TV Show Review: “Ozark”
By Donnell Solomom
Rated TV-MA
“Ozark” is a very well-made show on Netflix, but it does not receive the buzz that it deserves within popular culture. It is an intense show with nearly endless cliff-hangers.
The show starts off with a financial advisor relocating his family from Chicago to the Ozark, a summer resort in Missouri. Marty, the main character, is involved in money laundering for a drug cartel. The reason for his move is to pay a substantial amount of debt off to the Mexican cartel leader, Nevaro. After the first summer, the money laundering becomes more of a family business. Marty’s wife and two teenage kids are inevitably dragged into his money laundering affairs. Needless to say, there are plenty of obstacles to overcome when dealing with a Mexican cartel, especially with the whole family is involved.
How does one convince their teenage kids that money laundering is for the greater good? Is it ever possible for money laundering to be for the greater good? There are a few moral dilemmas that encourage the audience to question every character, but the writers do a good job of keeping the family and outside characters favored, despite these quandaries.
Apart from the plot that follows the well-written script, the production itself is thorough and appropriate for the mood of the show. Every scene has rustic camera grading that intensifies the suspense of each scene. This helps to keep the audience at the edge of their seat, almost expecting the worst out of every situation.
Just like most other adverse situations, the expectation isn’t always what plays out. There are plot twists in almost every episode that leave the audience surprised, but wanting more. While the script creates tension in every scene, the soundtrack to the show is surprisingly familiar. Many of the songs throughout the show are familiar and catchy with songs by Radiohead, Killer Mike, and A Tribe Called Quest. On the surface, it seems counterintuitive to the dark nature of the show to include familiar and catchy songs. However, the soundtrack offers just enough of a release to the audience that it makes the next plot twist that much more shocking.
Many of the actors, such as Jason Bateman, Julia Garner, and Laura Linney, have won awards for their performances in “Ozark.” Julia Garner won an Emmy from this show as an outstanding supporting actress in a drama series. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney were both nominated for Emmy’s as outstanding lead actors in a drama series for this show.
The fact that the cast was so successful at the Emmy’s shows that they were each chosen carefully. The cast contributes to the enticing nature of the show because of how well they stay in character and how intensely they display their emotions. The intensity of the emotions is especially important when it comes to making decisions on the show. Many of these decisions are morally challenging, so the emotions are rightfully higher.
“Ozark” is a creative show with a successfully complex plot, that provokes questions into moral and immoral decisions, with an equally successful cast of actors.
