5 years, 4 seasons, 44 episodes. And still some things remain left unsaid.
In Ozark, a middle class family is forced to move to a remote place after a big secret is revealed. I won’t share much because some things are best if seen, but after 5 years of knowing the Byrdes, it’s hard to imagine if they had stuck together like they did, if their lives hadn’t been threatened at first. It’s not that they should welcome the horrible set of events. In a scene that’s on the season finale, the Byrdes survive a horrible accident without a scratch. This is an act of god. Note the lower case.
It’s excruciating to sit and write a whole summary of the whole show, and a review of a show that changed so much and where so much happened. The integrity of that family-oriented center is what kept us attached to the screen for many years. It’s actually much more interesting to compare the beginning with the end. The multiple factors that shaped them are essential of course. But in those long dinner conversations, lies the secret of what sticks the Byrdes together.
There’s an inherent evolution for the characters because it wouldn’t be sustainable if they all stayed in the same spot, watching as a disaster unfolds. Marty was the same coldblooded leader always. Charlotte had the capacity to get them to emotional safety. Jonah was a beautiful rebel. Wendy turned into a horrible villain because she didn’t know what else to be. Ruth Langmore was unique as a secondary character who had the power to balance the show in any dramatic direction. Her presence was essential to the show.
In regards to plot, the Byrdes really consolidated their presence in a place that seemed fit for shady operations. If you can forget about the lack of regulations in the show (authority figures in the show were extremely weak), then it will be a smooth ride through any kind of illegal operation possible. It’s uncanny what they actually got to do in so little time. In fact, in the final season there’s a subplot of a senator that falls down the ladder because it simply doesn’t hold up. Add to that the unbearable Wendy aspect of the season and that part of the show becomes weaker with time.
But Ozark showed us more than a regular family making it big when they don’t actually deserve it. It taught us about the good amidst the dark, about the redeemable because of justice served in non-traditional ways. In that light at the end of the tunnel, there’s a human element seen through Marty that makes him the punching bag of every single approach by the rest of the characters. I’m not trying to say he’s good. I mean, he can’t do anything but be the best he can for the sake of his family. A funny word in this Netflix show.
There are no good guys in Ozark. They’re all stained with a bit of corruption, the capacity to look the other way or the trick that a larger scheme presents as the only true destination. In Ozark, it’s always dark. The days are almost unbearable, the sun shines through the trees in mysterious lines and shapes and the light reflects on the water, because these rivers aren’t apt for light and good.
I would have loved to see the Byrdes win, and I guess they did somehow. With a confirmation as solid as a violent act, we can rest quietly as the Byrdes remain what they were always meant to be. A display of family values that are sacred for the wrong reasons. We always said things couldn’t end well in Ozark. And today I can’t say if they actually did. The only thing I’m certain of is that god watches over them. Note the lowercase.
