over into mayhem, but manages to keep tap dancing on the land mines...this is for you. Most characters you'll care about, some not so much and that's ok. Some stories may not matter all that much, but they are all threads of the overall tapestry, even up to the end of S3. Worth a binge of 3--5 episodes when you feel like trying it out...see if you don't get hooked, trying to watch more. Great writing, great cast, nothing real hokey about it, IMO. 8.5/10