Ozark

Ozark – Season 1 & 2

Office buzz and word of mouth put this show on my radar quickly.  I spent many long weekends down at the lake of the Ozarks growing up and was excited to see how this drama would play out.  If you love suspense and tension this is the show for you.

This show follows Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) who is forced to flee to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri to launder money for his  drug cartel boss.    Marty uproots his family from Chicago and head for sanctuary in Missouri.  The entire family quickly learns of Marty’s ties to the drug cartel and they start to work together to keep one and other alive.

Season one explores family dynamics, rural life at the Lake, and lengths people will go for self preservation.  Each decision that Marty makes seems to find him in a deeper hole with new enemies.  Season two focuses Marty and his wife Wendy working together on new business plans to ensure their families safety.

I love the direction and all the plot twist of this show.  It is a show that is very Binge Worthy on Netflix.  Jason Bateman is great as always, even though Marty is the same character that Jason plays in everything he is in.  The scene stealer in my mind is Julia Garner who plays Ruth Langmore a young woman who is part of a crime family at the lake.  She continues to impress each episode.

My biggest complaint is how they portray the Lake of the Ozarks.  It comes off a much more back woods and rural when in fact there is a lot of money at the Lake.  I did myself a disservice by learning that they do not shoot much of the series at the Lake which put a damper on the show for me.

If you like solid drama, tension, and solid acting then Ozark is show you would enjoy.