‘Ozark’ fine for bingeing
Melodramatic ‘Ozark’ perfect series to binge
“Ozark” is often ridiculous, yet satisfyingly lurid. Its third season, which premieres today on Netflix, goes over the top — perfect for binge watching.
“Ozark” is a television series perfect for bingeing, one that wouldn’t be nearly as effective if you couldn’t watch in bunches. ❚ The show, the third season of which premieres on Netflix on March 27, stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a troubled couple — that’s understating it by a mile — forced into serious crime by stupid decisions they’ve exacerbated to the point that they’re laundering money for a drug lord in a riverboat casino in the Ozarks. (Long story, two seasons long by the time it starts up again.)
The story is frequently ridiculous, in a satisfyingly lurid sort of way. The third season doubles down on this.
They just back the plot truck up and dump out a big load of melodrama every so often. But there’s so much craziness — and the performances so terrifically realized, even when the story doesn’t support them — that you don’t dwell on the problems and just zip right along to the next episode.
What to expect in ‘Ozark’ season 3
This season opens with Marty (Bateman) and Wendy (Linney) at odds over the future of their business, and by extension, their lives. Marty, the numbers genius, is playing the long game. He assumes the FBI has planted someone among his casino employees; over time, he believes he can find out who.
Meanwhile, Wendy, the former political operative, wants to expand the business — more casinos and hotels, for a start.
Couples often disagree. Rarely do they actively sabotage each other’s plans. But so it is with the Byrde family. They’re seeing a marriage counselor (they’re light on the specifics of their tensions, of course) but that’s even hilariously twisted.
Ruth Langmore (the fantastic, Emmy-winning Julia Garner) is running the casino floor while still living in a trailer. Other familiar characters are floating around, as well. Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), the icy, dangerous cartel lawyer, moves to Missouri with her disgruntled teenage daughter to better keep an eye on the Byrdes. To further complicate things, the FBI doesn’t bother with a plant. Instead it installs agents for a thorough audit of the casino’s operations.
Where things get extra complicated
If that weren’t enough, the show then falls back on an old TV trope: a new family member!
Wendy’s brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey, good in a showy role) arrives out of nowhere, bringing with him a troubled past that grows more complicated and ultimately dangerous in its own way episode by episode; it’s not until late in the 10-episode season that we truly learn the extent of what’s going on with him, with an out-of-the-blue development that, if you had time to stop and think about it, would seem like a cheap ploy.
But there is no time. There’s another twist, another unforeseen complication, another shooting or beating or crime to distract you.
Why this is really Laura Linney’s season
Bateman won an Emmy for directing the show, and he’s behind the camera for some episodes again. The ultimate straight man in the iconic “Arrested Development,” here he’s kind of Walter
White light — as in “Breaking Bad,” a seemingly decent man’s depravity increasing until he’s unrecognizable. Until, that is, you remember that Marty started out bad, and has only gotten worse. Bateman’s good at portraying the stoic, calculating criminal who bases every decision on what it will mean for the business.
But it’s in many way’s Linney’s season.
Wendy — not exactly without sin from the start herself — now relishes power, and her ambition is front and center throughout the third season. Whether it’s personally negotiating with drug lord Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) or making agonizingly painful decisions that affect her family, Wendy wields power. Of course, so does Marty — and, of course, so do Navarro and Helen. Showdowns are inevitable.
There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure at the moment; if you can find some solace in a show that delights in going over the top, why complain? You could do a lot worse than “Ozark.” Just hang on and enjoy.