By Joseph Coffey-Slattery
It is difficult to ponder a world without Netflix or to conceive of a streaming service where the goal was not to binge-watch. Indeed, Netflix and other streaming companies like HBO and Hulu have made it challenging for the casual viewer to escape with just one episode. Playing the next entry has become a compulsive behavior and an enticing one at that.
This can largely be attributed to the fact that the content is produced with such high quality. Shows such as “Game of Thrones” and “Orange is the New Black” are engrossing because the acting, writing and production value are on a scale viewers had previously only associated with films. Such is the case with Netflix’s “Ozark,” surely to become a modest hit in its own right.
Despite landing on the service on July 21, 2017, many have probably not heard of the show or are only in the “my friend said they liked it” state of being. This is a notable shame, as in the clamor about old shows with which viewers have dedicated their loyalty, one often neglects to investigate the new gems that crop up on a seemingly daily basis. “Ozark” is certainly a show that deserves to be seen, one with an intricate plot and characters that are startlingly tangible.
The show follows Martin “Marty” Byrde (Jason Bateman), a financial planner based in Chicago who has been laundering money for “the second biggest drug cartel in Mexico,” a fact he mentions frequently to ruffle the feathers of his liaison with the criminal group, Camino Del Rio (Esai Morales).
After discovering that Marty’s partner Bruce has been stealing money from the cartel, Marty has to move his family to the Missouri Ozarks where he must launder $8 million in three months to satisfy the debt wrought by his associate. The penalty for not succeeding is that Del Rio and company will murder Marty’s family in a series of hideous ways.
While initially feeling capable, Marty is soon overwhelmed by the rural nature of the area, and his schemes to utilize businesses for laundering become increasingly desperate. In the midst of his trials, he must balance a dysfunctional family, a local heroin kingpin, backwoods criminals and the cartel’s watchful eye.
Initially I was not sold on the premise and trailers, as the antics of drug cartels are already being explored to great success in shows such as Netflix’s “Narcos.” Yet what brought me to “Ozark” was the sheer curiosity of what a serious Bateman role would look like. Normally a comedic man, one will be surprised at the raw emotion that he brings to the role – and the director’s chair on several occasions.
The show also benefits from an immensely flexible plot. For instance, a viewer walking into an episode of “The Walking Dead” has it under good authority that the main protagonist, Rick Grimes, will not meet his end. Yet “Ozark” is not afraid of unexpected deaths or bound by the same code as other shows. This makes for an engrossing ride, one in which the audience feels consistently exposed, apprehensive and thoroughly entertained.