Ozark Season 3: A Bridge Between the Beginning and the End

 Ozark Season 3: A Bridge Between the Beginning and the End

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for Seasons 1 and 2 of Ozark alongside minor spoilers for Season 3. If you are interested in either of the two previous reviews--which contain fewer spoilers than this one--please click either here or here. Otherwise, if you have already seen the series or are unbothered by spoilers, I urge you to continue your read. Thank you.

As a series progresses, especially one with a lot of moving parts in terms of plot, characters, or writing, there is often some level of decay that is inevitable. The longer a series continues, the more strapped for ideas its creators become. As this transpires, it becomes more apparent in longer-running television series that a full vision of the program had not been set forth by the showrunners at the outset. Ozark, however, is much different from this. Instead of continuing with seasonal renewal after seasonal renewal because of its undeniable popularity and staying power, the show has a clear-set story that it wants to tell throughout its planned run. No more apparent is this than in the shows third season, a gripping bridge between that which has come before and the grand finale whose first seven-episode part will come out some time next year.

Ozark continues to show viewers the dark path the Byrde family is descending down as the third season of the show begins. After the harrowing events of Season 2's finale, wherein FBI Agent Roy Petty and Ruth Langmore's father, Cade, met untimely demises in the wake of the Byrde's expanding their empire, Marty and Wendy appear to be on the same page when it comes to money laundering for the Navarro Cartel. Six months into the casino operation, however, and it's clear their slow progression in the wake of observation by federal agents is not to the cartel's liking. This is exacerbated by a cartel war heating up in Mexico, one that the Byrde's employer, Omar Navarro, appears to be losing. Stirred by newfound confidence and a desire for a larger power grab in Missouri, Marty's wife Wendy decides to take control of the expansion of their operation behind Marty's back. Her intent is to buy more casinos and even try to attain political power in Missouri to ensure their operation remains funded and Navarro remains satisfied. Marty, who wants to get out of the business to keep his family safe, must go head-to-head with his wife to find some kind of resolution to their differing goals. All the while, mounting pressure from new federal agents, court-ordered couples counseling, and Navarro's direct interference all create a growing, amalgamative slew of problems the Byrdes are forced to live with. Problems that continue to grow due to conflicts with members of the Kansas City Mafia and the arrival of Wendy's estranged brother, Ben.

The biggest change between previous seasons of the show and this one is how Marty takes a backseat to Wendy in the first few episodes, his presence not entirely felt until the end of the third episode. At first this made me a little wary, as a sudden change in pre-established character roles made it feel like Marty could have been dealt a harsh deal in this season. Thankfully, this isn't the case, as this season tries to weave together the notion of Marty and Wendy's stories being one in the same much tighter than the previous two. In retrospect, the focus on Wendy this season was necessary for not only--and rather obviously--the story they wanted to tell, but also for the overall series. Wendy has always been one of my least favorite characters, especially in the first season. While the second season gave her a lot more to do and her presence felt more positive than before, she still didn't give me the idea that she knew her way around Marty's business until near the end of said season. Season 3 Wendy, however, is a force to be reckoned with, turning her from a character I didn't care much about into a tour de force of great writing and incredible acting. Laura Linney steals the show this whole season and it is always great to see. Most especially was her performance in this season's ninth episode, "Fire Pink," which is probably the best episode in the entire series.

Many of the character roles and dynamics shift and evolve as the season progresses. Ruth still works for the Byrdes but is independent and rebuking as she's always been. Her tongue has sharpened since her father's death, something that made me feel bad for her not only when she suffered during the season, but even in just knowing her quips were a cover for her grief. It made her feel like a much more dynamic character than the no-nonsense redneck we'd seen in seasons prior, showing just how well this series uses death as a way to drive other characters and plots along. Speaking of which, the Byrde's contact to the Navarro cartel, Helen Pierce, also gets an expanded role this season. Her relationship with the Byrde family expands as she takes Wendy under her wing, intent on assisting in her expansion operation in whatever way she can. This, however, proves consequential over the summer; in the wake of her divorce, Helen takes her daughter, Erin, to the Ozarks. While she is content to hang out with the Byrde's children, Charlotte and Jonah, there is a key difference in their dynamics: Charlotte and Jonah know of their parents drug cartel connections, while Erin has been kept in the dark by a mother trying to protect her daughter. Naturally, this plot escalates in unexpected ways.

New characters are also introduced that create a shift in dynamic for the rest of them. This includes Frank Cosgrove Jr. Son of the Kansas City Mafia leader Frank Cosgrove, Jr. comes into conflict with Ruth and the casino as a whole when his attitude of always getting what he wants is sidelined for realistic due portions. His story intersects with Ruth's throughout the season, coupled with some conflict with his father due to his rude behavior toward a lucrative business partner. But the most standout newcomer to the series has to be Ben Davis, Wendy's brother. A slightly unstable, relatively kind-hearted person, Ben is the centerpiece for many of the developing conflicts that take place throughout the season. He has some level of presence in much of what happens this season as he becomes more and more embroiled in a conflict he's unaware his sister is part of. His character, while unique and engaging on his own, also acts as a major source of conflict for Wendy, who wants to protect her brother but at the same time feels powerless to do so as more seasonal issues continue to build. His development culminates in the aforementioned "Fire Pink," so much so that it would be a waste not to discuss the brilliance of that episode. But, for the sake of spoilers, we'll wait until next week to do so.

When it comes to the show's plot and the many moving parts its large cast of characters provides, Ozark does a great job at juggling everything well and keeping the story engaging. This season also felt like it weaved its plots together in a more fluid way than any season before it. The Feds plot has some level of impact on the casino, Navarro's cartel war, Wendy's quest for power, and even Ruth's character arc. At the same time, each of those previously-mentioned storylines have a dynamic level of intersection between one another. While this has been a mainstay for seasons of Ozark in the past, this season in particular managed to weave the web of storylines together with more ease and flow than its predecessors. It's what made this season very easy to follow despite the enormous number of events transpiring all at once. It was sprawling, but the show did a great job at making it all feel tightly-wound.

The same goes for the writing, which never misses a beat. While I feel the season had a bit of a slower start with its first three episodes--especially the episode whose major focus was on Wendy's attempts at purchasing a second casino--every scene had some level of importance, even if it didn't feel that way in the moment. While there was a bit of repetition to some sequences of events, with some of them happening even in the final episode, the purpose here was not to repeat but to build up to even bigger events whose consequences acted as ripple effects for the rest of the characters and storylines. Giving even the most basic of scenes some layer of plot or thematic purpose is one of the biggest parts of storytelling that many fail to understand. But the creators of Ozark do understand it, and this decision in particular plays to the show's strengths and creates a multi-layered story whose end is anyone's guess.

Ozark's third season exceeded all of my expectations for a series that could have easily gotten stagnant after the shocking end of its second season. This was the best possible way to execute what on the surface was a bridge to the finale, but that told its story in such a captivating way that I could not look away. And, with the first part of the show's 14-episode final season set to debut next year, I won't be turning away from the Byrde family's accidental empire anytime soon. All seasons of Ozark can be found on Netflix, and I highly encourage you to watch it prior to its grand finale. Unpredictable, engaging, and downright genius at times, this series is a thriller whose successes cannot be overstated.

***

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